American Hysteria

American Hysteria +
American Hysteria
AMERICAN HYSTERIA

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American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    The FBI's White Christian Nation with Lerone A. Martin

    Lerone A. Martin is the author of The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover: How the FBI Aided and Abetted the Rise of White Christian Nationalism . For this episode, Lerone explains how the FBI, led by J. Edgar Hoover, colluded with religious authorities to shape the soul of America throughout the 20th century. We’ll see how this revamped version of American Christianity spearheaded by Hoover reflected the conservative politics he wanted to see manifest in the national culture. Get a copy of Lerone's book ⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1h 28m

  2. 8 JUL

    Listen Now: American Scandal

    Every scandal begins with a lie. But the truth will come out. And then comes the fallout and the outrage. Scandals have shaped America since its founding. From business and politics to sports and society, we look on aghast as corruption, deceit and ambition bring down heroes and celebrities, politicians and moguls. And when the dust finally settles, we’re left to wonder: how did this happen? Where did they trip up, and who is to blame? From the creators of American History Tellers, Business Wars and Tides of History comes American Scandal, where we take you deep into the heart of America’s dark side to look at what drives someone to break the rules and what happens when they’re caught. Hosted by Lindsay Graham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    6 min

  3. 7 JUL

    Staring at the Sun on LSD with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

    Have you ever heard the urban legend about the group of hippie college students that went blind while staring at the sun during an LSD trip? This tale became a very powerful anecdote in the 1960s as politicians tried to regulate the spread of acid spread across college campuses. For this episode, Sarah Marshall of the podcast You’re Wrong About jumps down two rabbit holes with me: one that leads to a messy political hoax in Philadelphia and another to a conspiracy theory created, for once, by me. We'll see how a sensational story like this one can help drum up anti-drug public support and lead to the law-and-order victory of an opportunist politician's dreams.  Resources to Help Our Immigrant Neighbors: Immigrant Advocates Network CHIRLA's iRelief Fund NNiR Report ICE Raids Hotlines Listen to 'You're Wrong About' and 'You Are Good' wherever you get your podcasts ⁠⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ Leave us a message on the Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠americanhysteria.com⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1h 27m

  4. 30 JUN

    The Call is Coming From Inside the House with Sarah Marshall of 'You're Wrong About'

    You've probably heard the urban legend called the Babysitter and the Man Upstairs or at least know the idiom it inspired: “The call is coming from inside the house.” Sarah Marshall of the podcasts You’re Wrong About and You Are Good joins me as I share some new ideas about where this tale came from, focused on an epidemic of obscene phone calls in the 1960s and a true crime story that was happening at the same time. We also discuss whether this urban legend may have actually created the entire slasher film genre. Listen to our new house band Magpie Cinema Club Listen to 'You're Wrong About' and 'You Are Good' wherever you get your podcasts ⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Leave us a message on the Urban Legends Hotline at americanhysteria.com Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1h 35m

  5. 23 JUN

    THE HIPPIE BABYSITTER BABY ROAST

    Have you ever heard the urban legend about the babysitter who takes LSD and accidentally bakes a baby in the oven believing it to be a raw turkey? For this Urban Legends Hotline episode, we will explore the possible origins of and the meaning behind this piece of 1960s folklore. Become a Patron⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠ Sound Designer and Associate Producer: ⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠ Voice Actor: ⁠⁠Will Rogers⁠⁠ Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1h 2m

  6. 16 JUN

    Context Clues: Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's High

    This episode will give some extra context for our upcoming urban legend episodes: The Hippie Babysitter and the Baby Roast, The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs, and the one where the college students go blind staring at the sun on LSD. We use excerpts from our episodes: Fangirls (2022) Suburbia (2020) Mind Control (2019) Become a Patron⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ Leave us a message on the Urban Legends Hotline at americanhysteria.com Sound design and Production by ⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠ Edited by ⁠Miranda Zickler⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    55 min

  7. 9 JUN

    GENDER REVEAL PARTIES: Pride Rewind

    Happy Pride month to all who observe! This is a rerelease of one of our favorite episodes. Over the last ten years, Gender Reveal Parties have exploded, figuratively and literally. Parents, communities, and social media followers alike can witness the moment that parents and families find out the sex of their future baby, but lately, these parties have gotten so out of hand as to cause massive wildfires, explosions, damage to homes, injuries, and death. For this episode, we will try to figure out what in the world is going on here by exploring the history of gendered baby items, of the strange divination methods once used to guess the biological sex, and take a look at the idea of rituals around the mystery of pregnancy. Of course, we’ll also ask questions about the regressive nature of this blue and pink gender binary, and I will share a little about my own childhood growing up as a non-binary kid, a word I wouldn’t know for two decades. Become a Patron⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠ Voice Actor: ⁠⁠Will Rogers⁠⁠ Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    47 min

  8. 2 JUN

    The Last Prison Rodeo with Journalist Adam Mahoney

    Since 1965, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, has held an incredibly popular public event known as the Prison Rodeo where incarcerated men participate for cash prizes in contests so dangerous they have been banned from the professional rodeo circuit. Adam Mahoney is a reporter at Capital B and the author of a recent article titled The Wildest Show in the South: Spectacle and Suffering at America’s Biggest Prison. For this episode, Adam discusses with me the surreal reality of the Angola prison rodeo and his experience attending, gives me a background on the dark history of the penitentiary itself, and tells me the various perspectives of those involved in this shocking and deeply American spectacle. Read more of Adam’s work at capitalbnews.org Or follow him on Twitter @AdamLMahoney Leave us a message on the Urban Legends Hotline at americanhysteria.com ⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠ Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠ Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    1h 2m
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Trailers

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

American Hysteria explores how fantastical thinking has shaped our culture – moral panics, urban legends, hoaxes, crazes, fringe beliefs, and national misunderstandings. Poet-turned-podcaster Chelsey Weber-Smith tells the strangest stories from American history and examines the forces that create the reality we share, and sometimes, the reality we don't.

Information

  • Channel
    American Hysteria +
  • Creator
    chelsey weber-smith
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    258
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 chelsey weber-smith
  • Show Website
    American Hysteria
  • Provider

    Wizard Radio Limited has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 1 Kings Avenue London N21 3NA United Kingdom Phone Number +44 7807183538 Email [email protected]

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