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Culty Fan Favorites | Ft. Amanda Montell, Evan Rachel Wood, and Eckhart Tolle

If you’re a cult member, you hate them… but if you’re a fan of A Little Bit Culty, you can’thelp but love the three cult-busting guests we are featuring on today’s episode.

First up is the Amanda Montell, a writer, language scholar, and the author of two critically acclaimed books: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism and Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (HarperWave). Her books have earned praise from The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and others, and Amanda is currently developing Wordslut for television with FX Studios. Amanda's writing has been featured in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Refinery29, and Who What Wear, where she formerly served as the Features & Beauty Editor. She is also the creator and co-host of the comedy-cult podcast, Sounds Like A Cult.

Next is actor, activist, and epic badass Evan Rachel Wood whose impressive AF resume also includes: “Most likely to be hideously trolled by the Marilyn Manson stans of the world.” If you’ve seen the HBO Max mini-series Phoenix Rising which chronicles her fight to break away from the rocker formerly known as Brian Warner, you’ve already seen the culty wafting offa that dude like a bad cologne. We caught up with Evan to talk about her journey to hell and back, how she’s doing now, and why she won’t ever stop blowing the whistle on complete fuckery. As a note to our listeners, and our lawyers, Mr. Manson has repeatedly denied multiple sexual assault allegations from multiple women and is currently suing Evan for defamation over the accusations, claiming it’s all part of an elaborate organized attack. Please note that conversations like the one you’re about to hear can be traumatizing for abuse survivors. Listen to this episode with caution, and if you or anyone you know needs support, see our site for free resources. Also please note that we love Evan Rachel Wood and believe her without reservation. Sorry, not fucking sorry Manson Stans.

Finally - and perhaps most controversially – is Ekhart Tolle – who is widely recognized as one of the most inspiring spiritual leaders in the world. His international bestsellers have been translated into 52 languages. And we can’t verify this, but he might be one of the MOST quoted and/or misquoted contemporary spiritual gurus ever. Also, for the record, our listeners had a LOVE/HATE reaction to this guest. Can’t please everybody!

Episode available since August 28, 2023

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A Little Bit Culty

When the World Didn’t End: Guinevere Turner’s Cult Memoir (Part 2)

Here’s Part 2 of our conversation with Guinevere Turner whose memoir When the World Didn’t End is drawn from fastidiously kept childhood diaries written while she was raised in a cult. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, back up and listen. In Part 2, Turner shares what it was like to return to “normal” life, how her story became a thriller, and what’s helpful, not-so-helpful, and just plain weird about life post-cult.

Please note, this series includes details of underage sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

Note:

Guinevere Turner is an acclaimed writer, director, and actor who’s worked in film and TV since her 1994 debut film Go Fish, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. She teamed up with director Mary Harron to write the films American Psycho; The Notorious Bettie Page; and the 2019 film Charlie Says. She was a writer, story editor, and played Gabby Deveaux on Showtime’s The L Word. She’s written and directed seven short films, two of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She can be seen in film roles including The Watermelon Woman, Chasing Amy, and American Psycho. Guinevere has taught screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, University of Georgia, UCLA and NYU.

Episode available since August 21, 2023

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A Little Bit Culty

When the World Didn’t End: Guinevere Turner’s Cult Memoir (Part 1)

Guinevere Turner recently published a memoir about being raised in a cult, being kicked out, and finding her way in the world. Her book When the World Didn’t End dives deep into her experience drawn from fastidiously kept diaries. Here on A Little Bit Culty Turner shares some off-the-cuff stories. We chat about writing craft. And Turner brings up questions about our collective obsession with the cultiverse.

Please note, this series includes details of underage sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

Note:

Guinevere Turner is an acclaimed writer, director, and actor who’s worked in film and TV since her 1994 debut film Go Fish, which she wrote, produced, and starred in. She teamed up with director Mary Harron to write the films American Psycho; The Notorious Bettie Page; and the 2019 film Charlie Says. She was a writer, story editor, and played Gabby Deveaux on Showtime’s The L Word. She’s written and directed seven short films, two of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She can be seen in film roles including The Watermelon Woman, Chasing Amy, and American Psycho. Guinevere has taught screenwriting at Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, University of Georgia, UCLA and NYU.

Episode available since August 14, 2023

Esoterica

Pastor alarmed after Trump-loving congregants deride Jesus' teachings as 'weak'

Evangelical Christian leader Russell Moore revealed this week that many evangelical pastors have become alarmed that their Trump-loving congregants have become so militant that they are even rejecting the teachings of Jesus Christ.

In an interview with NPR, Moore said that multiple pastors had told him disturbing stories about their congregants being upset when they read from the famous "Sermon on the Mount" in which Christ espoused the principles of forgiveness and mercy as central to Christian doctrine.

"Multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — 'turn the other cheek' — [and] to have someone come up after to say, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'" Moore revealed. "And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, 'I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ,' the response would not be, 'I apologize.' The response would be, 'Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak.'"

. . .

"When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis," he said.

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A Little Bit Culty

In Pursuit of Love: Rebecca Bender’s Journey from Trafficked to Triumphant

Rebecca Bender grew up in a small town, played varsity sports, made high school honor roll, and would have started college early except she got pregnant. She was a little ostracized. And a lot lonely. Then she fell in love — kind of. She followed her knight in shining armor to Las Vegas only to be sold among three human traffickers.

She was branded, thrown in jail, and hospitalized, her face broken in five different places. But she wasn’t kidnapped. And there was no duct tape involved.

Now, Rebecca Bender is a mentor/survivor/expert flipping the script on who leads the fight to eradicate human trafficking. She’s blazing trails with the largest online school in the world for survivors. And, as an internationally recognized subject matter expert, she’s equipped the FBI, Homeland Security, and the US Department of Justice to spot this stuff before it gets any worse.

Episode available since August 07, 2023

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A Little Bit Culty

Breaking Character: Ex-Acting Students Speak Up (Part 2)

Last week, Alberta Mayne Bligh, Brooke Henderson, and Erin Boyes dove into what attracted them to Michèle Lonsdale-Smith’s acting classes – the good, the bad, and the messy. Our three guests are ex-students, each with their own thriving careers in film, theater, television, directing, development and even art therapy. And they are among the 26 ex-students who recently spoke up about their experience under the tutelage of Lonsdale-Smith in a revelatory story published in The Cut. If you missed Part 1, go back and take a listen. Now, in Part 2, they share their tipping points: when they realized that they were in a toxic relationship and how it ended.

Please note, this series includes details of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you, or someone who know, is a survivor of sexual assault, abuse, grooming, child abuse, or human trafficking, RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline offers support at 800.656.HOPE (4673).

Episode available since July 31, 2023