Hysteria

4.7 (7.4K)
Society & Culture
Updated Weekly

Political commentator and comedy writer Erin Ryan and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco are joined by a bicoastal squad of funny, opinionated women to talk through everything from reproductive rights to romcoms. They break down the political news of the week, plus the topics, trends, and cultural stories that affect women’s lives.

8h ago

A Bombshell Has Left the Villa w. Heather Gardner

Erin, Alyssa, and guest host Heather Gardner discuss the latest on the tragic killings by ICE Officers, the death of Lindsey Graham, and the explosive and gross consequences of last year’s DOGE cuts. Then they reflect on what this past Love Island teaches us about American literacy and relationship culture. They wrap up with sani-petty conversations about Meta AI features and The Five Star Weekend. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. ICE Ordered to Cease Most Vehicle Stops After 2 Killings in a Week (NYT 7/14)Trump says he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham hours before his death (NBC 7/12)Who Is Darline Graham Nordone? Lindsey Graham's Sister Appointed to Serve Out His Senate Term (Time 7/13)Who is Dr. Annie Andrews? Senate candidate is in the spotlight after Lindsey Graham’s death (The 19th 7/13)Experts warn of ways screwworm could spread in the US and new difficulties in keeping it at bay (The Guardian 7/13) Flesh-eating screwworm arrives in US with case detected in Texas cattle (BBC 6/5)Trump’s CDC Stopped Monitoring Explosive Diarrhea Parasite Before Outbreak (Newsweek 7/10)New Mexico Accuses D.O.J. of Obstructing Epstein Ranch Inquiry (NYT 7/9)The End of Reading Is Here (The Atlantic 7/8)
4d ago

This F*cking Guy: Ronald Reagan

In our 43rd episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin and Alyssa dive deep into the past of the Jelly Bean Jack*ss, Ronald Reagan. From his B-list acting days, to "fighting" WWII from Culver City, to being an FBI rat, to his unforgivable handling of the AIDS crisis, to mucking up foreign affairs for decades to come, this may be one of our most deluded guys yet. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Sources:Ronald Reagan: Informant (Salon) Peeping Ron (Book Forum) Ronald Reagan’s shameful legacy: Violence, the homeless, mental illness (Salon) Ronald Reagan’s wartime lies: The president had quite a Brian Williams problem (Salon) The Mendacity Index (Washington Monthly) On a wing and a prayer (Alec Nevala-Lee) Tear Down This Myth (Google Books) Reagan & Co. (The Washington Post) California: Credibility in Sacramento (Time) The Lion King: An Exchange (NY Books) Reagan Expresses Horror at Claim That the Holocaust is a Hoax (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The Myth of Ronald Reagan and the Nazi Death Camps (National Review) The Stupidity of Ronald Reagan (Slate) Paying Lip Service (The Village Voice) The Road to Reagandom (Slate) How Ronald Reagan's Time at General Electric Pushed Him to Conservatism (Lit Hub) Ronald Reagan’s Millions (Rolling Stone) How Prop 14 Shaped California's Racial Covenants (PBS Socal) Here's the Rest of Him (Claremont Review of Books) Alla Nazimova (AFI Catalog Spotlight) The Global HIV/AIDS Timeline (KFF) History of the HIV Epidemic (Gilead) When AIDS Was Funny Casts a Harsh Light on the Reagan Administration’s Indifference to HIV (HIV Plus Mag) Short film “When AIDS Was Funny,” Reagan Press Secretary laughs off an epidemic (Q Notes Carolinas) ‘When AIDS Was Funny’: Short film reveals shortfalls of Reagan response to AIDS (MSNOW) HIV/AIDS Timeline (history.com) HIV/AIDS Historical Timeline (Philadelphia Center) Snapshots of an Epidemic: An HIV/AIDS Timeline (amfAR) The Iran-Contra Affair (Bill of Rights Institute) The Iran-Contra Affair (PBS American Experience) 1983 Beirut barracks bombing: ‘The BLT Building is gone!’ (Marine Corps Times) H-Gram 080: Paved with Good Intentions—The U.S. Navy in the 1983 Lebanon Crisis (Naval History and Heritage Command) When Reagan Cut and Run (Foreign Policy) 40 Years Later, El Mozote Massacre Victims Vow to 'Keep Demanding Justice' (Common Dreams) The Massacre at El Mozote (Human Rights Watch) Judgment Day’s Coming for U.S.-Backed Troops Who Slaughtered Men, Women, and So Many Children at El Mozote (Daily Beast) Pakistan’s Nuclear Program Posed “Acute Dilemma” for U.S. Policy (National Security Archive) New Documents Spotlight Reagan-era Tensions over Pakistani Nuclear Program (National Security Archive) New Documents Spotlight Reagan-era Tensions over Pakistani Nuclear Program (Wilson Center) The Pakistan Aid Dilemma (Center for American Progress) Fact Check: It's Rumored that Ronald Reagan Had Alzheimer's Disease While Still in Office. Here's What the Evidence Says (Snopes) Did Reagan Decline? (Sage Journal) Hoover Makes Available the Newly Processed Papers of Nancy’s Reagan’s White House Astrologer (Hoover Institution) How Nancy Reagan's Secret Phone-In Astrologer Became a Powerful White House Adviser — and Helped Oust the Chief of Staff (People) Nancy Reagan: Controversial Moments During Her Life in the Public Eye (People) Why Ronald Reagan Became the Great Deregulator (JSTOR Daily) Looking Back On When President Reagan Fired The Air Traffic Controllers (NPR) Reagan’s Legacy (SFAF) The Other Time a U.S. President Withheld WHO Funds (John Hopkins) How newly discovered audio is reviving debate over Reagan's legacy on race (PBS News) It’s Time to End the Racist and Unjustified Sentencing Disparity Between Crack and Powder Cocaine (Civil Rights) Reagan's National Drug Strategy (University of Michigan) The Fairness Doctrine: How We Lost It and Why We Need It Back (SISYPHUS) Portraits in Oversight: The Iran-Contra Affair (Levin Center) Ronald Reagan Made Central America a Killing Field (Jacobin) Guatemalan Slaughter Was Part of Reagan’s Hard Line (The New York Times) Remembering US-backed state terror in El Salvador (Al Jazeera) Ronald Reagan’s shameful legacy: Violence, the homeless, mental illness (Salon) The Key to Welfare Reform (The Atlantic)
Jul 9

