Brief: DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience

Summary

Conspirituality Podcast Summary: Episode – "DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience"

Release Date: August 2, 2025

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of Conspirituality, hosts Derek Barris and Julian Walker delve into the resurgence of Theranos branding spearheaded by Ryan El Hosseini. Titled "DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience," the episode dissects the intricate web of pseudoscientific claims, marketing strategies, and the alarming intersection of wellness grifts with conspiracy theories. This summary captures the essence of their discussion, highlighting key points, notable quotes, and insightful analyses.

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Unveiling Ryan El Hosseini's Revival of Theranos

The episode opens with Derek Barris setting the stage by referencing a documentary video associated with theranoslabs.com, which redirects from investors.com—a nod to the infamous Theranos saga.

Derek Barris (02:14): "These are the opening moments of a video that appears on the homepage of a website called the investors.com which, if you're paying attention when you type it into your browser, redirects you to theranoslabs.com. Yeah, that Theranos."

Julian Walker introduces an Instagram reel from KCRW's reporter Tohar Zamir, which connects billboards across major cities to RFK Jr. and Ryan El Hosseini's attempt to rehabilitate Elizabeth Holmes's tarnished legacy.

Julian Walker (02:49): "In just 90 seconds, looking right at the camera and like pointing at what was over his shoulder behind him, he managed to connect the dots on these confusing billboards that are popping up all over LA."

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Theranos: From Revolutionary Promise to Fraudulent Collapse

Derek Barris provides a concise overview of Elizabeth Holmes's rise and fall with Theranos, emphasizing the company's fraudulent claims and eventual downfall.

Derek Barris (04:12): "Elizabeth Holmes founded the original company in 2003. She promised a revolutionary technology that could perform hundreds of blood tests using just a few drops from a finger prick... But the Edison never worked. Holmes was convicted in January 2022 on four counts specifically for defrauding investors."

Julian Walker adds depth by discussing the internal culture at Theranos, highlighting the façade of progress despite the technology's failure.

Julian Walker (05:13): "There was this culture of like, we're building the plane as we're flying it. We believe in our mission and we're going to get the investors on board... Even though internally we all know that this thing is a shambles and it doesn't work at all."

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Ryan El Hosseini: The "DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience"

The hosts critically analyze Ryan El Hosseini's efforts to revive Theranos through his venture, Theranos Labs, branding it with flashy marketing and pseudoscientific claims.

Julian Walker (03:45): "This guy is like the DJ Khaled of pseudoscience self-promotion. He's stitched footage himself being interviewed onto repurposed documentary footage that was actually exposing her."

El Hosseini's branding strategy includes high-profile visuals involving luxury cars and models, juxtaposed with unfounded claims about a new technology named "Blue Magic."

Derek Barris (05:44): "Blue Magic by Theranos... He claims it identifies substances and blood samples and generates a blue beam of light which is then read by specialized computers to interpret the test results."

The hosts highlight the lack of scientific clarity and credibility behind El Hosseini's claims, pointing out the rebranding of a failed technology without substantiated evidence.

Derek Barris (12:21): "The precise scientific mechanism behind Blue Magic is unclear. El Hosseini lives in Palm Beach Gardens... in an interview with a local news crew, you can hear the angle he's taking with his product. It might sound familiar."

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Marketing Tactics and Conspirituality Dynamics

Derek and Julian draw parallels between El Hosseini's tactics and those commonly seen in wellness grifts, emphasizing the manipulation of scientific uncertainty to push pseudoscientific agendas.

Julian Walker (14:29): "This is standard in medical science... The conspiracist position is always to demand a kind of perfection from medical science which is just never there."

They critique the "make America healthy again" rhetoric, noting its vagueness and how it diverts attention from the lack of substantive evidence supporting El Hosseini's claims.

Derek Barris (17:14): "Big picture rhetoric, same thing. Make America healthy again so you don't focus in on the specifics."

The discussion underscores the opportunistic revival of a disgraced brand, illustrating how conspiracy and pseudoscience thrive in the absence of critical discourse.

