Sounds Like A Cult

Sounds Like A Cult

Putting the “cult” in culture… Do you think SoulCycle is a cult? What about the Royal Family? What about Disney Adults? Or spiritual influencers? Is Instagram itself a cult? We’re Sounds Like A Cult, an iHeart Radio Award-winning podcast that analyzes a different fanatical group every week to try and answer the big question: This ~sounds~ like a cult, but is it really? Created and hosted by New York Times-bestselling author Amanda Montell, co-hosted and produced by Chelsea Charles, Reese Oliver, and Iman Hariri Kia. For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com We want to make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4 Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy 

Episodes

October 13, 2026 • 67 mins
When does hate following become its own kind of devotion? This week, Amanda and Iman descend into the anonymous world of influencer snark, where strangers gather to dissect creators’ relationships, bodies, businesses, politics, and every perceived inconsistency in real time. They get into Reddit groupthink, parasocial “accountability,” the thin line between critique and bullying, and the time suck of doing so...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
This week, Reese and Iman cha cha slide straight into the surprisingly culty world of Dancing With the Stars, where celebrities come for career rehab, pros become stars in their own right, and millions of viewers suddenly believe they are qualified to critique a Paso Doble from their couch. Joining them is pop culture commentator and So Bad It’s Good host Ryan Bailey (@sobaditsgoodwithryanbailey), who went from...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 29, 2026 • 64 mins
This week, Amanda and Chelsea enter The Cult of Dog People, from pup birthday parties and breed evangelists to raw-feeding wars, “adopt don’t shop” morality, and the steadfast conviction that your dog can detect bad vibes better than you can. How did man’s best friend become a personality trait and a reason to feel morally superior to cat owners? We (lovingly) poke fun at the dog people culture before taking...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 22, 2026 • 52 mins
What happens when your cool older stepbrother gets a mullet, a microphone, and millions of impressionable young men listening to him yap for three hours at a time? This week, Reese finds out while covering The Cult of Theo Von, the comedian-turned-podcast juggernaut whose whole brand is built on seeming like he has absolutely no brand at all. Joining her is Hysteria host and political commentator Erin Ryan (@eringloriaryan) to talk...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 15, 2026 • 52 mins
Grab your onions, this week, Reese and Iman are entering The Cult of Shrek, a fandom that somehow evolved from a beloved children’s movie into an online religion (or dare we say... cult). Joining them are Bechdel Cast hosts (@bechdelcast) Caitlin Durante (@caitlindurante) and Jamie Loftus (@jamiechristsuperstar), two certified Shrek scholars whose devotion includes transatlantic Shrek tourism, academic conferences, a $200 the...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 8, 2026 • 76 mins
We’re taking a little holiday break this week, but unfortunately, incels are not. With the “male loneliness epidemic” becoming a bigger part of the cultural conversation, we’re revisiting one of the internet’s darkest and most tragically cringey cults: self proclaimed “involuntary celibates,” who believe they’ve been cursed by the universe (read: women) to live a life without love, se...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 1, 2026 • 59 mins
This week, Chelsea and Iman investigate The Cult of Bellum Entertainment, the true crime production company whose founder, Mary Carol McDonald, allegedly spent years building a very different kind of crime empire behind the scenes. True crime podcaster Jami Rice (@jamionair) joins us with an especially wild perspective: she was working at the bank that approved McDonald for a $15 million loan after she allegedly posed as an heiress...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 25, 2026 • 67 mins
This week, Reese dives into The Cult of Celebrity Wellness Brands, where skincare, mental health, spirituality, supplements, and good old-fashioned celebrity worship have melted together into one extremely Instagrammable belief system. From Goop and Rhode to Rare Beauty, Kardashian supplements, children's skincare, and the spectacularly messy rise and fall of Selena Gomez's mental health startup Wondermind, Marketing critic an...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 18, 2026 • 65 mins
This week, Amanda is joined by author and travel writer Sheila Yasmin Marikar (@sheilaym) to descend into The Cult of Dark Tourism, the booming travel industry built around vacationing where very, very bad things have happened. From Chernobyl excursions and serial killer pub crawls to war zone tourism, suicide forests, nuclear disaster sites, and the "haunted house" where people willingly sign up to be tortured, we’re asking ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 11, 2026 • 52 mins