Platner Flatlines w. Christian LoBue

Erin and Alyssa dissect the fallout from the latest Graham Platner allegations, the vital status of Mitch McConnell, and the BS Americans endured in the name of Freedom 250. Then the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, Christian Lobue, joins to talk about the organization’s exciting partnership with Olivia Rodrigo’s all-female music festival, Daisy Chain Fields. They wrap up with a World Cup edition of the Sanity Corner and an update about the show. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Democrats begin pulling Platner endorsements after Maine Senate candidate faces sexual assault allegation (PBS 7/7)Exclusive: Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her (Politico 7/6)As health rumors swirl, GOP leaders say they’ve spoken with McConnell (WaPo 7/7)House Democrats accuse Trump of 'hijacking' America's 250th birthday for his own gain (NPR 7/2)‘You are all that matters to me’: White House aide left adoring notes for Trump in ‘private spaces’, new book reveals (The Independent 6/23)
Jul 2

The Other MAGA War… At Home

We’re off this week, but we're bringing you an episode of Runway Country with Alex Wagner. Every Thursday, the veteran journalist sits down with everyday Americans and political experts to cut through the noise and zero in on the stories that matter. In this episode, Alex speaks to former trad wife and host of “The Wake Her Up Podcast”, Sharon Johnson, about her upbringing in the Mormon Church, what it was like to discover she could have agency and choice in her late thirties, and how she feels about trad wives trending. Then Alex is joined by host of Crooked’s “Hysteria” podcast, Erin Ryan, to talk about the broader political goals behind the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2026 plan, and how it attempts to punish women who don’t fit their ideals. Catch Runaway Country with Alex Wagner on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.
Jun 25

Choice Words w. Franchesca Ramsey

Franchesca Ramsey joins Erin and Alyssa to dig into Peter Thiel’s secret society leak, the 4-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, and the TPUSA Women’s leadership summit. Alyssa shared her experience attending the star-studded opening of the Obama Center. Then they wrap with a petty conversation about Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s health, and TV journalist drama. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Star-studded opening for Obama library in Chicago delivers implied rebuke to Trump (The Guardian 6/18)Four years after the Dobbs decision, abortion access looks very different (NPR 6/6)Costs and Consequences: Impacts of Abortion Restrictions Four Years Post Dobbs (Institute for Women's Policy Research 6/16)Dobbs' Lasting Impact on Abortion (Gallup 6/17)Leak Exposes Members of Peter Thiel’s Secretive ‘Dialog’ Society (Wired 6/16)How the Peter Thiel-Linked Dialog Club Secretly Ranks Its Members (Wired 6/18)Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sophia Bush Defend Ties to Peter Thiel’s Secretive Dialog Group (The Hollywood Reporter 6/19)
Jun 21

