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Tim Miller
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Will Sommer
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Tim Miller
Your future self will thank you later.
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Tim Miller
Hey everybody, it's Tim Miller from the Bulwark and I'm here with the jingling potatoes. My friends, a trio of us from the Bulwark, it's managing editor Sam Stein, Will Sommer, who is known for his like prominent hand fingers and. Not you just. I'm just talking about how like if you give him a high five, you're like, whoa, that guy is. Has a powerful high five. I'll take it.
Will Sommer
I kind of like this, this.
Tim Miller
So anyway, fellas, Will Summer has a newsletter called False Flag and he posted one last night. Sam Stein edited it, I read it and I just, I don't know why I'm here. Kind of, I don't know, just to listen. It's truly something.
Sam Stein
What did you think of.
Tim Miller
Was head spin. It just took some twists and turns. I didn't expect his head spinning. And I first thought it was going to be a profile of this, this maybe Russian operative that interviewed Tucker Carlson. And then, then we end up on a journey where Will Summer is in a suburban.
Sam Stein
Shopping mall.
Tim Miller
Shopping mall. A strip mall. A suburban strip where he is like being handed bath salts and having some like vitamin D lights shown on him. So anyway, I was like, I didn't, I didn't think that's where we were going. So I want you guys to explain to me what this is, why we should care. And I guess we should start with you, Will.
Will Sommer
Sure. Yeah. So, so this one is like I said, I mean, it's kind of experimental story. This is. You'll want, you'll want a trip guide to sit with you as you consume this content. So basically a few weeks ago, this woman named Elizabeth Lane came on the right wing scenes. She's from the Republic of Georgia. No one had ever heard of her and she said, hey, guys, I'm Elizabeth Laid. Here's my interview with Tucker Carlson. And all these people on the right said, who the heck.
Tim Miller
Where.
Will Sommer
Where did this woman come from?
Sam Stein
What?
Will Sommer
And as Tim said, she's very pro Putin. So, you know, it was a weird situation. So I looked into it, and she works for a website called Unified tv. That's Unified with a Y. And I started looking into this, and I said, gosh, you know, they got Tucker, they got Jocko Willink, the former Navy SEAL who's kind of one of these Rogan, like, get tough guys. James o' Keefe is listed as one of distributors. What's going on here? And what's going on here?
Tim Miller
And are they doing big numbers over there at Unified tv? Are they doing numbers?
Will Sommer
Right, they're doing. No, they're. They're not quite at Bulwark Numbers, though. Maybe we could learn from their. Their revenue streams. But they're. They're. They're at. In Elizabeth Lane's case, I mean, she was. Her videos are getting, like, 500 views with Jocko Willink, stuff like this. And it was a very weird situation. And so I decided to dig into it.
Sam Stein
All right, I'll pick up here, I suppose, because as I'm editing this, I'm like, where the is this going? This is so weird. I don't understand it. And then we get to, like, this idea of, like, actually who is funding this company, Unified tv. And what's this guy's name? How do you pronounce it?
Will Sommer
Jason Shurka.
Sam Stein
Shirka.
Will Sommer
Yes.
Sam Stein
Jason Shurka. Had you ever. Tim, had you ever heard of Jason Shurka?
Tim Miller
I had not.
Sam Stein
Okay, yeah, no, me neither. So explain who this dude is.
Will Sommer
So he's. He's this guy. He's kind of like a youngish kind of guy. He's New Agey. He's. He has sort of risen to prominence on the right and in sort of, I guess, kind of like what you would call kind of like Maha sphere, sort of the fringe.
Sam Stein
This is like this. This is fringy Maha. Like, let's be real.
Will Sommer
Exactly. Although RFK Jr. Is also mixed up in this. So what is it.
Sam Stein
What is he preaching, basically?
Will Sommer
So basically, his claim to fame is that he claims he's in contact with a benevolent cabal known as the Light System. And he has a video where he's like, the Light System. I'm not an initiated member. You know, I'm not made man in the Light System, but I'm sort of a fellow traveler. And their whole goal is to ascend humanity. By the way, folks, this is. I didn't find just one random cook here. There's tens of millions of dollars at stake here. So the. Basically, he says, I am in touch with the light system, and they all want us all to become Vegans. They want us all to be nicer to each other so that we can eventually reach interstellar travel in the light system. It's some aliens, some immortal being.
