Conspiracy, She Wrote
Unladylike Media
Ever wonder why women get caught up in conspiracies, how anti-vax attracts moms, or where tradwives came from? Host Cristen Conger (Unladylike) untangles the wildest webs of conspiracy theories spun by and about women—from the lady fascists who spread Illuminati conspiracies a century ago to Beyoncé Illuminati rumors today. With expert guests and unexpected angles, each episode unravels the cultural currents that fuel these gendered narratives, connecting the dots between memes, misogyny and misinformation gone wild. Grab your red string and follow along.Inbox: conspiracyshewrote@gmail.comInstagram: @conspiracyshewrote, @unladylikemediaWebsite: conspiracyshewrote.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...
The Super Bowl Trafficking Myth I Helped Spread: LADIES, STAY SAFE pt. 5
Why does the Super Bowl sex trafficking myth persist, despite repeated debunking? In the miniseries finale, Cristen unravels this sex trafficking myth she helped spread. So, why did major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Cup and Olympics become seen as sex trafficking playgrounds? These red strings criss-cross from Greece to the United Nations to Texas to multistate sting ops, and with press coverage fumbling at almost every turn.This is part 5 of 5 in the LADIES, STAY SAFE! miniseries
Satanic Daycare Panic: LADIES, STAY SAFE PT 4
Why were daycare centers the prime targets of the 1980s Satanic Panic, and how did it blow up into America's longest and most expensive criminal trial? Cristen unravels the anti-cult anxieties, paranoid cowboys and "communist" childcare seeded wild conspiracy theories about devil-worshipping predators invading the suburbs. But when law enforcement (aka "police Satan hunters"), social workers, and an opportunistic district attorney got involved, the hysteria intensified, landed innocent people in
The Mother of Gay Witch-Hunts: LADIES, STAY SAFE pt. 3
In the 1970s, America’s moral panic machine found its perfect scapegoat: gay and lesbian teachers. Also bathrooms. Historian Gillian Frank unravels the roots of child trafficking and "groomer" conspiracies back to Red Scare paranoia, civil rights backlash, a conservative women's movement against the Equal Rights Amendment and the pageant queen-turned-evangelical superstar Anita Bryant. In part three of the LADIES, STAY SAFE! miniseries, Cristen traces America's twisted history of how fears about
The Groomer Rumor Mill: LADIES, STAY SAFE pt 2
How did human trafficking conspiracy theories give rise to a politicized pedo panic targeting teachers, trans kids and drag queens? Researchers Daniela Peterka-Benton and Bond Benton connect the dots between QAnon's obsession with saving the children, the 2022 revival of anti-LGBTQ "groomer" rhetoric and Disney's recurring role in American culture wars. Cristen also discovers the surprising source of childhood rumors about subliminal s-e-x in "The Lion King".part 2 of a miniseries.. . .Find epis
Sex Traffickers in Parking Lots: LADIES, STAY SAFE pt. 1
Why are suburban white women so afraid of getting snatched out of parking lots and sex trafficked? Journalist Caitlin Dewey unravels the tangled threads of modern sex trafficking panic, the impact of QAnon, and the role of influencers and media in laundering misinformation as "safety" advice for women and moms. Caitlin and Cristen also highlight how these viral myths impact real trafficking victims and survivors and connect to sex panicky culture wars.For WAY more red string, have at The Links x
mini: How's your EMOTIONAL literacy? with Abbie Richards
Facts are no match for conspiracy FEELINGS. In this mini episode (a breadcrumb? red thread?), climate misinformation expert and content creator Abbie Richards explains emotional literacy—what it is, why it pairs so well with conspiracy theories, and how we all stand to benefit from more of it. If debunking won’t stop the misinformation crisis, maybe it's time to start teaching feelings.Got a rabbit hole you'd like to hop down? conspiracyshewrote@gmail.com. Find episode sources and transcripts at
Escaped Nuns from Evil Convents
In the late summer of 1834, a torch-wielding mob burned down a Boston convent for reasons that sound a lot like . . . Pizzagate. Fueled by rumors of kidnappings, papal paranoia and phony exposés, conspiracy theories about nuns in their convents spiraled out of control in 19th-century America. Cristen unravels why that happened and how it set the stage for contemporary culture wars over saving the children. Find episode sources and transcripts at conspiracyshewrote.com. For ad-free episodes, join
The Feminine Draw of Contemporary Conspiracy (Culture Study with Anne Helen Petersen)
What’s the difference between a conspiracy theory and gossip? When does joking around about Kate Middleton’s abduction turn into something much darker? Are women actually more susceptible to contemporary conspiracy theories — or are we just finally paying attention to it? Cristen joined Anne Helen Petersen on Culture Study Podcast to unpack all of that, plus Taylor Swift’s evil twin, Beyoncé’s illuminati connections, Katie Holmes getting impregnated by Scientology aliens, sex trafficking pa
The Kamala Harris Disinfo Dossier
From cuckoo claims she’s secretly a man to attacks questioning her Blackness, Kamala Harris conspiracy theories are one of the most predictable features of the 2024 election, it turns out. Disinformation researcher Nina Jankowicz unravels the three main disinfo narratives that have targeted Kamala for years and what they sound like today, and Cristen follows the red string to the self-proclaimed "queen of the birthers". This is the season one post-finale finale that had to be made, and stick aro
