Behind the Bastards: Part One – Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada

Podcast: Behind the Bastards (Cool Zone Media/iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Robert Evans, with Sophie and guest Jason "Prop" Petty
Date: February 3, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep dive into the life, claims, and bizarre rise of Romana Didulo—a Filipino-born Canadian conspiracy theorist and self-declared "Queen of Canada"—exploring her influences, supposed biography, the cultic atmosphere that enabled her ascent, and the sheer weirdness (and persistence) that brought her renown among right-wing online communities.

Episode Overview

This episode, the first in a two-part series, investigates Romana Didulo: her origins, her transformation from failed entrepreneur to conspiracy cult figure, and the broader context of North American cultic movements that paved the way for figures like her. Host Robert Evans, joined by Sophie and recurring guest Prop, brings characteristic irreverence, skepticism, and humor to an increasingly surreal tale of online radicalization and the hunger for weird, empowering alternative realities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the "Queen of Canada" (03:13 – 05:58)

The hosts introduce Romana Didulo as a recent, uniquely Canadian "bastard"—notably, a woman in a series often focused on men.
Didulo is painted as less of a high-body-count villain, but a fascinating example of modern grifting and cult leadership—a "QAnon influencer" who declared herself Queen of Canada in 2021 and currently leads a small but fervent group of followers, often from an RV caravan.
Robert: "She might be an alien, she might be psychic, but she's definitely a cult leader. Thankfully, she's not a good one, which we don't talk about enough." (04:01)
Prop: "If all you can do is really completely destroy the mental freedom and sovereignty of like 10 people...that's enough...You're valid as a cult leader. And that's what we're telling Romana." (05:43)

2. Cults, Competence, and the Canadian Context (05:58 – 09:01)

The panel jokes about the relative difficulty of cult grifting in Canada ("They got stuff like healthcare...kind of like Justin Bieber, they really don't got nothing to complain about").
The broader message: Not every cult leader is a Jim Jones or L. Ron Hubbard, and sometimes ambition is limited to "just" dominating a handful of minds.

3. American Cults as Predecessors: The 'I Am Activity' (10:07 – 22:29)

Before detailing Didulo’s rise, Robert explores the "I Am Activity," a lesser-known American cult from the 1930s, rooted in Christian faith and self-help, started by Guy Ballard in Mount Shasta, California.
The "I Am Activity" blends American nationalism, occultism, invocations, and "ascended master" lore—it is a prominent source for the blend of mysticism and patriotism found in later cults and self-help grifts.
Robert: "The I Am Activity’s teachings...also incorporated elements of American patriotism and nationalism, claiming the United States had a unique role in the world's spiritual destiny." (17:44)
The cult’s biggest legacy is not success but a Supreme Court case (U.S. v. Ballard), questioning if religious fraud exists when leaders don’t truly believe—but the court dodged ruling on belief itself.
Prop: "There's so many like... seasonings of Pentecostal Christian in that...I already see where that...became Christian, you know what I'm saying?" (18:25)

4. Biography: Romana Didulo before Cultism (22:53 – 29:01)

Born in the Philippines (~1970s), Romana’s early years are shrouded in myth and self-made legend e.g., her grandmother "blocking the Chinese from invading" the Philippines in WWII—a historical impossibility, but illustrative of her later storytelling style.
Moves to Vancouver at age 15, with her parents dying young. Raised by her grandmother, she claims to speak five languages but offers little verifiable autobiography.
By adulthood, she’s a Canadian citizen and entrepreneur—running companies (including "Global Solutions Canada," described as a sort of budget HR/Salesforce operation; later, shell real estate corporations in multiple locales).
Robert: "Success in the business world seems to have eluded her. Right. She's not successful. She's not making money." (36:55)
Observers state she lived modestly, even "in squalor... maybe having been something of a hoarder." She was not wealthy or well connected, and possibly isolated or mentally unwell.