Sam Stein
Sorry, I'm sorry.
Tim Miller
I had a. I have a question. I have something that I missed from the story. The light system. I thought it was like, literally a system of light.
Will Sommer
It is, but his initial thing is there's a version.
Tim Miller
So there's a cabal of, like, there's an elders. There are elders of.
Sam Stein
Yeah, but do we know who the elders are? Do we have. Do we have any idea who's in this cabal?
Will Sommer
There's one that will appear on his YouTube show sometimes named Ray. And Ray kind of covers up his identity. And he goes. He goes, hey. And so he's all stressed, shrouded. He's wearing a hoodie and gloves. And he sort of conveniently is always taking Jason Shirk aside to be sort of like, if we interviewed someone for the Bulwark and they said, you know, Sam was right about that idea.
Sam Stein
Well, you do that. Anyways, so this light system cabal has Jason Schurka as its spokesperson. And how do they, like. I mean, how. What do they do other than preach?
Will Sommer
So parallel to this, there's this woman named Dr. Sandra Rose Michael. And I will say the doctor title, it's a little loose here. She's not an md, let's say. There's been a lot of accusations about where that's coming from.
Tim Miller
More credits are fewer than Dr. Jill Biden, would you say?
Will Sommer
I would say Dr. Jill Biden is like more of a level smore doctor. And so basically parallel to this for about 20 years is this woman named Sandra Rose Michael, who's also very New Agey. She says, I believe she's claimed that aliens gave her the idea for this medical device that she calls the EE system. And in practice. And we can show some footage here. It's like a screen. It's a screensaver, basically, that shows.
Tim Miller
Sure.
Will Sommer
It looks like English sort of. It's. It. It shows different colors, sort of languages.
Tim Miller
How can it look like English sort of.
Will Sommer
It's sort of random letters. And I think she has.
Sam Stein
You just don't get it, Tim. You don't get it. You're not on the.
Will Sommer
And so for for decades, she's been claiming, you know, I've got this screen that will heal people. And then she teams up with Jason Schurka because his sister's dog is healed by it. And he claims the light system cabal said, you got to get on board with this lady. But I think what may have happened here is he sees these screens that aren't, like, really making a ton of money, and he goes, cha ching, cha ching, cha ching.
Sam Stein
And, yeah, at this point, I think we need to. Just because some. It's important because I. As I was editing this, I. I was. I admit, was like, what the is going on? I don't. I can't follow. So maybe it's important to recap and then we can move on.
Tim Miller
Yeah.
Sam Stein
Jason Shirka, who claims to be a spokesperson for the light system, a cabal of new ag spiritualists who want to make everyone vegan and send them to heaven, finds a potential cash cow in this company called EE Systems, which is selling recliners where you can basically sit back and watch a TV screen. And that supposedly is going to heal you.
Tim Miller
So the light system Cabal purchases a literal light system.
Sam Stein
Correct.
Tim Miller
And they merge.
Sam Stein
At this point, I just want to be clear. Shurka is not involved with Unified TV yet. He's just part of this cabal, and he's doing this recliner thing. But then they get into business together, and they make a lot of money, right?
Will Sommer
Yeah. So they make, you know, they're. According to this comes out later in court records, but they're clearing 30, 40 million a year during the pandemic and a little after that because, you know.
Sam Stein
Because people want to buy these healing systems. So you can buy these chairs and they come. Or I guess you can go to a location.
Will Sommer
You can. You can either go to center where you're paying about 100 bucks per hour to sit in the recliner, get zapped or what have you.
Sam Stein
Or people are actually paying this money, I guess, right?
Will Sommer
Oh, yeah. I mean, you know, people are. I mean, this is a real thing. I mean, they claim to have 800 around the world. I mean, I. I think verifiably it's.
Tim Miller
Not a real thing, but it's a real thing that people go.
Will Sommer
It's a real thing.
Sam Stein
800 what? 800 stores.
Will Sommer
800 centers.
Tim Miller
Wow.
Will Sommer
Or you can buy one for your house, and it's probably. I mean, they vary. One is like a pyramid. You know, maybe they could sit on a. On a table, and that's going to run you, I don't know, $10,000.
