Scam Goddess: The Hustlin’ Wig Snatchers Saga

Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Adam Rippon
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this riotously funny episode of Scam Goddess, Laci Mosley welcomes Olympic medalist and all-around icon Adam Rippon to break down the wild, high-priced, and frequently criminal world of luxury wigs. Together, they explore the centuries-old saga of wig snatching—from present-day Atlanta shoplifters to 18th-century pickpocketing with monkey accomplices. Wigs, as the episode reveals, aren’t just for drag and drama—they’re big business, big scams, and even bigger punchlines.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Catching Up & Setting the Tone

• Laci, podcasting from Ireland, riffs with Adam about adult injuries and how scraping your knee feels like a "baby girl" injury.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Laci (03:49) “Getting a knee scrape, that’s like, how old are you? Grow up. You scraping your knee? Was you on the monkey bars? Be serious.”
• Adam nominates "organic products" as a major scam, criticizing the marketing hype and negligible nutritional difference.
  • Adam (07:07): "I think organic things are a scam...there’s no substantial nutritional value. There’s no nutritional difference. It’s basically a wash."
• Laci and Adam bond over pandemic-era health fads, celebrity supplements, media literacy, and falling for little scams.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Laci (11:35): “We learned about sources. I swear, I'm like one of the last fully media literacy-educated children in America.”

Historic Hoodwinks: The Wig Snatching Deep Dive

(27:27)

The Luxury, the Myths, & the Market

• The global luxury wig industry values at $3 billion, with high-end wigs running up to $12,000 (often for Russian hair, which the hosts shade for being overhyped).
  • Notable Commentary:
    • Laci (21:07): “Supremacy. Because Russia is what y' all be eating over there, Potatoes and gelatins.”
    • Laci (25:04): “Forbes, y’ all ain’t never met a real wig b*tch, cause it’s more than 12K.”
• Discussion about the labor, process, and pricing—“real” wig costs, why productions hold onto wigs, and the challenges of wig maintenance.

Wig Snatching IRL: Recent Cases and The Hustle

• Atlanta (2022): Owner Trishana Sampson’s shop “Yes, I Am Beautiful” robbed in broad daylight for two wigs totaling $2,075.
  • Notable Commentary:
    • Laci (41:23): "That’s how I know Trishauna Sampson was ready to beat ass because she was like, I’mma take another loss...because I want to beat your ass."
• Brooklyn (March 2025): “Hustle Wig” shop hit for $30,000 in stock by a career criminal.
  • Notable Quote:
    • Adam(44:32): “Oh, he needed a wig. Yeah. Bald. First things first."
    • Laci (45:04): “He can’t grow it, and he can’t steal it.”
• Tales of creativity in theft: An employee at a wig factory smuggling wigs out in a Stanley Cup; woman swiping a wig off a body at a Texas funeral home and gluing it on for her mugshot.
  • Laci (48:04): "Can y'all let me hold the wig for the mug shot real quick? At least before it goes in the evidence locker?"

Viral & Historical Wig Snatches

• Viral moments: Beyoncé fan throws her wig onstage; TikTokers collect hair for self-made extensions; “Wigs by Shani” TikTok discourse over $10k wigs that don’t impress.
• Historical context:
  • 1700s-1800s Europe, wigs as status, frequent targets for elaborate snatching—including schemes with trained monkeys, dogs, and street urchins.
    • Laci (52:26): “It was for wig snatching purposes only.”
    • Adam (54:11): "If you can teach a dog how to do that, you deserve the wig at that point, I believe."

Why Are Wigs So Scam-Prone?

• High value and easy mobility make wigs hot targets.
• Ethical dilemmas in hair sourcing (“temple hair” in India), and the blurred lines between informed donation and exploitation.

Notable Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Laci, on wear and tear (22:46): “Right now, because I'm wearing a wig, I have to wear my hair in straight-back braids, so I look like Little Bill on weekends...”
• Adam, on wigs on set (21:46): “$12,000 feels cheap for a nice, nice wig, right?”
• Laci & Adam, on wig price discourse:
  • Adam (25:50): “I can’t imagine Beyoncé putting...I think maybe the back of her wig is $12,000.”
  • Laci (26:38): “The last day that we shot Wicked, I would have left green. I would have left green.”
• On the trauma of modern wig snatching:
  • Laci (31:59): “Robbing people of their hair, which is some people's, like, identity, their crown and glory...”
• TikTok/Online drama, DIY and luxury scams:
  • Adam (33:14): “Wigs by Shani...Black Twitter started, like, seeing these videos, and they were like, these thin wigs are $10,000?”
• Funerary thefts:
  • Adam (47:37): “I kind of love Tanya. I mean, they weren’t...that body was not gonna need the wig.”
• Viral clip, Queen Olu lost her wig in Atlanta (56:37)

Important Timestamps

• 03:49 - Laci’s “baby girl” injury rant
• 07:07 - Adam claims, “Organic things are a scam”
• 13:13 - Pandemic scams, celery juice & colloidal silver
• 27:27 - Historic Hoodwinks: luxury wig market intro
• 38:08 - The “Yes, I Am Beautiful” Atlanta wig heist
• 41:23 - Owner’s bountiful response and rage
• 42:43 - Brooklyn’s “Hustle Wig” shop robbed
• 47:37 - The Texas funeral home wig-napping
• 49:51 - Beyoncé’s fan throws her wig on stage
• 51:28 - Historical wig snatching: 1700s Europe
• 56:37 - Queen Olu’s viral wig snatching story (clip)

Conclusion & Plugs

• The episode closes with Adam promoting his podcast, Intrusive Thoughts, and Laci reminding listeners to follow her on all platforms (@DivaLaci), watch Scam Goddess TV show on Hulu, and look out for her book and live shows.
• Parting call to the “congregation” to “stay wiggin’!”

Final Thoughts

This episode perfectly captures everything fans love about Scam Goddess: witty cultural analysis, hilarious true scam stories, and lively, chemistry-rich banter. From luxury wig drama and DIY hacks to centuries-old scalp snatching, Laci and Adam turn “true con” into a comedy art form. As always, Laci leaves listeners with the invaluable motto: Stay schemin’ and stay wiggin’!