Michelle Obama's "Secret Identity"
Why is the same conspiracy theory that targeted Michelle Obama a decade ago now spreading to all celebrities (and First Ladies)? Enter “transvestigation”—a brain-rot conspiracy genre trafficking in wonky eyes, bad photoshops and a gender-inclusive Illuminati. Digital researcher Lexi Webster unravels the nonsense and why it’s worth understanding, while political scholar Fran Amery connects the dots to organized transphobia and not all radical feminism.Chapters:(00:00) The Baby Pool Story(01:15)&n
Britney, Free
Free Britney started as fan sleuthing, which ultimately helped end Britney Spears’ conservatorship, sparked a pop cultural reckoning and galvanized a disability rights movement. Podcaster and comic Tess Barker (Pop Mystery Pod) unravels that journey of pursuing the truth about Britney–and its thornier consequences–while digital sociologist Naomi Smith explains the allure of conspiracy communities and what happens once their detective work is done.Chapters:(00:00) The End of Britney Spears'
The Never-Ending Greta Thunberg Climate Conspiracies
At 16 years old, Greta Thunberg led the largest climate protest in history—and became a target for right-wing conspiracy theories. Scholar Emily Ryalls dissects how Greta was recast as a hysterical pawn of globalist billionaires and why the “Greta Effect” continues to provoke such powerful backlash. Then, TikTok misinformation researcher Abbie Richards clears up why the climate space is so littered with disinfo and media distractions, from anti-Greta memes to the Great Reset conspiracy to privat
Avril Lavigne's Clone Named Melissa
Who sparked the bizarre conspiracy theory that Avril Lavigne was replaced by a clone named Melissa, and why does it still persist? Snopes reporter Nur Ibrahim unravels the allure of celebrity death hoaxes, political body double rumors and how to sort the fakes from the facts. Cristen also connects the dots between Avril Lavigne, the Beatles’ Paul McCartney and conspiracy satire gone wrong.Episode 7 sources and transcript.Support the show and join The Cabal!. . .Conspiracy, She Wrote is an Unlady
Meghan Markle Pregnancy Truthers
While the rest of the world speculated over Kate Middleton’s whereabouts this spring, why was an old conspiracy theory about the Meghan Markle suddenly trending on X (formerly Twitter)? Royal reporter Ellie Hall unravels the YouTube community committed to exposing their “Duchess of Deception,” from claims that Meghan faked her pregnancies to masterminding the #WhereIsKate PR crisis. Scholar Moya Bailey also connects the dots between the misogynoir targeting Meghan, Serena Williams’ life-threaten
Megan Thee Stallion vs. Misogynoir
When Megan Thee Stallion revealed the truth about being shot by Tory Lanez, why was she met with disbelief, Bigfoot jokes, and Illuminati rumors? NPR Music reporter and longtime hottie Sidney Madden (Louder Than a Riot) unravels how hip-hop culture put Megan on trial, while Tory Lanez’ team claimed the slut-shame defense in court. Scholar Moya Bailey also breaks down the intersection of class, respectability and misogynoir, comparing the conspiracy theories surrounding Megan Thee Stallion to tho
Beyoncé’s Illuminati Mess
From secret messages in “Single Ladies” to the infamous Blue Ivy bump gate, Beyoncé has been at the center of countless conspiracy theories. But nothing tops (or stops) the Illuminati rumors. Where did they start, and how much is Jay-Z to blame? Scholar Moya Bailey unravels the fixation on Beyoncé, revealing the misogynoir driving these conspiracies and what they really say about her power and influence. Plus, Cristen crunches the numbers to see if “Renaissance” was truly a sign of the apocalyps
Taylor Swift Psyops
How did Taylor Swift’s pop superstardom become fodder for far-right political conspiracy theories? Grab your red string and follow along the conflicting narratives that first (baselessly) claimed her as a covert Nazi and more recently, a left-wing Super Bowl psyop with Travis Kelce. Swiftie sociologist Brian Donovan unravels why her celebrity makes her a prime target in culture war politics and how it compares to the Easter egg hunts she creates for the fandom. Then, media psychologist Leah Dajc
Pastel QAnon, Tradwives and Fangirls
Why were women and lifestyle influencers so pivotal to spreading QAnon lies about pedos, cabals and child trafficking via Wayfair furniture? Grab your red string and follow along with host Cristen Conger into the female-dominated landscape of "conspirituality," where wellness and woo-woo get extra delulu. Researcher, journalist and QAA podcast correspondent Annie Kelly also unravels anti-vax moms’ relatable mistrust, the red-pilled origins of tradwives and whether it’s ultimately all fangirling.
She Started It
Grab your red string and follow along with host Cristen Conger (Unladylike) for the unhinged women's history and Illuminati paranoia that set the stage for today's conspiracy-pilled political and pop cultures. Cultural historian Lindsay Porter introduces us to the fascist foremothers of modern conspiracism who were spreading disinformation about deep state plots, elite cabals and shady secret societies a century ago.Episode 1 sources and transcript.Support the show and join The Cabal!. . .Conspi
Here Comes Conspiracy, She Wrote
From the original Illuminati influencers to celebrity pregnancy truthers today, host Cristen Conger unravels the red strings connecting women, gender and conspiracy culture gone wild. Because QAnon moms, tradwives and even Taylor Swift government psyop conspiracy theories reveal a lot about power, pop culture and politics.Conspiracy, She Wrote starts August 8. New episodes each Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.