Tim Miller
What the. And so they're. They're clearing 30, 40 million a year.
Sam Stein
It's a lot of money.
Tim Miller
Okay, all right, now what then? Okay, so now what are they doing with all that revenue?
Will Sommer
So.
Dutch Vet Service Announcer
So.
Will Sommer
So then Jason. Jason, who's doing the. The. Who's sort of making a lot of money from. In various aspects of this. He says, you know what? I'm ready to cash out. Why don't you guys buy my company, the company that makes the machines? Why don't you buy it from me for, let's say, $30 million? And they say, oh, yikes, I don't know. And then they start. The company that makes the machine starts getting letters from the light system cabal saying, you better pay Jason this money or else. And they say, oh, my gosh. The Cabal is here and they're freaking out. They're saying, oh, my gosh, we. Okay, okay, okay. Would 10 million do? And they start kind of negotiating here. But ultimately, in January 2025, the negotiations break down. Jason says, you know what? Whatever. I'm going to sell my own machines. Basically identical. And these are called the Light System. So there's this big rivalry now in the light system EE System community. And the other thing I would say is the people who.
Sam Stein
My brain is breaking.
Tim Miller
Oh, my God. There's enough demand for this to create multiple competitors. Coke and Pepsi. This is Coke and Pepsi.
Will Sommer
Yeah. And I mean, it's getting ugly. And so Jason records a video with the Light System with Ray saying, you know, Sandra Rose, Michael, the money went to her head. The Cabal disowns her and all this stuff. And so basically, how does this. How do we bring this back to Tucker Carlson?
Sam Stein
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Will Sommer
That's exactly right. That's where all of this stuff is spilling out.
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Sam Stein
Okay, wow.
Tim Miller
Okay, how do we get back to Tucker? Okay, so now we have the Coke and Pepsi of the kind of woo woo light system. Sit in a chair and your dog will no longer have rabies or whatever, you know, fleas. Okay, so put your dog in the chair. No more fleas for the dog. We're excited this company becomes so popular that they're now there's a spin off and somehow Tucker Carlson is what, promoting?
Will Sommer
Sure. So Jason Shirka is very into influencer promoting and so he's built out this kind of right wing media outlet called Unified TV and Like I said, it's roping in people like Tucker. And I will say, to Tucker's credit, he's not sitting in front of a light system and saying, this is incredible. But there seems to be this effort to kind of, like, build.
Tim Miller
It's only to his credit because RFK Jr. Was.
Will Sommer
Yeah.
Sam Stein
James O'. Keefe.
Will Sommer
Yes. James O' Keefe had this incredible moment last year where he goes, you know, I'm James o'. Keefe. You know, I love my undercover stings. I'm going to wear a hidden camera in and blow the lid off this E System scam. And he goes in and he goes, whoa, I'm energized. And he comes out and he says, I'm so much anxious, I have to go back as a real customer this time.
Sam Stein
What did RFK Jr do when he appeared?
Will Sommer
RFK Jr seemed more baffled by it than anything. I mean, he sort of sat next to it, and at one point he goes, oh, yeah, you know, I noticed you set this up here in my house. And I say, and we're going to give it to you as a gift.
Sam Stein
And did he take the gift as far as we know?
Will Sommer
I mean, he sort of goes, okay, you know, great.
Sam Stein
All right.
Tim Miller
So, Jason, Secretary of Health and Human Services at this point.
Sam Stein
So was it at this point or was it prior to this point?
Tim Miller
No, no, no. I just mean, like, now. Like, right now he's a Secretary of the Human Services. So, like, even if you just kind of sat in a video with it in your house, in your room, and I think you're pretty, like, pretty complicit here, suspect.
Sam Stein
So, okay, so Shirk has got this whole kind of group called Unified that is, like, where all his interests are, you know, put together, including light systems, chairs and things like that. And Unified is also running this. Unified World is also running Unified tv, which hosts Elizabeth Lane, among other people. And then Elizabeth Lane randomly gets Tucker Carlson booked, even though she has, like, 1,000 Twitter followers at the time. Is the implication that Tucker's getting some kickback from the recliner Chair Healing enterprise or no?
