{"podcast":{"title":"Sounds Like A Cult","slug":"sounds-like-a-cult-3798336","podcast_index_feed_id":3798336,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soundslikeacult","website_url":"https://www.soundslikeacult.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/03799cba-bf30-11ef-bf8e-e3714d41411a/image/baca8fec6e9ed51eda6138497bbffee0.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Studio71","episode_count":227,"summary":"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 ","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T16:17:22.805307+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sounds-like-a-cult-3798336"},"episode":{"title":"The Cult of Mr. Beast","slug":"the-cult-of-mr-beast","published_at":"2025-12-02T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sounds-like-a-cult-3798336/the-cult-of-mr-beast","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sounds-like-a-cult-3798336","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/135/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/i7NUCPwi3tJP053nG6mP/traffic.megaphone.fm/STU7914550676.mp3?updated=1764628777","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/135/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/i7NUCPwi3tJP053nG6mP/traffic.megaphone.fm/STU7914550676.mp3?updated=1764628777","summary":"He gives away islands, cures blindness, builds chocolate empires, and commands an online following bigger than some nations... but is he just a YouTuber, or the leader of a full blown digital devotion movement? This week, Reese is joined by Rolling Stone journalist Steven Asarch (@capmiserable) to break down The Cult of Mr. Beast, the hyper optimized, hyper \"philanthropic\", hyper everything empire that has millions of fans ready to click, defend, and worship at the altar of virality. We’re analyzing how Mr. Beast’s feel good spectacle blurs the line between generosity and influence. Why do fans treat him like a savior? What does it mean when entertainment starts to look like charity... or the other way around? And how much power does a creator have when his followers are willing to do almost anything for a shoutout? Grab your Feastables and your moral ambiguity: we’re diving into the algorithmically engineered rabbit hole that sounds like a cult. 🍫📱 Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! To save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CULT Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/st3nalv7 #CashAppPod Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions at cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"He gives away islands, cures blindness, builds chocolate empires, and commands an online following bigger than some nations... but is he just a YouTuber,…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4476,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sounds-like-a-cult-3798336/episodes/the-cult-of-mr-beast/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/sounds-like-a-cult-3798336/the-cult-of-mr-beast.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}