This F*cking Guy: John Roberts

In our 42nd episode of This F*cking Guy, Erin and Alyssa dive deep into the past of the most uptight motherf*cker on the planet, Chief Justice John Roberts. From his early days as a “soberpuss” scholar, to playing the long game to gut the Voting Rights Act, to being the ringleader of malicious intent on the Citizens United ruling, to his obsession with being perceived as a Fancy Law Boy Institutionalist, this may be one of our most phony guys yet. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Sources: Roberts started on path to success at young age (The Washington Times) The Supreme Court’s Power Grab (The New York Review) Entering a new Supreme Court term, John Roberts is as enigmatic as ever (The Christian Science Monitor) Biographies of the Robes: John Glover Roberts (Thirteen PBS) No More Mr. Nice Guy (The New Yorker) Court Nominee's Life Is Rooted in Faith and Respect for Law (New York Times) In the Rough (Slate) Portrait of the Chief Justice as a Family Man (The Washington Post) Does John Roberts’ Whites-Only Childhood Home Explain the Supreme Court’s Callais Ruling? (Slate) Roberts' Conflicts Of Interest (CBS News) Roberts's Rules (The Atlantic) Did Roberts Help Fuel AIDS Scare? (Science) Chief justice tumbles after seizure (CNN) The Pro-Money Court: How the Roberts Supreme Court Dismantled Campaign Finance Law (Brennan Center) John Roberts: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings from PBS NewsHour and EMK Institute (YouTube) Money Unlimited (The New Yorker) ‘They come to me’: Jane Roberts’ legal recruiting work involved officials whose agencies had cases before the Supreme Court (Politico) Trump v. CASA Inc. (Oyez) Citizens United, Explained (Brennan Center)
Jun 18

What in the World (Cup) w. Megan Gailey

Erin and Alyssa round up the latest news from JD Vance’s embarrassing book tour, Bari Weiss’s next fail-upwards, and the future of the USPS’s independence. Then Megan Gailey (Sports Bitches) joins to talk sports news from the UFC to the Knicks and the rise of heteropessimism. They wrap up with a petty conversation about nun podcasts, takeout orders, and Disclosure Day. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Alyssa’s rec: Dominican Sisters Open Mic JD Vance went on television to plug a faith memoir. ‘The View’ had other plans (AP News 7/16)Vance’s new book puts his Catholic faith at the center of his story — and his political future (CNN 6/15)Postal Service Seeks to Block Mail Ballots in States Resisting Trump Demands (NYT 6/11)CBS News boss Bari Weiss poised to oversee CNN editorial operations: report (NY Post 6/9)$60M and 7 federal agencies required to stage Trump’s UFC fight at White House (AP News 6/10)Trump’s UFC Fight Ended With a Slur About Michelle Obama (The Cut 6/15)The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine (Wired 4/17)How Algeria won over a Kansas town – and became the World Cup’s unlikeliest love affair (The Guardian 6/16)Which World Cup teams, players and officials were denied US visas, entry? (Al Jazeera 6/11)
Jun 11

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back w. Jennifer Siebel Newsom

First Partner of California, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, joins Hysteria for a conversation about her status as a right-wing media target and her new film, Miss Representation: Rise Up. Erin and Alyssa also recap Graham Platner’s slew of scandals that led up to him winning the Democratic nomination for Maine’s Senate seat, discuss Bari Weiss’ next media move, and check in on the latest news from the Epstein files. Then they wrap up with a petty conversation about Gwyneth Paltrow’s politics. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date. Check out Alyssa’s local library cookbook sale: https://claveracklibrary.org/friends/cookbook-sale-festival/ To learn more about Miss Representation: Rise Up and how to get involved, visit missrepresentationriseup.org Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior (NYT 6/4)Platner says he won’t be an ‘a–hole’ like Fetterman in Senate (The Hill 6/8)I know firsthand why Graham Platner shouldn’t be a U.S. senator (WaPo 6/8)Pam Bondi claims Todd Blanche was ‘in charge’ of ‘entire release’ of Epstein files (The Guardian 6/4)This agent sent models to meet Jeffrey Epstein. Now he’s trying to explain why. (WaPo 6/8)Epstein abused them. The Justice Department exposed them. Now they’re under attack by haters (Reuters 6/8)As 2028 looms, Jennifer Siebel Newsom faces increased conservative attacks (Politico 5/6)

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Society & Culture

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Alyssa Mastromonaco

Host
Blair Imani

Host
Erin Gloria Ryan

Host
Grace Parra

Host
Kiran Deol

Host
Megan Gailey

Host
Ziwe

Host
Christian LoBue

Guest
Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Guest
Sepideh Moafi

Guest

4.7

out of 5

7,391 Ratings

Love the show!

Jun 11

SasaG1

Enjoyed the discussion on today’s show concerning Maine’s senate seat. We have to keep our focus on women’s health and what a catastrophe it has been for us to lose focus on the Supreme Court. All of our decisions should be made through that lens at this point.
MMP Now You Know Me

Jun 4

kplmjlmv

LOL My kid just graduated HS at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Love that place and love this show.
Spencer Pratt

Jun 4

Keke check

I’m old enough to remember when Erin was glazing Spencer Pratt after the LA fires
Alyssa’s back!

May 22

ohCarolinewhy

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Erin and Alyssa talk today. As much as I love all the guests I’ve missed Alyssa’s insight.

Political commentator and comedy writer Erin Ryan and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco are joined by a bicoastal squad of funny, opinionated women to talk through everything from reproductive rights to romcoms. They break down the political news of the week, plus the topics, trends, and cultural stories that affect women’s lives.