The internet gets weird investigating the "disappearance" of America's gay best friend. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Richard Simmons ShowRichard Simmons, the Original Queer EyeThe Grand Duke of Diet and the Clown Prince of Fitness The Sultan of Svelte The Deregulation Of Commercial TelevisionSim...

Before building his fitness empire, America’s most bedazzled fitness guru was a guy named Milton from New Orleans. Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonWatch Aubrey’s documentary in AU & NZ, or watch it at home anywhere else!Buy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreLinks!Still Hungry...After All These Years by Richard Simmons "Hair-Do" Anatomy Asylum CommercialRichard Simmons: New Orleans's hometown heroA Speedy His...

How a mother, a daughter and a crackpot Swiss psychologist gave us the world's most popular Buzzfeed quiz.Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!The Personality Brokers by Merve EmreMyers Briggs Type PreferencesWhat Personality Tests Really DeliverThe $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work Cautionary Comments Regarding the MBTIThe Barnum Ef...

We went a little easy on the Cass Report in our last main feed episode, so we're back to [Mortal Kombat voice] FINISH HIM!!!This was supposed to be a Patreon bonus episode but we'd rather you support the lovely trans people who helped us with the research and fact-checking of this episode! Julia Serano: https://www.patreon.com/juliaseranoParker Molloy: https://www.readtpa.com/Katelyn Burns: https://www.patreon.com/katelynburnsEvan Urquhart: https://www.assignedmedia.org/supportErin Reed: http...

Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart, Parker Molloy and Katelyn Burns for fact-checking!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"The "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria" Controversy at AA...

Panic! At the endocrinologist.Thanks to Jules Gill-Peterson (jgillpeterson.com) and Julia Serano (patreon.com/juliaserano) for help researching this episode and Evan Urquhart and Parker Molloy for fact-checking!Support us:Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreWatch Aubrey's documentaryBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks!Origins of "Social Contagion" and "Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria"What does the scholarly research say ...

In the 2000s, Jamie Oliver made a big splash with his work reforming kids’ meals in the UK and US. Was his work wicked slammin’, or just proper rustic? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! BBC Profile - Jamie OliverJamie Oliver Puts America's Diet on a DietAll The Times Jamie Oliver Made Everyone AngryUnpacking School Lunch: Understanding the Hidden Politics of School...

What was missing from America's pandemic response? According to the internet, a sunshine vitamin, a malaria treatment and a whole lot of horse paste. Thanks to Health Nerd (Substack) for helping us fact-check this episode! And thanks to Abby Mahler (Twitter,  Tiktok) for help with the research on hydroxychloroquine! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks: How Musk Sold...

Ozempic is being hailed as “the end of the Obesity Epidemic.” This week, Mike and Aubrey dig through the sensational claims. But will they make it past the caveats? Links:  How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide Ozempic and Wegovy maker courts prominent Black leaders to get Medicare's favor Insurers clamping down on doctors who prescribe Ozempic for weight lossOzempic prescriptions can be...

How a plant-based pejorative went from an alt-right burn to a core concern of mainstream Republicans. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Joe Explains the Term "Soy Boy" to Donnell RawlingsAlex Jones Gay Bomb RantSoyboys and Sensitivity: Mocking Meat Avoidance from Punch to TwitterHow the alt-right uses milk to promote white supremacyMen's Health 2009 pieceNeither soy...

Join us for a 75 minute answer to a 5 word question: Is there mercury in vaccines? Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Paul Offit’s “Autism's False Prophets”Peter Hotez’s “The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science”Seth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Steve Silberman’s “Neurotribes”Transcript of the...

A political candidate has some questions and we have some extremely obvious answers. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Eric Garcia’s “We’re Not Broken”Mike and Sarah’s episode on autism and the anti-vaxx movementSeth Mnookin’s “The Panic Virus”Jonathan M. Berman’s “Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement” Brian Deer’s “The Doctor Who Fooled the...

