One of the most compelling and confounding cast members on Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is Mary Cosby, a woman who is a reverend of her own church. While housewives fans have been enjoying Mary’s antics, some former members of Mary’s church say Mary is no laughing matter. They allege that they’ve been financially and emotionally abused by Mary Cosby’s church. So is this organization a cult? Joining Tess to did through the sordid details of Mary’s house of worship is comedian and actor Will Weldon (@oldmanweldon), host of the “I Hate Bill Maher” podcast.

Watch “The Cult of the Real Housewife”

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Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

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When Taylor Swift Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” dropped, a swarm of internet haters voiced their loud and out-of-left field opinions about it. A couple months after the drop, though, reporting from Rolling Stone revealed that the conversation around Taylor’s album being a problematic flop was driven largely by bots. This tactic, called astroturfing is the same one Taylor’s friend Blake Lively has alleged was used against her by Justin Baldoni. This is particularly pertinent, because “The Life of a Showgirl,” has a track, “Cancelled!” about Lively’s own cancellation. Who was really behind this astroturfing campaign, and what does this situation tell us about the internet and our own susceptibility to influence?

Joining Tess for an examination of the bot campaign and a close read of the “Cancelled!” lyrics are Joe Romm and Antonia Romm, hosts of the “Decoding Taylor Swift” podcast.

Read Rolling Stone’s “Taylor Swift’s Last Album Sparked Bizarre Accusations of Nazism. It Was a Coordinated Attack,” by Miles Klee.

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod

Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod

Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.

Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The country and blue grass group The Chicks achieved wild success, almost immediately after the release of their album “Wide Open Spaces.” After a handful of years enjoying a fandom across a wide swath of ages and political ideologies, however, The Chicks were the subject of a widespread and passionate boycott. Rather than being a quick hit story that the artists were able to bounce back from, the cancellation of The Chicks had a profound impact on the duration of their career. Joining Tess to investigate how this happened, and why, is Jay Jackson aka Laganja Estranja (@laganjaestranja)

Watch the documentary “Shut Up and Sing”

Follow Pop Mystery Pod on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @popmysterypod

Pop Mystery Pod is written and produced by Tess Barker @tesstifybarker. Produced by Tyler Hill.

Theme song by Rick Wood @Rickw00d.

Support independent pop journalism and join us on Patreon at Pop Mystery Pod. Get access to ad free episodes, bonus content, and polls about upcoming topics. patreon.com/PopMysteryPod

Follow Tess’s other podcasts Lady to Lady and Toxic: The Britney Spears Story wherever you get your pods.

Make sure to leave us a review! And tell a friend about the show!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.