Inactivehistory society culture true crime

Cults

by Spotify Studios

Doomsday predictions. Religious doctrines. Extraterrestrial orders. What really goes on inside a cult? Step into the minds of those who led and joined the most controversial organizations in history. Cults is a Spotify Original from Parcast.

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On the show

Recent episodes

Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 2

Nov 15, 2022

32m 50s

Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1

Nov 8, 2022

32m 53s

Jonestown Pt. 2

Nov 1, 2022

58m 21s

Jonestown Pt. 1

Oct 25, 2022

1h 01m 18s

The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 3

Oct 18, 2022

41m 46s

Insights from recent episode analysis

Audience Interest

Estimated Reach: 6.4K to 78K

Listeners across platforms

Podcast Focus

Categories: history · society

+2 more

Publishing Consistency

Frequency: ~Bi-weekly

300+ episodes since 2017

Platform Reach

Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.

Low Confidence

Back-catalog monthly reach

6.4K to 78K

Based on the show's feed history · back-catalog reach only (show is inactive).

Built from

Charts in 1 marketPopularity scoreEpisode historyHome market: United States

By chart position

🇨🇴
CO · True Crime
#35
6.4K to 78K

Per-Episode Audience
No new episodes in 90+ days
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🎙 Sporadic cadence·323 episodes·Long inactive
Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
6.4K to 78K
🇺🇸71%🇨🇴29%
Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
1.3K to 16K

Market Insights

This ShowCategory Avg

No category insights available.

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Platform Distribution

Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly

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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.