Julian Walker (18:00): "He's trying to be an MLM guy, he's trying to be a rapper with, like, all of the conspicuous consumption of the wealth. And then he's also trying to be some kind of CEO, lab technician expert."

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Exposing the Facade: Grifting and Manipulation

The hosts meticulously dissect El Hosseini's background and the superficial credentials he presents, casting doubt on his legitimacy and intentions.

Derek Barris (20:05): "He worked for Access Medical Laboratories in Jupiter, Florida for nearly 13 years. Before that, he founded his own energy drink called O Prim... And then right before that, he worked as an assistant manager at Dunkin Donuts for two and a half years."

They argue that El Hosseini's efforts appear more as a parody or trolling rather than a genuine attempt to advance medical science, labeling it as another layer of grifting within the conspirituality movement.

Julian Walker (21:31): "So he just so far up his own narcissistic ass that he doesn't have people around him, right, who are giving him any sort of input or advice."

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Conclusion: The Perils of Conspirituality and Pseudoscience

Derek Barris and Julian Walker conclude by emphasizing the dangers of conflating genuine wellness practices with conspiracy-driven pseudoscience. They warn listeners to remain vigilant against such grifts that exploit scientific disinformation for personal gain.

Derek Barris (22:39): "He could replace Prasad in his position. [...] These are grifters ripping off grifters and he's another one of these guys."

The episode serves as a critical examination of how pseudoscience and conspiracy theories infiltrate the wellness industry, undermining public trust in legitimate health initiatives.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Derek Barris (04:12): "Elizabeth Holmes founded the original company in 2003. She promised a revolutionary technology that could perform hundreds of blood tests using just a few drops from a finger prick... But the Edison never worked."

• Julian Walker (05:13): "There was this culture of like, we're building the plane as we're flying it. We believe in our mission and we're going to get the investors on board... Even though internally we all know that this thing is a shambles and it doesn't work at all."

• Julian Walker (14:29): "This is standard in medical science... The conspiracist position is always to demand a kind of perfection from medical science which is just never there."

• Derek Barris (17:14): "Big picture rhetoric, same thing. Make America healthy again so you don't focus in on the specifics."

• Julian Walker (21:31): "So he just so far up his own narcissistic ass that he doesn't have people around him, right, who are giving him any sort of input or advice."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Conspirituality adeptly highlights the intricate dance between pseudoscience, conspiracy theories, and wellness grifts. Through incisive analysis and critical discourse, Derek Barris and Julian Walker shed light on the manipulative strategies employed by figures like Ryan El Hosseini to exploit public trust and revive discredited brands. The conversation serves as a vital reminder to approach wellness claims with skepticism and prioritize evidence-based practices.

Transcript

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[Cancer Drug Advocate]

We've been on a mission and we're speaking with the fda a very dangerous cancer drug called Avastin. Spreading the cancer and making it worse. It's very important that this gets to rfk. This is based on undisputed scientific law.

[Derek Barris]

All right, you might be wondering what the is going on. I've watched the entire 25 minute documentary that this is pulled from and I'm still wondering the same. These are the opening moments of a video that appears on the homepage of a website called the investors.com which, if you're paying attention when you type it into your browser, redirects you to theranoslabs.com. yeah, that theranos. This is quite a story. Yet one we've watched play out for years on this podcast and one that could only probably be possible with RFK Jr in power. Buckle up for this one. I'm Derek Barris.

[Julian Walker]

I'm Julian Walker. And this is another one because we.

[Derek Barris]

The best this can Spirituality brief, titled by Julian, the DJ Khaled of Pseudoscience. You can find us on Instagram and threads. As always, you can also support our work as independent media via [e-mail] conspirituality or via Apple subscriptions for our Monday bonus episodes. Okay, let's set the stage. Julian, you sent me an Instagram reel from KCRW last week. What is the 101 on that?