Will Sommer
You know, I don't have proof of that. I mean, there is stuff in the court documents about how Jason Schurka was given all this money to spend on getting in interviews with influencers a few years ago. And so there seems to be a lot of money flowing around, you know, bringing. I mean, they're getting some big names like. Like I said, Jocko Willink, James o'. Keefe. I mean, to the extent we don't know If Tucker was paid. But I think if you pull back.
Tim Miller
Clearly James o' Keefe was paid. Like, that was.
Will Sommer
Oh, definitely, definitely.
Sam Stein
Yeah.
Tim Miller
And Tucker's case, like this woman is. I can, as a gay man, I can just be the one to say this. The woman's hot and she's pro Russia. So it's possible that, like, I guess I'm just saying, like, there's another rationale for Tucker doing this interview besides taking some cash from the.
Sam Stein
How cynical.
Tim Miller
You like saber chair people. But like, I guess it could be both or either. But it feels like Russia hotness or taking money from the lightsaber chairs. Could be both theories here, I think.
Sam Stein
All right, let's get to the good part. So you come to me with this story idea. This is crazy. But now it gets really funny. You come to me with a story and you're like, oh, there's also a EE systems center in Arlington, Virginia. Vienna, Virginia. Sorry.
Tim Miller
A little further out on the, on the orange line.
Sam Stein
Sorry. Well, we send you there and we sprung big time cash for it. 60 bucks. Tell us about what it's like.
Will Sommer
So I drove out there. It's a, you know, it's kind of a strip mall. They also had a cryotherapy office there. So I go in and it's.
Sam Stein
What's the sign say out front?
Will Sommer
You know, all of these are very vague. It's like, you know, the vitality center, the energy and mind. And so I went in and they, they were so excited to see me and they said, what was next door?
Tim Miller
I'm sorry, I just need to paint a bigger picture. Is it like a Domino's that's next?
Will Sommer
Do car wash. There was a car.
Sam Stein
Kill yourself. Wash your car, Place your bundle services.
Will Sommer
So I went in and they. And. And they give you a gift bag. So it's earplugs in case the other people in the room with you are snoring. It's an eye mask and bath salts. And the important part about the bath salts is because they think there's all energy waves so that you're going to get, you know, blasted with the energy waves. And then they tell you take a bath soon, within 24 hours, and you're going to have this energy, energetic bath salts that's going to be charged up for you. And they said also, by the way, you better drink a ton of water because it gets pretty crazy in there. And so, and I will say they made me sign this thing that was like, you know, I won't touch the EE system or I'll get charged 1500 bucks. I under. It was kind of like a membership association. I kind of felt like I was joining a church. But then also they said, you know, we have to do this because we don't assert that it'll heal you. But then she said, but to be clear, it definitely will heal you.
Sam Stein
Oh, my God. I think my favorite part of the piece was the art that you sent in, because you got to understand the image of this is like you're on just a reclining chair. And as far as I can tell, tell me if I'm wrong. In the corner of the room, it looks like they just stacked six kind of relatively old TVs and there's like wires coming out from everywhere all over the place. The TVs each have different colors and weir.
Will Sommer
In one of the related to this, someone says, like, yeah, they're just TVs we got from Costco. Like they. They claim there's some other aspect, but they said, yeah, we just buy the monitors at Costco.
Sam Stein
It looks like it. And the ceiling looks just like this. Honestly, that's what the ceiling looks like.
Tim Miller
You're just in like an office. Like, they don't like put you in like an enclosed space. Have you ever done the gravity thing where you lay in the gravity, you know, you lay in the water and the gravity in the zero gravity containers. Have you done one of those? I was kind of expecting that, like you'd be at least in a container of some kind. Like you're just sitting in a room with six TVs on. Like you could be at a sports.
Sam Stein
There's nothing sophisticated about it. It's just there's wires over radiators with like weird drawn curtains and industrial office decor. It's like, I mean, I could set up a situation right here and charge people and say, oh, I'm going to heal you. It would be the same thing.
Will Sommer
It was. It was crazy. And there's no, you know, being so like electronic and wave based. I thought they'd be like no phones or anything, but everyone's just kind of in there watching Netflix or like flick on their phones or whatever.
Tim Miller
You have your phones up. So there are other. There were other people in the room with you?
