The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1650 – How Big Pharma Covered Up The Dark Truth About Birth Control
Date: September 2, 2025
Podcast: The Daily Wire | Host: Matt Walsh

Overview

In this episode, Matt Walsh offers a pointed critique of Big Pharma, with a primary focus on the underreported mental and neurological side effects of hormonal birth control. Using a recent high-profile criminal case as a springboard, Walsh dissects new scientific studies, cultural dynamics, and the broader societal implications of pharmaceutical oversight. Along the way, Walsh commentary extends to political figures, contemporary activism, and the failures of trends like veganism, all with his characteristic acerbic wit and skepticism toward mainstream narratives.

Main Theme

The episode centers on the argument that pharmaceutical companies, with complacency from media and regulatory bodies, have aggressively marketed drugs—particularly hormonal birth control—while covering up significant and under-researched side effects, especially those affecting the brain and emotional health of women. Walsh contends that this pattern echoes broader issues with the pharmaceutical industry, from psychiatric drugs to COVID-19 vaccines, and raises urgent questions about societal consequences and accountability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Cora Vides Case: Birth Control, Mental Health, and Violence

(09:25–18:22)

• Background: Walsh recounts a 2021 attempted murder case involving an 18-year-old student, Cora Vides, who stabbed a friend and was deemed legally insane, citing a recent switch to a new hormonal birth control as a major factor in her deteriorating mental health.
• Expert Testimony: Court psychologists affirm that the hormonal birth control "was a major factor in how her depression got worse" ([12:31]).

  “Because this person took hormonal birth control, she degraded her already fragile mental state even further.” (Matt Walsh, 13:15)

• Underdocumentation: Medical literature rarely connects birth control to psychiatric outcomes beyond depression, leading to public ignorance.

2. Scientific Studies: Hormonal Birth Control's Effects on Brain and Behavior

(18:23–29:50)

• Memory, Emotion, and Cognition:
  • Recent Rice University study (Hormones and Behavior, 2024): Hormonal contraceptives amplify emotional reactions and diminish detailed recall of negative events ([21:00]).
  • Researchers labeled these effects as "exciting," suggesting memory loss might help women forget trauma—a notion Walsh calls “complete nonsense.”

    “The impact of hormonal contraceptives on memory has implications that nobody ever talks about. What happens when millions of women become more forgetful and more emotional at the same time?” (Matt Walsh, 21:58)

• Brain Structure & Development:
  • Montreal researchers (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2023; European Journal of Neuroscience, 2024): Hormonal contraceptives can thin the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (emotion regulation, decision-making).
  • Early adolescent use may induce lasting disruption in regions related to fear and emotional processing ([24:45]).

    “Oral contraceptives used earlier in adolescence may induce lasting effects on structures related to fear, learning, and its regulation.” (Reading from research, 25:34)

3. Social and Cultural Ramifications

(29:51–33:00)

• Voting, Relationships, and Gender Dynamics:

  • Walsh speculates about broad social impact: escalated forgetfulness and emotional instability may influence voting, relationship stability, and even male testosterone responses (as birth control mimics pregnancy at scale). ([28:20])
  • References a Danish study showing the pill disrupts stress regulation; computational biology research that indicates effective doses could be dramatically lower.

• Systemic Ignorance and Accountability:

  “None of the people involved in the production or distribution of that drug really have any idea what it will do to you, especially if it affects your brain and your mind. If they claim they know, they're lying.” (Matt Walsh, 33:03)

• Institutional Obstacles: Media aversion to reporting negative pharma stories (due to advertising), and politically sensitive identity angles, mean critical stories get buried.

4. Parallels with Other Pharma Scandals

(33:01–37:44)

• Recaps COVID-19 vaccine media hype (“100% effective” for children) and how emerging data contradicted hype after the fact—with consequences for millions.

  • Draws direct comparison to current slow-motion revelations about birth control’s impacts.

• Trump’s Statement: Cites a Trump social media post demanding Big Pharma accountability for COVID treatments as a broader symptom of regulatory failure ([31:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Medical Uncertainty:

  “If Boeing had done that then there's a good chance that their max jets wouldn't have crashed… But in medicine, the discovery of unintended side effects that directly impact the human brain, the mind, we're told that's really exciting, which is complete nonsense.” (Matt Walsh, 22:45)

• On Industry and Media Collusion:

  "Media outlets don't like running stories that are critical of the pharmaceutical industry because Big Pharma buys more advertisements than anybody else." (Matt Walsh, 11:42)

• On Societal Outcomes:

  “What happens when we break the fear response in the brains of millions of women? Could it explain perhaps why so many are petrified of climate change… or why, if only women could vote, Kamala Harris would have won all 50 states?” (Matt Walsh, 27:42)

Additional Segments

Critique of Rep. Jasmine Crockett

(38:45–44:17)

• Walsh plays and mocks a viral clip of Rep. Crockett, criticizing both her language and legitimacy as a public official.
• Argues that basic English fluency should be a prerequisite for public office, regardless of race.
• Key quote:

  "No country works at all… so long as you insist on giving equal say to the sorts of people who would vote for Jasmine Crockett…" (Matt Walsh, 42:03)

Trump's Petty Gripe Over Rose Garden Contractor

(44:18–48:57)

• Walsh expresses affection for Trump’s public shaming of a contractor who damaged White House stonework, relating it to Americans' collective frustration with declining service quality.

Greta Thunberg and Activist Posturing

(49:00–52:20)

• Mocks Greta Thunberg’s failed Gaza flotilla and pivots to argue that activist causes like hers (and veganism) are largely performative.

Veganism’s Collapse: Cultural Analysis

(52:21–58:32)

• Reviews Financial Times article on the decline of veganism, ribbing vegan food as inedible (“vegan cheese is like eating a candle”) and critiquing the moral incoherence of the vegan ethos.
• Notable zinger:

  "Vegan chicken tastes like a piece of yoga mat folded up with sawdust inside. It's rancid, nauseating, offensive. Vegan food is so bad that it's upsetting on an emotional level." (Matt Walsh, 56:45)

• Argues veganism fails because it denies human uniqueness (“Man was made in the image of God…”).

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 09:25: Start of Cora Vides case, framing episode’s main theme.
• 12:31: Analysis of birth control’s role in mental health.
• 18:23: Discussion of Rice University study on memory, emotion, and hormonal contraception.
• 24:45: Review of Montreal research on structural brain impacts.
• 27:42: Societal consequences, voting dynamics, and gender effects.
• 33:03: Broad critique of pharma ignorance.
• 38:45: Jasmine Crockett critique.
• 44:18: Trump/contractor story.
• 49:00: Greta Thunberg and climate activism.
• 52:21: Veganism’s collapse.

Conclusion

Walsh closes with the assertion that society and regulators have failed to scrutinize pharmaceutical interventions—highlighting hormonal birth control as a particularly egregious example—leaving millions exposed to unforeseen risks. He warns listeners:

“Before you or someone you know takes one of these pills… you have to recognize this simple fact: None of the people involved in the production or distribution of that drug really have any idea what it will do to you…” ([33:03])

For listeners who missed the episode, this summary distills Walsh’s argument, main evidence, and skeptical worldview, offering a thorough look at his sustained critique of the pharmaceutical industry’s intersection with medicine, culture, and society.