[Julian Walker]

Okay, yeah, so I should just say, like, KCRW is our flagship NPR station here in la. As you know, Derek, they're out of Santa Monica College and they're just legendary, especially for breaking new music and having incredible live in studio performances. But that aside, this was an Instagram reel from a young reporter there named Tohar Zamir. And in just 90 seconds, looking right at the camera and like pointing at what was over his shoulder behind him, he managed to connect the dots on these confusing billboards that are popping up all over la. I actually saw one of them myself on Tuesday night on Lincoln Boulevard. To their existence also in Miami and New York City in Times Square. To RFK Jr. And potential attempts by a man named Ryan El Hosseini to get Elizabeth Holmes pardoned and her Theranos pseudoscience brought under the wing of Maha. So I guess this just all shows she was ahead of her time.

[Derek Barris]

Oh, definitely a prophet. Kcrw. We were supporters when we lived in la. It is amazing. Used to see Jason Bentley around town or at Equinox where I taught all the time. One of the people most tuned into new music. So yeah, you can check them out online and stream them online if. Wherever you are. And I highly recommend it. But before we dive into this story about the new theos, let's get the basics down. So Elizabeth Holmes founded the original company in 2003. She promised a revolutionary technology that could perform hundreds of blood tests using just a few drops from a finger prick. The idea took off. She raised 1.4 billion billion for her vision. Ridiculous amount of money, especially back then. That included $150 million from the Walmart founders, the Waltons. Rupert Murdoch kicked in 125 million. Betsy DeVos family kicked in 100 million. Many Silicon Valley investors jumped on this. She made retail deals with Walgreens and Safeway. She was everywhere. Holmes claimed that her miniature device called the Edison, could deliver fast, cheap and accurate diagnostics.

[Julian Walker]

The.

[Derek Barris]

There was a problem, however, and that was the fact that it didn't work. And it never worked.

[Julian Walker]

Not at all.

[Derek Barris]

Yeah, the Raynos conducted most of its tests using conventional machines, and it produced unreliable results. Patients were often misdiagnosed. Investors and partners were deceived about the efficacy and regulatory approval of their technology.

[Julian Walker]

Yeah, and in the, in the documentary that was made about this later, many of the former employees talked about how there was this culture that she was really trying to be like a, like a female Steve Jobs in the, in the biotech industry. And there was this culture of like, we're, we're building the plane as we're flying it. We believe in our mission and we're going to get the investors on board and we're going to do all this pr, we're going to make all these claims with the kind of faith that we're going to get there eventually. Even though internally we all know that this thing is a shambles and it doesn't work at all.

[Derek Barris]

Predated Bitcoin in that sense. In terms of marketing, like where you going to find the use case that will change everything, which never actually happened. And it makes for a perfect setup for a wellness grift. Holmes was convicted in January 2022 on four counts specifically for defrauding investors. She was sentenced to 135 months in prison. So obviously the investor's website claims that she was wrongfully convicted, that her technology actually works because it's based on a science that we just don't understand yet. And the founder of the new Theranos, which we'll get to, calls for the Trump admin to free her.

[Julian Walker]

Yeah, and one thing I don't think we've touched on yet is that these billboards, it's like her branding from the original company. It's a picture of her and then it's this guy next to her who basically looks like a rapper kind of, kind of like mean, mugging the camera with, with sunglasses and a big medallion and, and a beard. It's just like, what? So I went and watched the 25 minute film because I couldn't help myself. And I have to say, per our title, this guy is like the DJ Khaled of pseudoscience self promotion. He's stitched footage himself being interviewed onto repurposed documentary footage that was actually exposing her that actually, you know, parts of which are telling the real story of how she rose Elizabeth Holmes. And then he's also got clips from RFK Jr playing on a TV and he's trying to position himself as the like big pimpin CEO of this new business opportunity, you know, complete with a somewhat unimpressive like small private jet. But, but he also does drive Bugattis that have Theranos branding all over in the movie. And then he's got this big old medallion that says Theranos on it that looks like he ordered it online and it cost him about 20 bucks. And then he's got this product which is I guess her original device that he's now calling Blue Magic. And that name, I immediately think of the high purity heroin that made Frank Lucas a millionaire in the 1970s as shown in the film American Gangster. So that's kind of weird. About five Minutes in, he is trespassing at the Quest Diagnostic headquarters in New Jersey. They're obviously the competition, the big farmer people that he's going to like, you know, stick it to. And he's in this convertible Bugatti with a racing spoiler. And all of it is staged for the cameras. There's no payoff. It's just about the security guards being like, you can't be here. You can't just sit outside our building in your sports car.