Prepare to be love bombed by a bath bomb. This week, Iman follows her nose into the aggressively fragrant Cult of Lush with the Scam Goddess herself, Laci Mosley (@divalaci) . Beneath the glitter, naked packaging, and promise that an $18 Sleepy Bear can fix the economy, they uncover corporate “family” language, personality based group interviews, mandatory hand washing rituals, limited edition scarcity, alleged union bu...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 4, 2026 • 48 mins
This week, Chelsea, Reese, and Iman dive into The Cult of Sister Wives. Join us as we entice you with a little TLC chatter, before diving a bit deeper into the actual belief system that inspired it. We chat with Calvin Wayman (@calvinwayman), who grew up in a fundamentalist Mormon polygamist family with one dad, four moms, and 44 siblings, to unpack why plural marriage is tied to the highest level of heaven and what it actually tak...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 28, 2026 • 61 mins
Grab your flip phone, frost those lips, and feed your Tamagotchi. This week, Amanda, Reese, and Iman are (be kind) rewinding to The Cult of Y2K with PEN15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle (@annaryankonkle). Join us as we take you on a  magic school bus tour of butterfly clips and bedazzled Razrs all the way through to the very real panic that computers were about to end civilization and ending with why the early ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 21, 2026 • 62 mins
If you've ever donated to a GoFundMe after reading one heartbreaking Instagram caption... this episode is for you. This week, Chelsea and Iman are joined by bestselling author, speaker, and advocate Molly Burke (@mollyburkeofficial) to unpack The Cult of Charity Scams, where good intentions become the perfect recruiting tool. From fake fundraisers and disaster relief grifts to organizations that promise to change the world while ex...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 14, 2026 • 51 mins
If you thought conversion therapy disappeared sometime around low-rise jeans and flip phones, you'd be very, very wrong. This week, Amanda and Reese are joined by Timothy S. Rodriguez (@timothy.s.rodriguez), author of Conversion Therapy Dropout, to expose one of the most dangerous cults we've ever covered. From church basements and megachurches to online forums and DIY "therapy," they unpack the shame, manipulation, isolation, and ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 7, 2026 • 62 mins
She's blonde. She's patriotic. She's wearing a Bible verse on her T-shirt while telling immigrants to go back where they came from. She's voting for Trump. This week we're revisiting our episode on The Cult of Women for Trump, with a new introduction reflecting on how much this movement has evolved over the past year. From homemaking influencers to conservative power players, the Women for Trump pipeline has never been stronger. Bu...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 30, 2026 • 56 mins
Today's episode is brought to you by Incognito Mode. This week, Amanda, Reese, and Iman descend into one of the internet's strangest corners: The Cult of Gooning. Joined by journalist Daniel Kolitz (@daniel.kolitz), author of Harper's viral feature The Goon Squad, the gang explores the bizarre online world where pornography has evolved into a full blown fandom complete with its own language, rituals, Discord servers, and the pursui...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 23, 2026 • 49 mins
You're not controlling, you're a 1. You're not dramatic, you're a 4. You're not avoiding your problems, you're a 7. This week, certified 3's, Reese and Iman investigate the cult of the Enneagram, where a mysterious set of numbers has convinced millions of people they finally understand themselves, their exes, their coworkers, and the reason they forgot to text back. They're joined by Enneagram expert Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 16, 2026 • 75 mins
What do seed oils, vaccine skepticism, beef tallow, and a guy with a dead bear in Central Park have in common? Welcome to the Cult of MAHA. This week, Amanda, Reese, Chelsea, and Iman dive headfirst into the increasingly influential world of Make America Healthy Again, the wellness-meets-politics movement promising cleaner food, healthier kids, and freedom from Big Pharma. But where does legitimate criticism of America's healthcare...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 9, 2026 • 63 mins
Maybe you hated the kids who went. Maybe you were just mildly annoyed by them. Maybe, you were one of them. No matter your relation, most people have encountered today’s cult in one way or another. Whether you were soaking up the spotlight or cringing from back home, the cult of Theater Camp is always looming just in the wings. Is the world of adolescent summertime theater nothing more than a harmless, whimsical romp, or is t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 2, 2026 • 46 mins
Sul sul, culties. Remove the pool ladder and cancel your real-life plans, because this week Reese is joined by guest host Amanda Kohr (@amandamkohr) of This Feels Bi to unpack The Cult of The Sims. From trapping Sims in windowless rooms for “science” to meticulously designing dream homes we could never afford, The Sims has had us playing digital god for over two decades. But what is it about this bizarre littl...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices