HeyJaredCult Favorite
A podcast about all of those cult documentaries you love to binge watch. We are two religious studies professors that are curious about our current cult documentary streaming era. What stories do these shows tell and what do they tell us about ourselves?
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 15, 2026
Latest episodes
Bring Me the Beauties (HBOMax, 2026) (opens the original)
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Merinda and Mike dive into the documentary chronicling Eternal Values, the New York new age group built around self-styled guru Frederick von Mierers — and the model, Hoyt Richards, who spent years inside it. It starts on a Nantucket beach in 1978, with talk of alien walk-ins, past lives on the star Arcturus, and a coming tribulation only Frederick's followers are prepared for. It ends with a mercy killing, a mutiny, and a group scattered in the late '90s. Along the way: a modeling career that s
Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix, 2026) 🚨RELAUNCH WEEK!🚨 (opens the original)
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It's relaunch week here at Cult Favorite! You might notice some changes and some new things as we roll into the fall. So keep checking in! On this episode we discuss the summer's biggest "cult documentary," Trust Me: The False Prophet from Netflix. This story of an abusive FLDS leader who emerges in the wake of Warren Jeff's incarceration and the woman who gains his trust in order to bring him down raises a lot of important questions. Why is the word "cult" used so little in this documentary com
What Reddit says about "cult documentaries" (opens the original)
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In our final episode of our summer mini-series, Merinda and Mike discuss how people online are thinking about the "cult documentary" genre. What do the ways people talk about "cult docs" tell us about how the term "cult" functions in our current discourse? Listen in and find out! Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode are
From the Archives: Ep. 28 Shiny Happy People (5/19/2025) (opens the original)
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The summer is almost over but we still have one more episode from the archives for your last days of vacation travel. In this episode from last spring Mike and Merinda talk about the first season of Amazon's Shiny Happy People and why certain kids of Christianity get the "cult" label. Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special thanks to the REL Digital Lab in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama for production assistance. The views expressed in this episode
How NOT to talk about "cults" (opens the original)
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We have another episode in our summer series of meta conversations about cults, cult documentaries, and the cult discourse of our current moment. This time we talk about some of the very unhelpful terms that get used to talk about those groups that get labeled as "cults." Mike and Merinda breakdown "belief," "brainwashing," "intent," and "authenticity." Listen today so you can understand what's up with the ways people talk about "cults"! Follow us on the socials at @cultfavoritepod. Special than
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