My Wife Joined A Cult

Great content but ads make it close to unlistenable. I have been a fan of Craig's for over a decade. He has a gift of combining the funny with meaningful. The absurd with the insightful. This podcast is absolutely worth your time. However, there are so many ads and they are placed in the strangest spots, sometimes cutting him off mid-sentence. I find it very difficult to listen. I understand needing ads, but they need to be strategically placed. :\ Wish I could give this one higher because of the content and Craig, but I can't because I get so frustrated with the ad placement.

I’ve seen Craig Shoemaker since the early 90’s and he is my favorite of all time! I feel like this podcast is his true feelings and being honest with us all to let us know that he is a person and things do happen to even the best of us. So what if he does repeat himself, only means he is real! If you would listen to them all, you might learn something! I have listened to all of the episodes and can’t wait to see what he has to say in the next one! Keep on doing you, Craig! ❤️ #1fan ~El

Craig Shoemaker is a phenomenal comedian - go see his show. You won’t regret it! He is one of the best in the business. But, and I say this gently and with respect for Craig, this podcast is a mess and a miss. It seems, as other reviewers have pointed out, to merely be an avenue for him to publicly talk about his third divorce and air all of his grievances against his latest ex-wife. The grievances are typical and garden variety for a lot of divorces - nothing new here - financial/bank disputes, accusations of misappropriating money, child custody issues and blown out-of-proportion “kidnapping” accusations, heated arguments, friend circle gossip, blah, blah, blah. Yawn. His ex left the marriage and appears to be a part of a multi-level marketing group (which, yes, is often ripe for controlling cult-ish type behavior but there is nothing to suggest his wife left the marriage for any reason other than she stopped loving or respecting him. Happens everyday in America.). He also makes a lot of sweeping and criminal accusations against his ex without any definitive proof whatsoever. Craig rambles on and on, often incoherently, about the same things over and over in almost every episode. He even goes so far as to seemingly compare his ex to Lori Vallow (the woman who killed her children). Seriously? It is such a wacky leap without foundation and a terrible thing to publicly say about his children’s mother. His poor children have to endure this airing of dirty laundry in public and he is under the impression and states they are “fine with it”. In a divorce, most young kids often say what they think the parent they are with wants to hear - they don’t want to rock the boat and add to the chaos. Most often they do not want to take sides and Craig is injecting his kids into this now public tale. Very sad and it made me want to stop listening out of mere respect for the children’s feelings and preservation of their privacy. Craig reveals that everyone is against him: all of his ex-wives, his two now adult children, his sister, his former neighbors and community friends, his most recent ex-girlfriend and even his own attorney (who called him out for misogynist behavior). Yet, somehow Craig thinks they are all in the wrong and he is the good guy in all of the stories. Ugh. I fear a wonderful comedian has lost it and is coming unhinged. I found it most apparent when he also publicly calls out his recent ex-girlfriend for merely breaking up with him. He states that the relationship was not a long one, fairly new, but he decided to introduce her to his kids anyway and take her on a vacation with them (despite advice from friends to the contrary). After the trip she breaks up with him (by text - not cool). A reasonable person would assume she saw a glimpse into what life with him and his children would really be like and realized it was not for her. But instead Craig construes the break up as some sort of “deep and horrific betrayal” and rakes her over the coals for it more than once in his podcast. Huh? Last, what I found most curious is Craig’s lack of self-awareness. So many of the behaviors he is angry about in other people he does himself. If you listen closely to the episodes you will find many, many examples that are too long to list. I wish Craig and his children the best but I hope he finds another way to heal from this divorce aside from this podcast. . Nobody is perfect and I suspect all of the adults in this story have acted badly. In short, I did not find this podcast entertaining or enlightening but instead a hurt husband lashing out via an available microphone.

I absolutely love Craig’s comedy! He is belly busting humor each time I get to see him. I respect his personal sharing around his journey. It isn’t scripted, as he tells us, and it is like jumping into his brain for a ride of emotions as details keep coming up or a piece of information which is needed to explain the context as he remembers it and some of it is happening in real time. The cult topic intrigues me. Helps to understand when we are missing something we perhaps become vulnerable to groups or influences or even one unhealthy individual. I am learning a new style of communication which is to connect us all at a compassionate level, Non Violent Communication by Marshal Rosenberg. Please Please check out his work - his book. To speak without judgement of another and get to what it is that person really needs. This NVC style helps you as an individual to know yourself , your feelings plus your own needs and to have meaningful connections with others. Has it been working for me “NO” hahahaha- It has -it has; that is just funny to say!! I am learning & it has helped me to see myself and how I am in constant judgement.That is one thing AND it has gotten me to understand my needs are the same as everyone else's. I didn’t know that !!! I learned this style of judgment communication bringing on defensive responses -it has stopped me from connecting and living the free life we are all meant to live. Craig, your determination to be a better human and to press forward with your sharing style under this podcast has me curious: Are you feeling scared and need to secure some safety for yourself and the kids? To be continued-Donna PA