5. Pandemic Opportunity & Online Radicalization (41:19 – 50:08)

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic enables Didulo’s transition to cult influencer, thanks to widespread lockdowns, rising online conspiracy culture, and a surge of anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine, and New Age conspiracy content.
She launches the Canada First Party of Canada—an anti-liberal, anti-U.N. political movement, which quickly finds an audience online (17,000 Telegram followers by August 2020), but little real-world impact.
Her initial campaign ad is played: "Hello Canada. I’m Romana Didulo. I’m the founder and the leader of Canada First. It’s time for us to clean up the swamp in Ottawa..." (50:23)
Robert on her charisma: "She's not very charismatic. She's not a great speaker... She's a minimally competent cult leader." (51:18)
Yet, her persistence (and ability to pass the baseline of online competence) keeps her visible in right-wing digital ecosystems.

6. The Leap: Declaring Herself ‘Queen of Canada’ (53:33 – 58:36)

After the failure of her political party, Didulo "pivots immediately" to the ultimate grift: announcing herself, in May 2021, as Canada’s legitimate queen and "Commander in Chief."
Her videos (many filmed in an RV) begin to ape QAnon rhetoric: deep state, global pedophile cabals, "white hats" opposing the evil elite.
Robert: "She pivots immediately from the failure of this political party to announcing herself as the Queen of Canada. Love it. And from the outside, that seems like a desperation move, right? That probably shouldn't work... but it's going to work." (51:58)

7. QAnon Community Validation & Exploding Popularity (58:36 – 65:21)

Didulo’s luck changes when a major QAnon Telegram figure, "Whiplash347," with 300,000 followers, decides to "confirm" her as Queen in early 2021—partly filling a QAnon leadership vacuum after Trump lost office and “Q” went silent.
Her Telegram following balloons: from 20,000 up to roughly 80,000 as the myth grows, with dozens (eventually) following her in real life.
Robert: "When you’ve got like 80,000 people following your telegram, you can pull out a couple of dozen folks who are gonna be willing to change their lives to follow you in the real world." (66:06)

8. The Mythos: Appointment by American Royalty, Psychic War Against China (66:49 – 77:57)

To bolster her royal credentials, Didulo claims she was anointed by "His Highness David J. Carlson, King of America" (an Arizona man who really believes this about himself). She claims to have earned the role in 2017, but none of her activity supports this timeline.
Her supposed qualification: She single-handedly psychically fought off a Chinese communist military invasion, routed through massive underground tunnels, thereby preventing World War III.
- "She contends that her subterranean military achievements thus prevented World War iii. For that, she was awarded her title as queen. The entire world, she explains, should be thankful for her monumental efforts." (73:38, summary of cult lore)
The story is so manifestly absurd—rife with references to QAnon, New Age, and UFO lore—that it’s played for laughs, but Robert emphasizes that these narratives appeal to people specifically because reality is so banally bleak and these myths are more empowering and exciting than reality.

9. Reflection on Con Artists, Grifters, and Cult Leader Psychology

Lengthy discussion on what differentiates a lasting con artist/cult leader: the degree of detachment from their own narrative, awareness of the grift, and the critical timing and persistence required to break through.
Prop: "I feel like the people that are able to stay in the hustle are the ones that don't get addicted to the attention. Like, the attention, that's going to be the downfall." (48:03)
Robert: "But for a very long time, [L. Ron Hubbard] was able to keep enough of an understanding of reality, enough of a distance to stay ahead of the authorities." (49:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On cult leader success:
"If all you can do is really completely destroy the mental freedom and sovereignty of like 10 people... that's enough... You're valid as a cult leader." — Prop (05:43)
On Didulo’s minimal charisma:
"She's not good at that. She has no stage presence. It's one of the least energetic examples of VO I've heard in the right-wing populist politics game. And this is kind of the big mystery about her... She doesn't have any money, she doesn't have any power, and she's boring as hell. Why is anyone talking about the Queen of Canada?" — Robert (51:45–51:57)
On absurd Canadian conspiracy lore:
"She single handedly removed the Chinese Communist military from Canada and additionally the remainder of the world." — Robert, paraphrasing Didulo dogma (73:38)
On cult leader psychology:
"You have to have enough of an understanding of reality, enough of a distance to stay ahead of the authorities." — Robert (49:07)
On psychic warfare logistics:
"See, we learn it here, we learn it by omission. That means that your psychic fighting abilities has a range... It's more like radio rather than satellite." — Prop (76:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

