Amanda Montell

Amanda Montell is a writer, linguist, and podcast host living in Los Angeles. She is the author of three nonfiction books, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language, and The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality (forthcoming April 9, 2024 from OneSignal). She is also a creator and host of the hit podcast, Sounds Like A Cult. Amanda’s books have earned praise from The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Kirkus Reviews, and more. Cultish was named a best book of 2021 by NPR, was shortlisted for several prizes including the Goodreads Choice Awards and getAbstract International Book Award, and is currently in development for television.

Amanda’s essays and reporting have appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, and elsewhere. She was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and holds a degree in linguistics from NYU.

Guest Appearances

April 8, 2024

209 — The Age of Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell

Join Jameela and author, linguist & podcast host Amanda Montell (Sounds Like a Cult) for a conversation about the inner workings of our human brains; our anxieties, information overload and how we cannot manifest our way out of poverty, illness or the apocalypse.

Listen

March 20, 2023

182 — The Devious Anna Delvey Mentee w/ Amanda Montell & Isa Medina

What’s poppin’ con-gregation? This week, Amanda Montell & Isa Medina, host of the podcast Sounds Like a Cult, join Laci to discuss Danielle Miller, a former New York socialite turned influencer-scammer, who got mentored by Anna Delvey during her time at Rikers.

Listen

January 12, 2023

145 — Cults with Amanda Montell

Author and podcaster Amanda Montell joins Jameela this week discuss all things cults. They cover what makes a cult vs. what makes something cult-ish, what to be on the look out for when assessing if something is a cult (or cult-ish), the dangers of large cults or the cult of one, the cultish qualities of the diet and wellness industries, and more.

Listen