Sam Stein
Yeah, so.
Will Sommer
And that's the other thing is because I know people after the stories come out, people have said no one you. This is. We'll found one random crackpot, but just. I went in the middle of the day on a Friday and there were three.
Sam Stein
It was in the middle day.
Will Sommer
It was 10am it was 10am yeah. There were three other people just chilling in there with me and they were there when I left. So I was there for two hours. So, I mean, I don't know how much they had booked. Probably would have cost like a couple hundred bucks.
Tim Miller
You sat in that room for two hours?
Sam Stein
He fell asleep.
Will Sommer
Yeah, well, you can nap. You know, I mean, it was great to me. I mean, I don't get a ton of sleep. So, you know, I thought, you know, this Bulwark job is pretty sweet. You know, I get to go take a nap in the middle of the day. I mean, it was great. And, you know, look, I would be scared.
Tim Miller
Of what? The other people in the room. What if they're creepy? What if they started touching you?
Will Sommer
They were. They were sort of older people. I wasn't too concerned.
Tim Miller
Old people can be creepy.
Will Sommer
But I mean, it did look. I mean, it did bum me out in a way. I mean, this thing is so weird, but it is also, you know, people seemed really, like, prepared for it. They came in with their blankets, you know, posted up for a while. And, you know, when I left, they said, well, did you feel anything? And I said, well, you know, I didn't feel, you know, like a. Like a big moment, but. And they said, did you feel energized? And I mean, yeah, but I mean, I had just taken a nap and relaxed in a dark room for a couple hours. So, yeah, I mean, I felt a little better than I did.
Tim Miller
Did you do the bath with the bath salts?
Will Sommer
You know, I haven't taken the bath salts. I'm saving that for a real moment when I need it.
Sam Stein
What would just. I know you said there's like quasi English on these TVs, but, like, what. What actually is going. Describe, if you can, what. What's being projected on them?
Will Sommer
I mean, it's. It's just sort of gobbledygook. I mean, it almost looks like sort of static or, or. You know what? We know from the lawsuits, that it's. It's. It's basically programmed language. The one thing I would add that didn't make it.
Sam Stein
And is that supposed to give you healing powers or.
Will Sommer
Well, the machines have different buttons and so like, for example, what do you.
Sam Stein
Mean the machines, the chairs, so the.
Will Sommer
Screens, according to the user's manual. And there's certain things that, that will say, like, you know, like sexual healing or you know, like, like, like, like, like energy. And you press these different buttons and the, the colors are supposed to offer you. In this case, you Know, sexual energy or, or a, you know, more, you.
Sam Stein
Know, to heal, you know, what colors Tim would press.
Tim Miller
Did you, did you feel, did you feel any additional sexual energy? Did you feel any additional sexual energy?
Will Sommer
Well, I don't know what setting mind was on. I, I, you know, I, I, I, I, maybe it was like my mitochondria was getting regenerated. I mean, they talk a lot.
Sam Stein
That's far.
Tim Miller
Yeah, there's a lot of mitochondrial concerns out there when you're at the airport.
Sam Stein
Yeah. You can't watch those kids with deficiencies.
Tim Miller
Whoa. All right. Well, this was great.
Sam Stein
I still don't really understand it, and I've gone through it like five times.
Tim Miller
I guess I have one more question. I mean, I understand the scam part of it. Pretty straightforward.
Sam Stein
Oh, you think it's not real?
Tim Miller
The media side of it? I'm so a little bit concerned. It's just like, like essentially the theory here is, I guess my question is, will, do you think that the media platforms where they're promoting maga maha, Russia stuff is the goal? Like it's a guy that has ideology and so he's using his money to whatever, give platforms to crazy right wing people. Or do you think that he's using the maga people as a business opportunity to get more money for the light, the cabal of the light people?
Will Sommer
Yeah, I think Jason Schurka is a kind of like a right wing conspiracy theorist guy. A lot of his stuff does echo qanon, the idea of kind of like white hats versus black hats. But I also think, you know, he's seen what a fabulous money making opportunity this could be. And so I think, you know, businesses sometimes sponsor media outlets. Obviously airlines have in flight magazines. I think dollar shave Club sponsored a website for a while about kind of like men's lifestyle. So, you know, why not the light system?