[Derek Barris]

There is no payoff. There is no payoff. And he's mostly filming it on a cell phone. And the thing you take away from it is this Bugatti has a really loud fucking engine.

[Julian Walker]

And then we're like nine minutes in before he makes any kind of claim at expertise. It's like, who is this guy? Why are we even listening to him? And the way he does that is he has a voiceover as well as text on the screen. Refer to him as a, quote, former lab CEO, which is interesting. Before then borrowing a page from Mickey Willis's, you know, agit prop documentary bullshit by presenting a dramatized trial of the Theranos technology. You know, the way Willis does in, in in plandemic, where he, he like sets up a dramatic reenactment of like, you know, I don't know, the who or something or the UN talking about how they're going to manufacture Covid.

[Derek Barris]

Oh, and that entire full video, it's like 40 minutes is up on their YouTube page. It's part of the Opream films, which is Ryan L. Hosseini's video company. Production company is very slick.

[Julian Walker]

Nice.

[Derek Barris]

We'll get into that. El Hosseini describes himself unironically as the Steve Jobs of medical labs. He apparently holds patents for a next generation safety lancet and a novel blood collection device. So he is all in on this project. He gained control of the Theos brand after its collapse and he launched a campaign to revive their original vision. And that includes these high profile public demonstrations. And as you reference the billboards, if you go to the company's Instagram page, you're going to see hired models rocking bikinis with the branding all over it. You're going to see the Bugattis with the logo and you're going to see all Hosseini and his crew jet setting on that unimpressive. But it's still not easy to buy a plane. So, you know, and they're drinking champagne.

[Julian Walker]

Sure, sure.

[Derek Barris]

Promises to deliver on the Holmes concept of revolutionary blood testing from a drop of blood. Now Blue Magic by Thranos. That is a new blood testing technology described as a bio formulation technology that. And I have to say this, I'm being completely serious right now. He claims it identifies substances and blood samples and generates a blue beam of light which is then read by specialized computers to interpret the test results. This magical device requires only a nano sample of blood, which then goes a supposed ultra purification step. And it's being marketed as capable of testing for conditions ranging from cancer markers and thyroid function and hormones to inflammation and cardiac risk factors. You might be surprised to learn that the precise scientific mechanism behind Blue Magic is unclear. El Hosseini lives in Palm Beach Gardens, which, yeah, is basically a suburb of Palm Beach. So his operations are just a few miles from Mar a Lago. In an interview with a local news crew, you can hear the angle he's taking with his product. It might sound familiar.

[Interviewer]

I'm looking around your garage and I see Elizabeth Holmes and I see Theranos. It's on your T shirt. And where my mind goes is, this has got to be a joke because she was convicted for fraud and her company was a fugazi. What do you say to the person who's at home watching this and is going to have the same reaction as me when they see her face on these posters and that name on your T shirt?

[Cancer Drug Advocate]

Well, you know, science. Science is undisputed. When you prove something scientifically right, that is not a joke. That is science. And if you want to bring up a joke in fugazi, the only thing that's actually quite a joke is how nobody within the Pfizer or Genentech, the makers of Avastin or the laboratories knew. Well, I believe they knew. But you cannot detect a protein if it has an antibody over it.

[Derek Barris]

First off, science is undisputed is not something anyone actually interested in science ever says. They might make general statements like, we know vaccines work, but experts leave room for discussions when it comes to specific vaccines.

[Julian Walker]

No, no, no, no. Science unified the belts in the heavyweight title clash with religion some time ago. You haven't read your new atheists carefully enough.

[Derek Barris]

Oh, shit.

[Julian Walker]

They're undisputed. Undisputed champions.

