Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Time for Part 2! Father... more

Buy tickets to The Big Magical Cult Show in Vancouver, Canada on February 21, 2025! Father is back!!! No, not Father... more

It's officially Countdown to Cultmas! Make yourself a falalatte and keep your expectations for plot continuity ho-ho-low because this week,... more

~A cosmic new episode of Sounds Like a Cult lies in your near future, Virgo~ No? Capricorn? Pisces, maybe? Whatever... more

Brew yourself a giant pot of Luke's coffee because we’re diving deep into the fast-talking world of Stars Hollow. That’s... more

Munch on some ice chips and PUSHHHHH (sorry) play on this week's episode, in which we dare to apply our... more

BOO! ‘tis the spookiest time of the year, dear culties, and this year we’ve whipped out our cauldrons to cook... more

Grab your trusty #2 and find the desk with your name tag on it, because class is in session this... more

NOT going to lie, this episode was a wee bit nerve racking to record!!! Despite the, ahem, LARGE number of... more

Who’s your #mommy culties: Taylor or Whitney? That’s right, fresh(ish?) off the release of Hulu’s Secret Lives of Mormon Wives... more

Settle in with a Kirkland brand sparkling water and a rotisserie chicken because this week, Amanda and Chelsea are going... more

We’re baaaAAAAAaaaaack!!! Join us for a 🪐transcendent🪐 new season of Sounds Like A Cult, whose opening episode features Chelsea Charles,... more

This is Sounds Like A Cult, a show with two sparkling new cult leaders, ahem, co-hosts!!!!!!  We’ve been keeping this secret... more

New Age love & wellness influencers turned baby NXIVM: That's kinda the best way we can succinctly describe this week’s... more

Pack your hammer and your lack of cultural awareness, because this week on Sounds Like A Cult, we're interviewing Tia... more

Get Tickets to Isa Medina's Live Comedy Show in NYC August 24th! Click Here!  Follow Isa on Instagram to... more

Oops a politically flavored episode of Sounds Like A Cult!!!!! Would you believe it if we told you we recorded... more

Learn more about host Amanda's Italian writing "cult" ;) It's a Live Your Life!!!  https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/italy/italy-with-amanda-montell-oct-2024  If you’ve ever seen a... more

From TV executives abusing kids on sets to Scientology's "Celebrity Center," the cult of the entertainment business can getcha from... more

Listen to Isa's new podcast: I'm Right You're Wrong! Isa is the co-creator and former host of Sounds Like A... more

You culties preyed and preyed for us to analyze the cult of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, and at long last,... more

Class is in session and boy oh boy is it perturbing. Teaching is not just a profession, it's a calling... more

Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more

Listen to Isa Medina NEW PODCAST – I'm Right You're Wrong on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or wherever! Isa Medina... more

Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more

Catch Amanda back on tour this summer! July 29: The Age of Magical Overthinking book talk at Elliott Bay Book Company in... more

Catch Amanda on tour! First of all, we are downright GIDDY to share two iconic voices on this week’s episode—not... more

Hi Culties <3 Isa Medina here, former host and co-creator of Sounds Like A Cult! With a special announcement.... My New... more

Catch Amanda on tour! Lace yourselves up for this haunting and twinkle-toed episode covering one of our most consistently requested... more

Introducing the Magical Overthinkers podcast, a show for thought spiralers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about. Host Amanda... more

For our ~true followers~, behold a wee bonus episode to tide you over during our mid-season break, while host Amanda... more

You culties have been THIRSTING after this episode, and it’s finally here! With the help of the piss-your-pants funny duo... more

Host Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality is out TODAY!!! Get your copy wherever you... more

Order a copy of Amanda's new book The Age of Magical Overthinking! Catch Amanda on tour!!! Stereotypes say that homeschool... more

Order Amanda's new book! https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Age-of-Magical-Overthinking/Amanda-Montell/9781668007976  Get ready to live, laugh, love, and possibly get into an “aisle fight” over this... more

Come party with Amanda on tour!!! Ahoy, and welcome to our first ever "Interview a Listener" episode of Sounds Like... more

It's a cult of one dynamic almost too frightful for this show. When your very own caregiver poisons, manipulates, exploits,... more