Tim Miller
All right, well, everybody out there, I'm sure they're gonna have a big day tomorrow. It's gonna be a big Wednesday for the Bulwark YouTube audience. They're gonna look up their local EE system, see if they can go get a little midday nap in, get some mitochondrial juice, some sexual energy and some bath salts. And good luck out there. This is what you come to us for. I appreciate everybody. Subscribe to the feed. Go to the bulwark.com and subscribe to Will Summer's newsletter because it's wonderful and we'll be trioing with you again soon.
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Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 247 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups for up to five pets. You can message a vet at any time and schedule a video visit the same day. Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.
Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Date: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Tim Miller, Will Sommer, Sam Stein
This episode dives into an almost surreal investigative story, uncovered by Will Sommer, involving an obscure right-wing influencer, new age pseudoscience, “healing” recliner chairs, and a bizarre cast orbiting around a company called Unified TV. What begins as a look into a pro-Russia media figure's sudden interview with Tucker Carlson rapidly spirals into a tale of cult-like conspiracy theories, big money scams, influence-peddling, and the strangest wellness fads on offer today. The conversation veers from incredulity to dark comedy, exposing the odd interplay between fringe right-wing circles, profit-driven spirituality, and high-profile media personalities.
Will Sommer (02:41):
"She's very pro Putin. So, you know, it was a weird situation. So I looked into it, and she works for a website called Unified tv. That's Unified with a Y."
Will Sommer (04:18):
"His claim to fame is that he claims he's in contact with a benevolent cabal known as the Light System...their whole goal is to ascend humanity. By the way, folks, this is...tens of millions of dollars at stake here."
Sam Stein (07:32):
"[Shurka] finds a potential cash cow in this company called EE Systems, which is selling recliners where you can basically sit back and watch a TV screen. And that supposedly is going to heal you."
Will Sommer (10:18):
"[Now] there's this big rivalry now in the light system EE System community. And the other thing I would say is the people who—"
Sam Stein (10:19):
"My brain is breaking."
Tim Miller (10:19):
"Oh my God. There's enough demand for this to create multiple competitors. Coke and Pepsi. This is Coke and Pepsi."
Will Sommer (14:41):
"James O' Keefe had this incredible moment...he goes in and he goes, whoa, I'm energized. And he comes out and he says, I'm so much anxious, I have to go back as a real customer this time."
Tim Miller (16:23):
"The woman's hot and she's pro Russia. So it's possible that, like, I guess I'm just saying, like, there's another rationale for Tucker doing this interview besides taking some cash from the...But it feels like Russia hotness or taking money from the lightsaber chairs. Could be both theories here, I think."
Will Sommer (18:40):
"They give you a gift bag. So it's earplugs in case the other people in the room with you are snoring. It's an eye mask and bath salts...And they said also, by the way, you better drink a ton of water because it gets pretty crazy in there."
Will Sommer (19:08):
"In one of the related to this, someone says, like, yeah, they're just TVs we got from Costco. Like they. They claim there's some other aspect, but they said, yeah, we just buy the monitors at Costco."
Will Sommer (23:54):
"I think Jason Schurka is a kind of like a right wing conspiracy theorist guy. A lot of his stuff does echo QAnon...But I also think, you know, he's seen what a fabulous money making opportunity this could be."
On the scope of the scam:
On the clientele:
On the “science”:
On grifts and ideology:
The hosts blend incredulity and journalistic curiosity with sharp, often sardonic wit. They are openly skeptical and sometimes laughingly exasperated, emphasizing how truly outlandish—yet lucrative—these fringe enterprises have become. Their back-and-forth makes the subject accessible and entertaining, even as it uncovers genuinely troubling intersections of disinformation, grift, and media manipulation.
This episode exposes the strange reality behind new-age wellness scams and their connection to right-wing media ecosystems. Through humor, skepticism, and real reporting—including an undercover field visit—the Bulwark crew illustrates just how lucrative and convoluted conspiracy-driven businesses can become and how high-profile figures can be drawn into their orbit, intentionally or not. For listeners seeking to understand the bizarre underbelly of the influencer-pseudoscience complex, this episode is enlightening, hilarious, and more than a little disturbing.