Sounds Like A Cult Amanda Montell & Isa Medina

Wowowow, today’s episode featuring Jill and Derick Dillard (whom you might recognize from TLC’s 19 Kids & Counting!!) has been a looooong time coming. Imagine this: You’re born into a family that’s already a little ~abnormal~ because your parents are polygamists or you have 200 siblings or whatever, then a reality television network comes knocking with promises of money and glory, slaps your whole clan of loved ones into a giant pair of golden handcuffs, a bunch of exploitation ensues, and one day you wake up and realize you’ve spent your childhood in an insane f*cking cult??? The “cult” of reality TV families is today’s subject of discussion, and what a juicy convo it was. Of all the reality TV family shows, which do YOU think is the cultiest?? 

Click here to check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking.

Copies of her last book Cultish can be found here (and make a lovely holiday gift!). 

Stay tuned for news about Amanda's new Magical Overthinkers podcast here.

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This episode reflects solely the opinions and work of Amanda and special guests.

Sounds Like A Cult has covered doomsday cults, political cults, religious cults ... and this week is where they all join forces – on the much requested: Cult of Reddit! Notorious for forming some of the most niche yet largely endorsed group-thinks on the internet, and even powerful enough to take down institutional pillars…is the Cult of Reddit a Live Your Life, Watch Your Back or a Get the F**k Out Level Cult? This week, Isa welcomes friend, writer and soon-to-be co-host of their new podcast, Lydia Keating, to discuss the good, the bad and the rabbit whole that is The Cult of Reddit. 

Head to Host Isa Medina's IG or website to learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024! Or to tell her where to perform stand up next!

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ChatGPT could never!!! Over the past year or so, A.I. buzz has obviously risen to cult status, but if you think about it, all this apocalyptic talk of robots rising up and taking over the world lowkey makes us all sound like $ci3nt0l0gists. Is A.I. the newest SciFi cult? And if so, how apocalyptic is it?? To help figure that out, internet reporter Kate Lindsay joins the pod for a thought-provoking discush that's less about the technology itself and more about our cultlike attitudes toward A.I. Which cult category do youuuu think it falls into? Only time will reveal the answer 👽

To check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here!

The Magical Overthinkers newsletter can be found here.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod 

This episode reflects solely the opinions and work of Amanda and special guests.

iF yOuRe rEaDiNg thiS yOuRe iN tHe CuLt o.0 This week we are covering the most meta cult yet and one that we are all most definitely a part of: The Cult of Podcasting. From the para-social relationships and us vs them mentality to the larger cult of the podcasting inDusTry – Isa and very special guest, Co-Host of That’s Messed Up, An SVU Podcast from Exactly Right, Kara Klenk, discuss all things Cult of Podcasting. But what do you think? Is it a Live Your Life, a Watch Your Back, or a Get The F**k Out Level Cult? 

Head to Host Isa Medina's IG or website to tell her where to perform stand up, keep up with her work and learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024!

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod 

Thank you to our sponsors: 


Dipsea is offering an extended 30 day free trial when you go to DipseaStories.com/cult
SKIMS Holiday Gift Shop is now open at SKIMS.com. Get free shipping on orders over seventy five dollars.
For Green Chef’s best deal of the year, get $250 off with code cult250 at GreenChef.com/cult250
Hatch is offering our listeners $20 off your purchase of a Hatch Restore 2 and free shipping at hatch.co/cult.  But right now, they are matching their Black Friday - Cyber Monday onsite sale so you can get $40 off and free shipping using my link - hatch.co/cult

It’s me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me, here with an update to one of our most-streamed episodes of all time, the cult of exalted idol bestie goddess mother queen angel (no, that’s not pandering to the standom! They're not intimidating at all!), Taylor Swift. Somehow, the pop icon’s “cult” has only exploded in size and religiosity since our last discussion, which was uploaded right as Midnights was dropping, pre-Eras Tour. Needless to say, there’s a lotttttt to catch up on. Whether you stan Taylor til the death or truly do not get what all the fuss is about, we hope you enjoy this part 2!!

To check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here!

Head to Isa Medina's IG or website to tell her where to perform stand up, keep up with her work and learn more about her new podcast coming in 2024.

The Magical Overthinkers newsletter can be found here.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod 

I was never good at telling jokes but the punchline goes: If Taylor told her Swifties to kill a man, they would. They would kill a man for Taylor, because her music means *that* much to them. But the "cult" of country-pop sensation Taylor Swift is not just about the music. It's about the Swiftie community, the rituals, the beliefs, the aesthetic, and (of course) Taylor's cult of personality. This extreme fandom definitely seems classically culty, but is it dangerous just because it's fanatical? That's the question on Amanda and Isa's agenda today, and they've solicited pop culture connoisseur Jill Gutowitz, author of the essay collection GIRLS CAN KISS NOW, to help them figure it out. 

At long last, the man/myth/legend, Amanda's dad, Craig Montell, whose riveting stories of his childhood spent in the Synanon cult planted her fascination with all things "cultish," joins as this week's guest. In this *extremely wholesome* episode, Amanda and her pop analyze a quartet of listener-submitted stories, documenting four firsthand experiences with “culty” groups (from military wives to Abercrombie & Fitch) comparing each one to the surreal mindfuckery and power dynamics Craig witnessed in Synanon. The episode mostly focuses on the “cult” of military spouses... faaaaascinating how closely it resembles a bonafide '70s-era cult. But is it a Life Your Life, Watch Your Back, or GTFO?? Tune in to find out. Thanks so much to all who wrote in their culty tales!

To check out Amanda's new book, The Age of Magical Overthinking, click here!

The Magical Overthinkers newsletter can be found here.

Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod 

Thank you to our sponsors!

The Cotton collection and more are available now at SKIMS.com.

Go to betterhelp.com/cult to get 10% off your first month

This episode reflects solely the opinions and work of Amanda and special guests.