[Derek Barris]

I recently got the first dose of the shingles vaccine now that I just turned 50. The pharmacist told me that with two doses, I would be 95 to 98% protected against developing shingles. She then went on and listed all the potential side effects and complications with this vaccine. She did not say, it is undisputed that you will never get shingles. That Type of language comes from people with a marketing agenda. And given that his product, which is just a reboot of the Edison, has never been shown to work, it's a renewal. Ridiculous statement. Second notice, we've seen this for years with wellness influencers. He immediately pivots to scary Pfizer. It's oh, I'm being called out. Time to invoke big scary Pharma. This is El Hoss entire platform though. In order to market his blood tests, he demonizes Pfizer by specifically citing Avastin, which requires a little bit more unpacking. In 2007 and 8, Theranos worked on a Pfizer sponsored study involving Avastin. The research focused on the process of new blood vessel formation, which is a critical, which is critical in cancer treatment and is targeted by Avastin. Theranos apparently developed assays to measure the markers for this formation and they concluded that traditional tests could give false results about the effects of Avastin and Ms. Dangerous Rebound Effects when the drug is discontinued. Now to be clear, Avastin does have issues mostly around its use in breast cancer treatment where it showed mixed results and severe side effects. It is still in use, however, in many other forms of cancer treatment where proof of efficacy has been confirmed.

[Julian Walker]

Yeah, and the thing that these kinds of people and the audiences who find them convincing always miss is that all of this is standard. Like this is what goes on in medical science. You, you, you develop a drug, it has promising effects, you test it, it goes through various trial processes for safety and efficacy. You start using it with the public, sometimes there are issues, you do more research, sometimes you discontinue a drug, sometimes you realize it should only be used in certain cases or used in combination with other drugs. The, the conspiracist position and the pseudoscience position is always to say is always to demand a kind of perfection from medical science which is just never there. But it is always still miles and miles ahead of the types of pseudoscience claims that posture as if they have perfection because they're natural or holistic.

[Derek Barris]

Never there, never there. And people actually study it for a living, know that and they admit that. And there's a humility around it which does not exist in Mr. Kid over here. All of what I just said is different from his argument which he claims is an issue around pharma safety and diagnostic methodology, which is what Elaine has revived that particular argument. Now here's the thing. The Edison never worked Holmes claiming ain is problematic because her non pharma functional tech is as rich as El Hossani, saying he re his retool product works because it generates a beam of blue light. So when you can't actually prove something, you do what wellness grifters have been doing forever. Claim the current tech can't possibly measure something. But oh, look, I have a tool that science hasn't caught up with yet. It doesn't surprise me that Al Hosseini is trying hard to get RFK Jr. S attention. On the homepage of theranoslabs.com he claims they are leading the science to make America healthy again. After the clip we opened with, he features Kennedy speaking about Big Bad Pharma on their Instagram page. He asks his small but fervent following to tag Kennedy, which they faithfully do. And I wouldn't write off El Hosseini Getting in touch A few weeks ago, he published a press release claiming to be in touch with the fda, citing conversations with actual officials there. There's a video with him in the room with people from various agencies and organizations. And then he added this we are.

[Julian Walker]

Here to support Maha, not just in word, but through real action. By pressing for transparency and accountability in the regulatory process. Protecting America's public health is our shared mission. Our work highlights critical safety concerns, and we're committed to doing everything in our power to save lives.

[Derek Barris]

Big picture rhetoric, same thing. Make America healthy again so you don't focus in on the specifics. El Hosseini, as we've covered you said earlier he's never spoken with Holmes. He's never talked to her. Yeah, it's not like he bought the company. He was able to claim the name through a new business registration after it was dissolved due to Holmes's imprisonment.

[Julian Walker]

Oh my God.

[Derek Barris]

So just picture this. You're in prison for defrauding investors, and then you find out there are billboards all over LA with your picture next to a dude. You don't even know who the he is he's reviving. Well, let's be honest. He's stealing the company you're sitting in prison for. And then there's a documentary online featuring you numerous times and he's advocating for your release. It's got to be really strange.