First of all, what the hell is going on with culty leggings companies that have too many Ls in their... more

You're invited to The Big Magical Cult Show!!! Catch host Amanda on tour this April to celebrate her new book,... more

Would you sacrifice your phone, passport, dignity, and freedom to move into an isolated pod for 10 days and compete... more

Grab your rosary and slap on your plaid skirt (although you WILL need to recite six “Our Fathers” if it... more

We have NEVER had such a hard time finding a guest brave enough to appear on the show than we... more

Sorry in advance for all the crack vs. quack wordplay coming in this week's episode, which we already know will... more

A clandestine society aimed at indoctrinating a fleet of nationalist spies with an extensive entrance process, aliases, secretive language, isolation... more

Welcome baaaAAAAaaaAAaack, culties!! Time to *ascend* to the 2024 era of Sounds Like A Cult 👽 Kicking off with a... more

Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking, but you know what is? Today’s brain-tingling interview with possibly the single best... more

Wowowow, today’s episode featuring Jill and Derick Dillard (whom you might recognize from TLC’s 19 Kids & Counting!!) has been... more

Sounds Like A Cult has covered doomsday cults, political cults, religious cults ... and this week is where they all... more

ChatGPT could never!!! Over the past year or so, A.I. buzz has obviously risen to cult status, but if you... more

iF yOuRe rEaDiNg thiS yOuRe iN tHe CuLt o.0 This week we are covering the most meta cult yet and... more

It’s me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me, here with an update to one of our most-streamed episodes of all... more

At long last, the man/myth/legend, Amanda's dad, Craig Montell, whose riveting stories of his childhood spent in the Synanon cult... more

If you've been paying attention at all, you know that this weeks cult is growing at a mighty pace. The... more

Behold, a re-air of our most popular episode of 2023—The Cult of Momfluencers—which takes on new relevance, thanks to the... more

Anyone who grew up evangelical Christian and/or plugged into teen celebrity news circa 2008 will be familiar with today's cult:... more

The Cult of Bachelorette Parties is one we have all been a part of, whether from an observational distance or... more

To his fanatics, he's an inspiring businessman, marketing guru, tough-love motivational speaker, and blue-collar-masculine embodiment of the American Dream; but,... more

Why does it seem like certain "life coaches" are exactly the kinda folks who shouldn't be giving life advice? The... more

Strap on your steampunk lewks and get ready to blast off to the dusty, glittery, and undeniably culty alternate universe... more

Before we return with regularly structured episodes next week (stay tuned for the "cult" of Burning Man!), here's another ad-free... more

A heavily controlled, totally isolated group of women who worship one "charismatic” male figure and aren’t allowed to read magazines,... more

Time to spill some never-before-heard culty tales: This week, Amanda and Isa are reacting to shocking cult stories submitted by... more

For an episode spicier than an inflight bloody Mary, Isa and Amanda are joined by comedian and frequent flyer Fumi... more

~Join us~ as Isa and Amanda unpack the "cult" of the Peace Corps—its peculiar rituals of initiation, close-knit camaraderie that... more

Get ready for some no holds barred sh*t-talking, culties, because this week, Amanda and Isa are joined by the hosts... more

You're sure to *devour* this week's episode analyzing four generations of wealthy men who, in our little opinion, represent a... more

It sounds like an episode of Black Mirror: 18-year-old kids are sacrificing their futures and signing their incomes away for... more

Volunteering to subject yourself to isolation, starvation, and desperation on a remote island under high-pressure circumstances, all in pursuit of... more

The Hippocratic Oath says do no harm. Explain elitism, secret societies, and debilitating physical and mental exhaustion to the point... more

America's favorite buxom, rhinestone-clad Southern songstress, Dolly Parton, has a "cult following" like no other celebrity. Thanks to her unmistakable... more

This *highly* requested topic has all the makings of a modern-day cult: mystery, unquestioned loyalty, and the future of children's... more

What began as a Woodstock-esque alt music fest in the '90s for fans of indie electronica to get freaky in... more

One of our fav episodes to date tbh. The promises include acceptance, stability, and fertility, but the reality = rigidity,... more

It's time to dynamically synergize mission-critical alignments. Let's go ahead and fungibly communicate client-centric potentialities. If you can even half-way... more