Somehow an episode about an old-timey fitness influencer ended up being one of our most wholesome ever. We're as surprised as you are. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Pilates and the “powerhouse"Sick Architecture - Ibiayi Briggs - Body Culture and Contrology World War One: Internment centre 'will unlock' family talesThe Acrobatic Immigrant Who Invented Pilates in a...

How a fitness influencer went from small-time scammer to one of the Internet’s leading villains. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcast Links! THIS IS DISTURBINGgoodbye for now… How Dallas-area influencer Brittany Dawn found herself at the mercy of social media's double-edged swordConversations with the Inspiring Brittany DawnInfluencer Asks Customers to Sign NDA Before...

We're taking a much-needed break this week so to tide you over here is one of our bonus episodes! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastThanks to Doctor Dreamchip for our lovely theme song! Support the show

The closing argument of our two-part Oprahsode starts in a Texas courtroom, wanders through some British slaughterhouses and ends with an emu.  Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! "How the Cows Turned Mad" by Maxime Schwartz“Deadly Feasts” by Richard Rhodes "Mad Cow USA"UK Parliamentary inquiryHow The West Was Won OverTexas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First...

On April 16, 1996, Oprah Winfrey did a show about mad cow disease. Six weeks later, a couple of Texas cattlemen had a cow (sorry). Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Original LawsuitAppealHow Oprah Got Sued for Dissing a BurgerTwo Degrees of Speech Protection Texas Cattle Feeders v. Oprah Winfrey: The First Major Test of the “Veggie Libel Law”Having a Cow: Reactions...

This week we're digging into the weird  history of an omnipresent fitness goal. Episode comes free with a happy meal. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! 10,000 Steps: A Brief HistoryDo We Really Need to Take 10,000 Steps a Day for Our Health?A Japanese first-mover in the fitness wearables raceCounting Every Step You TakeWhen does wearing a fitness tracker do more harm...

This week we're tackling three big ideas about sugar: It causes hyperactivity in kids, it's as addictive as cocaine and it raises blood sugar in universal, predictably spiky ways.  Thanks to David Johnston for helping us with sources for this week’s episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcast Links! Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole...

A viral documentary says a "whole foods plant-based diet" will prevent heart disease and cure cancer. But once we look into the MEAT of the matter will we find factual CREAM of the crop or will we  cry FOWL? (we're so sorry) Thanks to Katherine Flegal for helping Mike with this episode! Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! Health effects associated with consumption of...

Aubrey tells Mike about the diet that took over New York City (and its bathrooms). Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's bookListen to Mike's other podcastLinks! F-Factor drama timelineWhat Is the F-Factor Diet, and Is it Safe?Tanya Zuckerbrot Sets a Weight-Loss ExampleWhat Is the F-Factor Diet? Here’s What You Need to KnowF-Factor Under Fire After TONS Of Women Come ForwardTanya Zuckerbrot and an Instagram...

Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new set of guidelines for "childhood obesity." We have some comments. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastLinks! The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines The 2007 guidelines Pros and cons of bariatric surgery in adolescents Serious Issues With the American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines For Higher-Weight...

History should make you feel weird and so, apparently, should diet books. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcast Links! Elizabeth Takes OffElizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth TaylorElizabeth Taylor: Diet Tips on How to Become a Size 6Just Look at Her NowElizabeth Taylor: Born to the PurpleElizabeth Taylor: The Lost Interview Elizabeth Taylor’s Glorious ExcessElizabeth Taylor’s...

This week, we're talking about Aubrey's new book, "'You Just Need To Lose Weight' and 19 Other Myths About Fat People." And we're yelling about Piers Morgan as a little treat. Support us: Hear bonus episodes on PatreonDonate on PayPalGet Maintenance Phase T-shirts, stickers and moreBuy Aubrey's new bookListen to Mike's new podcastPreorder Aubrey's book at your favorite bookstore or here: Bookshop.orgPowell's BooksBlackstone BooksBlack Pearl BooksAmazonBarnes & NobleBook...