[Julian Walker]

Yeah, I just see a light bulb going off over his opportunistic head when he realizes, oh, I can swoop in and use the name and the branding of a defunct and disgraced company whose founder is in jail by like doing some conspiracy mongering. And these are our times, Derek. These are grifters ripping off grifters and he's another one of these guys who clearly is. So he's just so far up his own narcissistic ass that he doesn't have people around him, right, who are. Who are giving him any sort of input or advice. You know, even just from the clip that we played off the very top, those pro tools, like string slams with no compression on them that are just like, so loud. It's like you don't even have a producer or someone who knows anything about audio, you know, is sitting there going, yeah, actually, that's going to be too over the top and it's not going to sound good.

[Derek Barris]

No, nothing is too over the top for this man. And you, you might be wondering why you came up with the DJ Khaled. It's not just how he looks. Let's hear it.

[Cancer Drug Advocate]

One drop a button. They acting like you committed crimes. You listen deeper than you probably read between the lines. You can't assess something from the outside while looking in. That's like a pen with no paper.

[Julian Walker]

Can't see the writing then, wow, dude's got bars. I mean, we smelt that coming from the first sight of the billboard. He's got bad wannabe rapper written all over him. And that's also like, part of what is so great about this grift is that he can't dec which lane he's going to be in. So he's trying to be an MLM guy, he's trying to be a rapper with, like, all of the conspicuous consumption of the wealth. And then he's also trying to be some kind of CEO, lab technician expert, which, I mean, you go king.

[Derek Barris]

I did not play the entire song. I don't think you want to listen to it. I did.

[Julian Walker]

Thank you.

[Derek Barris]

You got enough for right there.

[Julian Walker]

Thank you.

[Derek Barris]

If you go to the Aprem Films YouTube page, you can see what El Hosseini is working on next, which is a trailer for a film called Pharma Gang Unit. Features more bikini models with machine guns trained on pharma execs while the Bugattis dash around the streets. It's. It's all spectacle. It's not cheap. He is spending serious money on all of this, and I have no idea where it comes from. I looked into him. His LinkedIn page says that he's from my home state, New Jersey. He worked for Access Medical Laboratories in Jupiter, Florida for nearly 13 years. Before that, he founded his own energy drink called O Prim.

[Julian Walker]

Never heard of it.

[Derek Barris]

And then right before that, he worked as an assistant manager at Dunkin Donuts for two and a half years.

[Julian Walker]

He saved his money, I guess.

[Derek Barris]

So he took over Theranos in May of 2025. So this is all very new. I want to write it off as parody or as trolling as sat.

[Cancer Drug Advocate]

Yeah.

[Derek Barris]

The number one comment on his YouTube page is, Are you kidding? And it's actually hard to tell, but it is getting eyeballs. His pharma gang unit trailer has 32,000 views. But his video that supposedly validates Elizabeth Holmes Research has 291,000 views.

[Julian Walker]

Yep.

[Derek Barris]

While all his videos play like a joke, they are slickly produced. Audio engineering problems aside, which you're right on. It features many people and locations. I doubt they're donating their time. He's in Times Square with a billboard in these models. So that's, you know, he's hiring people to do this work. And that's the feeling I can't shake. It feels like parody, but so does everything else in Maha.

[Julian Walker]

So did Donald Trump coming down the Golden Escalator. It felt like parody, right?

[Derek Barris]

Right. Maha's myopic focus on food dyes. While cancer research is being gutted, expert panels are being dismantled and Kennedy's huckster friends are being position given, positions of power. It feels like the biggest joke imaginable. Even though V. Prasad just got booted. But that's a different story. We might have to do a brief on that.

[Julian Walker]

That is funny, though. That's a legitimately funny thing.

[Derek Barris]

All of this makes me think El Hosseini just saw what's going on right in front of all of Rise and thought, huh? Y. I'm going to go get a piece of that. And in a few short months, he's created the type of wellness rhetoric that could just get him that piece. He could could replace Prasad in his position. I've been speculating that private public partnerships are going to flourish under Kennedy. My guess was that another unproven blood test run by Mark Hyman's Function Health was going to be the first company to benefit. But it, at this point, it could be the.

[Julian Walker]

Yeah, I hate this timeline.

[Derek Barris]

Sam.