Fame, wealth, fraud, backstabbing, plastic surgery, hidden power hierarchies... are we talking about one of reality television's most successful franchises... more

Pinkies up and wallets out for this week's quaffable "cult": the elitist, jargon-packed, ritual-soaked world of fine wine. Amanda and... more

Stocks? The economy?? Don't get us started! Look, any industry that allowed the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, aka Bernie... more

Kayaking, friendship bracelet making, and oh yeah, threats of eternal damnation! What better way for a kid to spend the... more

As Keenan Thompson said in a recent SNL parody of the Miss Universe pageant, "Welcome back to Miss Universe, one... more

Did the first episode of HBO Max's Sex And The City reboot turn you off of Peloton? That makes one... more

Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, and Daniel Radcliffe are all survivors of today's "cult," and so is our guest, Mara Wilson,... more

In 2005, this week's guest Sarah Edmondson joined what she thought was a personal development program devoted to helping her... more

Allegations of right-wing dogma, unquestioned power dynamics, charismatic leaders, freaky rituals, and physical abuse... are we talking about a serious... more

Motherhood is hard, lonely, and exhausting... except, apparently, if you're a momfluencer. Since the mid-2000s, a crop of seemingly perfect,... more

The end of the world... but make it cute and consumerist! "Preppers" are the latest iteration of doomsday survivalists, who... more

The stigma around the green text bubble alone could ruin a man's life. How has Apple's secretiveness, superiority complex, and... more

We’re baaaaaaack! We can barely record an episode of this podcast without a snack, so how are millions of people... more

Remember the Juniper Latte? Wasn't it just about the strangest thing you ever tasted? Yet, you still came back. Some... more

A cabal of black-robed elites who preside, unquestioned, over all our rights and freedoms… hmmm… sounds like a dang cult... more

Happy Cultyweeeeeeen! Our favorite holiday at Sounds Like A Cult is here, and to celebrate the spooky season, we’re asking:... more

I was never good at telling jokes but the punchline goes: If Taylor told her Swifties to kill a man,... more

Summer 2022, it seemed like everyone and their cult leader was *devouring* the TV show The Bear: an inside look... more

Cults tend to thrive during times of broader cultural questioning and turmoil, when institutional support seems to be failing so... more

We've all joked about Gwyneth Paltrow's *candle.* But does this boho Hollywood elitist girlboss ever go too far? (As in,... more

If you don’t worship at the altar of this week’s “cult,” then simply sashay away! One of the most intense,... more

Did you know Dr. Phil is not actually a medical doctor?? When “physicians” like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Dr.... more

Weddings: Filled to the brim with ritualistic ceremonies, patriarchal traditions, power abuse, bank-breaking costs, conformist uniforms, and false promises galore...sound... more

Welcome to our life-changing, missional, intentional ministry for young people from all walks of life to strengthen their faith in... more

The Kardashians: a harmlessly entertaining reality TV family or a dynastic conformist controlling cabal of K-named cult leaders? In this... more

We’re in for a shocking one this week: The Troubled Teen Industry has for decades promised parents to reform their... more

For the last week of Cult Girl Summer, another juicy bonus episode: This time, Isa and Amanda are listening and... more

A much-requested Part 2 to continue Cult Girl Summer. Our 12-Step Program episode sparked much debate, and we quickly determined... more

How much would you risk in pursuit of perfection? It’s another installment of “Cult Girl Summer” bonus content. This week,... more

A flirty little topic for another installment of Cult Girl Summer: five weeks of bonus episodes where Isa and Amanda... more

Welcome to Cult Girl Summer, five weeks of bonus episodes where Isa and Amanda are sharing unfiltered cult convos, footage... more

Known to her loyalists as the “spiritual catalyst” but to her critics as the “suicide catalyst,” New Age influencer Teal... more

From his Jesus-like hair, erratic on-set antics, and fanatical 30 Seconds to Mars music fandom to his glazed-over sexual assault... more

From The Yale Whiffenpoofs to Pitch Perfect’s Barden Bellas, a cappella groups are not just your average band, they are... more

Anonymity, prayers, sitting in a circle and sharing your deepest secrets and traumas, an intimate mentor program… is it a... more