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Social Links & Contact

Official channels & resources

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Official Website

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RSS Feed

Episodes

323

~1.3 per week

Avg length

32m 34s

4m 25s – 1h 01m 18s

Range

Aug 2020 – Nov 2022

Total runtime

14h

Last episode

4 years ago

25 of 25

Date	Episode	Description	Length
11/15/22	Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 2	Nearly two decades after the Waco Siege, people are still wondering what transpired at the Branch Davidian compound. Though the government officially investigated and exonerated the FBI, some have found evidence of a massive cover-up. Did the government actually fire the first shot that led to 81 deaths? This episode is a crossover with Conspiracy Theories and originally aired October 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	32m 50s
11/8/22	Waco Siege & Branch Davidians Pt. 1	On February 28th, 1993, ATF agents raided a compound in Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious group known as the Branch Davidians. A 51-day standoff ensued, ending in a violent siege. Eighty-one people lost their lives, many of them children — but to this day, no one knows which side fired first. This episode is a crossover with Conspiracy Theories and originally aired October 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	32m 53s
11/1/22	Jonestown Pt. 2	With more than 900 people dead, the Jonestown Massacre has sparked many theories over the past 40 years. Did the government have a hand in these deaths? Could the cult have been connected to the mysterious MK-Ultra program? And was Jim Jones murdered, or did he fake his own death? This episode originally aired on Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	58m 21s
10/25/22	Jonestown Pt. 1	At the command of Jim Jones, more than 900 followers of The Peoples Temple drank a beverage laced with cyanide in an act that Jones labeled “revolutionary suicide.” But was this truly a mass suicide, or was it a mass murder? And why do some people think Jim Jones faked his own death? This episode originally aired on Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	1h 01m 18s
10/18/22	The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 3	This is the finale of our Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories crossover: By 2011, the FBI was ready to reexamine the evidence. A theory emerged: What if the Mad Poisoner was actually the Unabomber? Ted Kaczynski had proven he was a revenge-seeking terrorist, and he had connections to Chicago. Perhaps he traded homemade bombs for poisoned pills. Or maybe the deadly concoctions came straight from the Johnson & Johnson facility itself. In the absence of clear answers, only theories remain… and rumors that someone is still out there, replacing Halloween treats with fatal tricks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	41m 46s
10/11/22	The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 2	If you enjoyed part 1 last week, we’re back with part 2: If Roger Arnold wasn’t behind the murders, who was? Police turn their focus to a new suspect: a disgruntled accountant named James Lewis. But the more police dig into Lewis’s life, the more questions they have. The road ahead is paved with extortion, false identities, and revenge. This is a crossover special between Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	37m 57s
10/4/22	The Chicago Tylenol Murders Pt. 1	Listeners, we’re popping back into your feed this week to share a special crossover episode from Serial Killers and Conspiracy Theories. Forty years ago, cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven people all around the Chicago area. America was gripped by paranoia and fear. Why was this happening? Who would be next? Police grasped for suspects who might be the so-called “Mad Poisoner.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	39m 48s
9/27/22	The Moonies Pt. 4: Next Generation	When Sun Myung Moon decides to step down as the public face of the Unification Church, the ensuing succession drama embroils his family in multiple scandals. Frozen out by his mother, Sean Moon decides to start a new organization — Rod of Iron Ministries. The mass wedding ceremonies continue, but new rituals have cropped up, too. This time centered on guns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	43m 24s
9/20/22	The Moonies Pt. 3: Global Empire	The ‘70s see Reverend Moon’s star on the rise in the U.S. His missionaries have spread around the globe, his businesses are raising millions in capital, and his already vast reach is expanding. But the self-proclaimed “True Father” is about to face some of his fiercest backlash yet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	40m 23s
9/13/22	The Moonies Pt. 2: Holy Mission	Branded a heretic in the towns where he preaches, Moon moves his small following to Seoul. There, his ranks begin to swell. Whatever slander and imprisonment he endures, Moon remains uncompromising in his vocation: find a new wife, raise the ideal family — and mobilize his holy mission out into the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	40m 35s
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9/6/22	The Moonies Pt. 1: Reverend Sun Moon	In South Korea, a young religious convert thinks he’s destined to become the second Christ. His mission is to unite every Christian and kickstart God’s kingdom on Earth. What he creates along the way is a global empire and infamous political force. In this 4-part special, we examine the Unification Church, nicknamed “the Moonies” after their founder Sun Myung Moon, and explore the new religious cult led by Moon’s son. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	40m 09s
8/30/22	Mother Anna’s House of Prayer Pt. 2	By the early ‘90s, local authorities had long suspected something was off about the small, religious Florida community. A harrowing incident of child abuse gave them the proof they needed to take a harder look at what was going on. The more they looked, the uglier it got. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	36m 12s
8/23/22	Mother Anna’s House of Prayer Pt. 1	Fifty years ago, Anna Young got away with murder. But the guilt ate at her. She leaned hard into her Pentecostal faith before moving her family to Florida to start fresh. Her “House of Prayer for All People” was meant to be a place of refuge and salvation. It didn’t take long for things to turn sour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	38m 55s
8/16/22	MS-13 Pt. 2: All the Way to the Morgue	Once you’re in, there aren’t many ways to get out. At least, not alive. But that doesn’t mean people haven’t tried. When Alex Sanchez decided he was done with gang life, he retired, and poured his life into helping others do the same. But his path forward was threatened by everyone from a vigilante death squad in El Salvador to the LAPD and FBI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	39m 16s
8/9/22	MS-13 Pt. 1: Transnational Street Gang	By cult standards, they aren’t one. But MS-13 does share a common language with even the most insidious fringe groups. Bound by loyalty, ideology, and power, the members of MS-13 make up one of the most dangerous gangs to ever exist. And it all started on the streets of Los Angeles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	40m 09s
8/2/22	"The Seer" Daniel Perez Pt. 2	By 2008, Daniel Perez had collected millions in life insurance payouts. Fake identities and fraud had kept him untouchable. But a tip to the FBI gave investigators the fuel they needed to take him down. And what they uncovered was so much darker than what they first suspected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	38m 08s
7/26/22	"The Seer" Daniel Perez Pt. 1	A man claiming to be a thousand-year-old angel moved his small commune from state to state, never staying too long. When money ran tight, the mysterious deaths of his followers — and their life insurance payouts — kept him going. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	34m 10s
7/19/22	Cults Summer Road Trip: Source Family	Jim Baker might’ve attracted famous diners to his hugely popular restaurants. But “Father Yod” gathered disciples. And they were going to usher in a new age of Aquarius. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	44m 01s
7/17/22	Inside CULTS: Marshall Applewhite	Ancient aliens. Biblical messages. The final chapter in our new book details how Applewhite created an alternate reality for his followers, ending in tragedy. Listen to this clip from our Cults podcast episode on how his beliefs evolved. Then order the new CULTS book to examine his methods in full: parcast.com/cults Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	5m 58s
7/16/22	Inside CULTS: Credonia Mwerinde	Credonia Mwerinde leveraged the turmoil in 1980s Uganda to lead a movement that ended in death, destruction, and her own disappearance. Today’s clip outlines the political and spiritual context she arose from. Go deeper into her life as a cult leader with Parcast’s first book, available now! parcast.com/cults Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	5m 24s
7/15/22	Inside CULTS: Keith Raniere	Before he led the celebrity sex trafficking cult NXIVM, Keith Raniere had dreams of starting his own MLM. But first, he needed to seem like the right man to do it. Enjoy this clip from our Cults episode on how Raniere propped himself up as a genius. And dig deeper into his story in our new book, available right now — go to parcast.com/cults to learn more and order your copy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	4m 25s
7/14/22	Inside CULTS: David Koresh	The seventh chapter of Parcast’s new book features David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians. Enjoy this clip from our Cults podcast episode on his journey to Waco, Texas. You can find more information and order your copy of CULTS — this summer’s can’t-miss true crime read — on parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	4m 48s
7/13/22	Inside CULTS: Roch Thériault	Parcasters, the CULTS book is officially on sale NOW! You can order it online at all major bookstores, or go to parcast.com/cults to see what it’s all about. In the meantime, enjoy this clip from our classic Cults episode on the insidious manipulations of Roch Thériault, a Canadian cult leader who brutally murdered members of his own cult, the Ant Hill Kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	5m 50s
7/12/22	Cults Summer Road Trip: FLDS	“Keep sweet” was the refrain of Warren Jeffs, the Prophet of a fundamentalist group that broke off from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As practicing polygamists, FLDS already drew the attention of law enforcement. But it was the systematic sexual assault that made Jeffs a fugitive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	41m 50s
7/10/22	Inside CULTS: Claude Vorilhon	Chapter 5 of Parcast’s new book features the French sports writer who began communing with ancient aliens. Listen to this clip from our episode on Claude Vorilhon, and preorder your copy of CULTS: Inside the World’s Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them at parcast.com/cults! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices	5m 36s