Introduction & framing (bad guys are interesting, Didulo as a topic): 00:05–03:13
The Queen of Canada explained: 03:13–05:58
Cult leader "competence" and Canadian context: 05:58–10:07
I Am Activity cult legacy: 10:07–22:29
Didulo's early life and business failures: 22:53–29:01
Her pre-cult fortunes and pandemic opportunity: 29:01–41:19
First real world grift: The Canada First Party of Canada: 41:19–50:08
Declaration as Queen & QAnon rhetoric: 53:33–58:36
The QAnon endorsement & follower growth: 58:36–65:21
Constructing royal myth (psychic China war, bizarre royal affiliations): 66:49–77:57

Tone and Style

The hosts' tone is wry, irreverent, and incredulous, frequently breaking into laughter at the absurdity of Didulo’s claims or the cosmic irony of her (minor) success despite her lack of budget, charisma, or logic. Prop’s input frequently underscores the ridiculousness and signals (for both the show and audience) that you don’t need to take Didulo’s claims seriously—though the phenomenon itself has dark, real-world implications.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode offers not just the story of Romana Didulo, but a meditation on how conspiracy-mongers, hustlers, and fringe cultists persist—why people want to believe in psychic wars, secret royalty, and grand missions, and how sometimes, persistence and luck (more than actual skill or malevolence) can birth bizarre moments of online fame.

Upcoming in part two, Robert promises a deeper dive into Didulo’s specific grifts (especially her methods for extracting money from followers), the tangible fallout of her cult, and her impact on both her immediate circle and the broader disinformation ecosystem.

Next Episode Preview:
"Where's the bag at? What's the grift?"—Prop
Tune in to part two for the mechanics of Romana Didulo’s queenly con and the toll it takes on her subjects’ lives.

Behind the Bastards: Part One – Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the "Queen of Canada" (03:13 – 05:58)

The hosts introduce Romana Didulo as a recent, uniquely Canadian "bastard"—notably, a woman in a series often focused on men.
Didulo is painted as less of a high-body-count villain, but a fascinating example of modern grifting and cult leadership—a "QAnon influencer" who declared herself Queen of Canada in 2021 and currently leads a small but fervent group of followers, often from an RV caravan.
Robert: "She might be an alien, she might be psychic, but she's definitely a cult leader. Thankfully, she's not a good one, which we don't talk about enough." (04:01)
Prop: "If all you can do is really completely destroy the mental freedom and sovereignty of like 10 people...that's enough...You're valid as a cult leader. And that's what we're telling Romana." (05:43)

2. Cults, Competence, and the Canadian Context (05:58 – 09:01)

The panel jokes about the relative difficulty of cult grifting in Canada ("They got stuff like healthcare...kind of like Justin Bieber, they really don't got nothing to complain about").
The broader message: Not every cult leader is a Jim Jones or L. Ron Hubbard, and sometimes ambition is limited to "just" dominating a handful of minds.

3. American Cults as Predecessors: The 'I Am Activity' (10:07 – 22:29)

Before detailing Didulo’s rise, Robert explores the "I Am Activity," a lesser-known American cult from the 1930s, rooted in Christian faith and self-help, started by Guy Ballard in Mount Shasta, California.
The "I Am Activity" blends American nationalism, occultism, invocations, and "ascended master" lore—it is a prominent source for the blend of mysticism and patriotism found in later cults and self-help grifts.
Robert: "The I Am Activity’s teachings...also incorporated elements of American patriotism and nationalism, claiming the United States had a unique role in the world's spiritual destiny." (17:44)
The cult’s biggest legacy is not success but a Supreme Court case (U.S. v. Ballard), questioning if religious fraud exists when leaders don’t truly believe—but the court dodged ruling on belief itself.
Prop: "There's so many like... seasonings of Pentecostal Christian in that...I already see where that...became Christian, you know what I'm saying?" (18:25)