From voraciously consuming gruesome podcasts by the dozen to amateur sleuthing gone wrong to fetishizing dangerous killers, the world of... more

Fast Fashion (think: brands like Forever21, Zara, and Shein) could be described as an industry that takes high-end clothing designs... more

Co-host Isa joined the “cult” of stand-up comedy four years ago in LA but didn’t realize until we started this... more

The New York Times described him as “at once a capitalist hero, a glossy magazine celebrity and a bomb-throwing troll.”... more

POV: You work at Denny's. It's 12 AM. You want to go home. And from outside you hear it... your... more

Lavender can cure headaches and tea tree oil can clear your acne (and heal Covid/your whole life)? The cult of... more

The life-changing magic of tidying up gave a shiny new rebrand to age-old ideas that owning less stuff can be... more

Did you know PhD actually stands for “Probably Heavily in Debt” and “Pretty Heavily Depressed”? Jk (or are we?). This... more

Blackout dates, Genie lines, Magic Keys, Storyliving, DCP, D23... If any of these terms got you feeling some kind of... more

Serums, lasers, influencer skincare routines, oh my! There seems to be no end to how many expensive products and techniques... more

Veganism isn’t just a diet, it‘s not just a lifestyle, it’s a whole identity, aesthetic, community, religion, and even a... more

Defrauded Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes has become the subject of countless books, podcasts, documentaries, and now the brand new scripted... more

This week, with the help of special guest Dan Savage (relationships advice columnist and host of the Savage Lovecast), Isa... more

A 2015 Harvard Divinity School study reported that among many young people, CrossFit has become a bonafide new religion. So... more

A pseudo-family dynamic, decades-long commitments, physical peril, members who "would literally die for" their leader (coach): Competitive cheerleading is not... more

If you have an Instagram account, you’ve probably seen those beautifully curated infographics explaining "trauma,” “attachment theory,” and "boundaries" in... more

Trader Joe's, the most beloved "neighborhood grocery store" in America, has a super-loyal "cult following"... a sentiment that needs no... more

We're back and more culty than ever! Sounds Like A Cult, your favorite comedy-cult podcast about the modern-day “cults” we... more

We're going weekly!

On theme for Thanksgiving, we've got a bonus episode for you on the "cult" of America's most zealously worshipped, physically... more

In the wake of the zealously consumed LuLaRich docuseries on Amazon Prime, we’re releasing a bonus episode on the leggings... more

Season 2 of Sounds Like A Cult is coming December 7th! We are so grateful for all you loyal Culties... more

Super-wealthy motivational speaker Tony Robbins physically towers over his thousands of adoring acolytes, boasting a booming voice and omniscient life... more

Omg, is mercury in retrograde?? Or is this week’s episode analyzing the “cult” of astrology just *that* intense? Co-hosts Amanda... more

One of our favorite topics to date: In this can’t-miss episode, we’re unpacking the wave of trendy evangelical church groups... more

Welcome to the world of fitness trackers, high-performance athletic gear, nutrition goo, obsessively comparing your stats, and trying to  beat... more

A slightly NSFW episode of your favorite cult podcast comes courtesy of this week’s two special guests: the ever-so-charismatic podcaster/writer... more

Ask and you shall receive! This week, we’re covering our single most listener-requested topic: The “cult” of multi-level marketing (aka... more

“Why does it feel like everything that has to do with tradition is actually a cult?” Such is one of... more

Intense secrecy and exclusivity, unquestioned protocols and rituals, deception, isolation, hierarchies, and soooo much money… nope, we’re not talking about... more

These days, the lines between celebrity, religious figure, political leader, lifestyle guru, and best friend have blurred so hardcore that... more

We always thought of “flat earthers” as nothing but a bunch of spoofable Devil advocates with too much time on... more

A heavily controlled, totally isolated group of polygamists who worship one charismatic figure and aren’t allowed to read magazines, watch... more

SoulCycle is without question a “cult-followed” brand, but is this exclusive boutique workout studio actually more insidious than that? This... more

This is Sounds Like A Cult, a podcast about the zeitgeisty cults that have inducted us all—from SoulCycle and Peloton... more

Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about Elon Musk stans? Or the Royal Family? What about spiritual influencers?... more