4. Biography: Romana Didulo before Cultism (22:53 – 29:01)

Born in the Philippines (~1970s), Romana’s early years are shrouded in myth and self-made legend e.g., her grandmother "blocking the Chinese from invading" the Philippines in WWII—a historical impossibility, but illustrative of her later storytelling style.
Moves to Vancouver at age 15, with her parents dying young. Raised by her grandmother, she claims to speak five languages but offers little verifiable autobiography.
By adulthood, she’s a Canadian citizen and entrepreneur—running companies (including "Global Solutions Canada," described as a sort of budget HR/Salesforce operation; later, shell real estate corporations in multiple locales).
Robert: "Success in the business world seems to have eluded her. Right. She's not successful. She's not making money." (36:55)
Observers state she lived modestly, even "in squalor... maybe having been something of a hoarder." She was not wealthy or well connected, and possibly isolated or mentally unwell.

5. Pandemic Opportunity & Online Radicalization (41:19 – 50:08)

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic enables Didulo’s transition to cult influencer, thanks to widespread lockdowns, rising online conspiracy culture, and a surge of anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine, and New Age conspiracy content.
She launches the Canada First Party of Canada—an anti-liberal, anti-U.N. political movement, which quickly finds an audience online (17,000 Telegram followers by August 2020), but little real-world impact.
Her initial campaign ad is played: "Hello Canada. I’m Romana Didulo. I’m the founder and the leader of Canada First. It’s time for us to clean up the swamp in Ottawa..." (50:23)
Robert on her charisma: "She's not very charismatic. She's not a great speaker... She's a minimally competent cult leader." (51:18)
Yet, her persistence (and ability to pass the baseline of online competence) keeps her visible in right-wing digital ecosystems.

6. The Leap: Declaring Herself ‘Queen of Canada’ (53:33 – 58:36)

After the failure of her political party, Didulo "pivots immediately" to the ultimate grift: announcing herself, in May 2021, as Canada’s legitimate queen and "Commander in Chief."
Her videos (many filmed in an RV) begin to ape QAnon rhetoric: deep state, global pedophile cabals, "white hats" opposing the evil elite.
Robert: "She pivots immediately from the failure of this political party to announcing herself as the Queen of Canada. Love it. And from the outside, that seems like a desperation move, right? That probably shouldn't work... but it's going to work." (51:58)

7. QAnon Community Validation & Exploding Popularity (58:36 – 65:21)

Didulo’s luck changes when a major QAnon Telegram figure, "Whiplash347," with 300,000 followers, decides to "confirm" her as Queen in early 2021—partly filling a QAnon leadership vacuum after Trump lost office and “Q” went silent.
Her Telegram following balloons: from 20,000 up to roughly 80,000 as the myth grows, with dozens (eventually) following her in real life.
Robert: "When you’ve got like 80,000 people following your telegram, you can pull out a couple of dozen folks who are gonna be willing to change their lives to follow you in the real world." (66:06)

8. The Mythos: Appointment by American Royalty, Psychic War Against China (66:49 – 77:57)

To bolster her royal credentials, Didulo claims she was anointed by "His Highness David J. Carlson, King of America" (an Arizona man who really believes this about himself). She claims to have earned the role in 2017, but none of her activity supports this timeline.
Her supposed qualification: She single-handedly psychically fought off a Chinese communist military invasion, routed through massive underground tunnels, thereby preventing World War III.
- "She contends that her subterranean military achievements thus prevented World War iii. For that, she was awarded her title as queen. The entire world, she explains, should be thankful for her monumental efforts." (73:38, summary of cult lore)
The story is so manifestly absurd—rife with references to QAnon, New Age, and UFO lore—that it’s played for laughs, but Robert emphasizes that these narratives appeal to people specifically because reality is so banally bleak and these myths are more empowering and exciting than reality.

9. Reflection on Con Artists, Grifters, and Cult Leader Psychology

Lengthy discussion on what differentiates a lasting con artist/cult leader: the degree of detachment from their own narrative, awareness of the grift, and the critical timing and persistence required to break through.
Prop: "I feel like the people that are able to stay in the hustle are the ones that don't get addicted to the attention. Like, the attention, that's going to be the downfall." (48:03)
Robert: "But for a very long time, [L. Ron Hubbard] was able to keep enough of an understanding of reality, enough of a distance to stay ahead of the authorities." (49:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On cult leader success:
"If all you can do is really completely destroy the mental freedom and sovereignty of like 10 people... that's enough... You're valid as a cult leader." — Prop (05:43)
On Didulo’s minimal charisma:
"She's not good at that. She has no stage presence. It's one of the least energetic examples of VO I've heard in the right-wing populist politics game. And this is kind of the big mystery about her... She doesn't have any money, she doesn't have any power, and she's boring as hell. Why is anyone talking about the Queen of Canada?" — Robert (51:45–51:57)
On absurd Canadian conspiracy lore:
"She single handedly removed the Chinese Communist military from Canada and additionally the remainder of the world." — Robert, paraphrasing Didulo dogma (73:38)
On cult leader psychology:
"You have to have enough of an understanding of reality, enough of a distance to stay ahead of the authorities." — Robert (49:07)
On psychic warfare logistics:
"See, we learn it here, we learn it by omission. That means that your psychic fighting abilities has a range... It's more like radio rather than satellite." — Prop (76:21)

Timestamps for Key Segments

Introduction & framing (bad guys are interesting, Didulo as a topic): 00:05–03:13
The Queen of Canada explained: 03:13–05:58
Cult leader "competence" and Canadian context: 05:58–10:07
I Am Activity cult legacy: 10:07–22:29
Didulo's early life and business failures: 22:53–29:01
Her pre-cult fortunes and pandemic opportunity: 29:01–41:19
First real world grift: The Canada First Party of Canada: 41:19–50:08
Declaration as Queen & QAnon rhetoric: 53:33–58:36
The QAnon endorsement & follower growth: 58:36–65:21
Constructing royal myth (psychic China war, bizarre royal affiliations): 66:49–77:57

Tone and Style

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

Next Episode Preview:
"Where's the bag at? What's the grift?"—Prop
Tune in to part two for the mechanics of Romana Didulo’s queenly con and the toll it takes on her subjects’ lives.

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Part One: Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada

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Summary

Behind the Bastards: Part One – Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the "Queen of Canada" (03:13 – 05:58)

2. Cults, Competence, and the Canadian Context (05:58 – 09:01)

3. American Cults as Predecessors: The 'I Am Activity' (10:07 – 22:29)

4. Biography: Romana Didulo before Cultism (22:53 – 29:01)

5. Pandemic Opportunity & Online Radicalization (41:19 – 50:08)

6. The Leap: Declaring Herself ‘Queen of Canada’ (53:33 – 58:36)

7. QAnon Community Validation & Exploding Popularity (58:36 – 65:21)

8. The Mythos: Appointment by American Royalty, Psychic War Against China (66:49 – 77:57)

9. Reflection on Con Artists, Grifters, and Cult Leader Psychology

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Tone and Style

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

Summary

Behind the Bastards: Part One – Romana Didulo: Queen of Canada

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the "Queen of Canada" (03:13 – 05:58)

2. Cults, Competence, and the Canadian Context (05:58 – 09:01)

3. American Cults as Predecessors: The 'I Am Activity' (10:07 – 22:29)

4. Biography: Romana Didulo before Cultism (22:53 – 29:01)

5. Pandemic Opportunity & Online Radicalization (41:19 – 50:08)

6. The Leap: Declaring Herself ‘Queen of Canada’ (53:33 – 58:36)

7. QAnon Community Validation & Exploding Popularity (58:36 – 65:21)

8. The Mythos: Appointment by American Royalty, Psychic War Against China (66:49 – 77:57)

9. Reflection on Con Artists, Grifters, and Cult Leader Psychology

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Tone and Style

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode