The Social Chemist
Episodes
Women, Extremism and the Lure of Belonging w/ Noelle Cook
20 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Send us Fan MailOn today's episode, I am joined by Noelle Cook, an ethnographer and author of The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure o...
Inside the Capitol on J6 w/ Nora Neus
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Emmy-nominated producer and author Nora Neus joins the podcast to discuss her new book "24 Hours at The Ca...
The Fight Against Alex Jones, InfoWars and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook w/ Robbie Parker
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Robbie Parker, the father of Emilie Parker, who tragically lost her life at the age of 6 at Sand...
The Evolution of Lone Actors & Political Violence in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand w/ Dr Nathan Brooks
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Nathan Brooks, a forensic psychologist who specializes in complex offending behaviors, threa...
Inside The Movement To Destroy American Democracy w/ Katherine Stewart
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Katherine Stewart, a journalist and author of "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement To...
The State of Terrorism in the U.S. w/ Jacob Ware
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Jacob Ware from the Council on Foreign Relations returns to discuss the state of U.S. domestic terrorism after ...
Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza w/ Peter Beinart
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Peter Beinart, a professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate Sch...
Christian Nationalism Under Trump's Second Term w/ Amanda Tyler
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, to discus...
The Psychology of Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre returns to the podcast to discuss his new book "False: How Mistrus...
The Contributing Factors Behind January 6 and the Unite the Right Rally w/ Timothy Heaphy
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by the lead investigator of the January 6 committee and former US attorney for the Western District...
The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Barbara McQuade, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast...
Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith w/ April Ajoy
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by April Ajoy, TikTok content creator, former Christian Nationalist, and co-host of The New Evangel...
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
24 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Renée DiResta, the technical research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory, a program d...
A Psychological Assessment of QAnon & It's Comparison to Addiction w/ Sophia Moskalenko
29 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn today's episode, Dr. Sophia Moskalenko joins me in the program to discuss the various factors that contributed to the insurrecti...
Radicalization within the Online Gaming Community & A Gender Perspective in Countering Extremism w/ Dr. Jessica White
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Jessica White, Acting Director of Terrorism and Conflict Studies at the Royal United Service...
The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
11 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, former assistant secretary for counterterrorism and prevention at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Eli...
The Role of Social Workers in Prevention Violence Extremism w/ Patrick R. Riccards
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Patrick R. Riccards, CEO of Life After Hate, joins the podcast to discuss how his organization uses evidence-ba...
The Black Pill Radicalization Process of the Incel Community w/ Robert Green
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Robert Green, a Ph.D. student from Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, joins me to discuss the origi...
The Global State of Antisemitism & an Examination of the Zionist Project w/ Kenneth Stern
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, the director of the Bard Center for Study of Hate and author of "Conflict Over the Conflict: The Israel/Pa...
The Origins of the Rothschilds Conspiracy Legends & Rise of Modern Antisemitism w/ Mike Rothschild
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Mike Rothschild returns to discuss his new book, Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds & 200 Years of Conspi...
Russia's Usage of the Conspiratorial Framework w/ Ilya Yablokov
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, lecturer and researcher on conspiratorial beliefs Ilya Yablokov joins me to discuss Russia Today's usage o...
Social Workers Role in Addressing Political Extremism w/ Royce Hutson, Ph.D.
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn today's episode, Royce Hutson, Ph.D., joins me to discuss the role of social workers in addressing political extremism and the e...
A Psychosocial Assessment of QAnon w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre joins me to discuss the psychosocial elements that contributed to the s...
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware counterterrorism experts from the Council on Foreign Relations stop by to discuss ...
Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy w/ Matson & Tawni Browning
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Matson and Tawni Browning join to discuss their 2023 book "The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New F...
News Media Literacy: An Educators Tool Against Misinformation w/ DeMario Phipps Smith
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, DeMario Phipps-Smith, a Senior Manager of Community Learning at the News Literacy Project, joins me to discuss ...
A Sociological Assessment of Anti-Vaccine Attitudes and Behaviors w/ Matthew Facciani
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Matthew Facciani a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame in the Computer Science and Engineering departme...
A New Era in Disinformation: AI Generated Imagery w/ Todd C. Helmus
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Todd C. Helmus, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, joins me to talk about how AI-generated ...
Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by conspiracy theory researcher and QAnon expert, Mike Rothschild. We explore the origins of QAnon,...
How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology from the University of London. We expl...
QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda
17 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, I am joined by board-certified forensic psychiatrist Dr. Brian Holoyda, whose work involves paraphilic disorder...
How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, renowned behavioral scientist Dr. Rakoen Maertens from Cambridge University joins me to discuss the development...
Interventions for Conspiratorial Thinking and their Limitations w/ Cian O'Mahony
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Cian O'Mahony, a Ph.D. candidate at the University College Cork, joins me to talk about the most effective...
9/11 Conspiracy Theories and Their Implication in Classroom Discussions w/ Daniel Berman
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Daniel Berman, a postdoctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Historian of Education & C...
The Transgender Invasion of the U.S Adolescent Conspiracy Theory
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textAs the negative impact of COVID-19 dies down, many influencers in the conspiracy theory community are searching for the next existential...
Fox News Termination of Tucker Carlson & It’s Implications
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textToday's episode covers the breaking news about Tucker Carlson's departure from FOX News. What events triggered Tucker's t...
Social Work's Relationship with Pseudoscience Practices w/ Bruce Thyer
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Bruce Thyer, a Distinguished Research Professor from Florida State University, joins the podcast to discuss the...
Election Misinformation and its Implications in Voting Behaviors w/ Stefan McCabe
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn this episode, Stephan McCabe, a postdoctoral associate from George Washington University, joins me to discuss his research on misinfo...
Candace Owens Engagement with The Social Chemist
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Nelson talks about his experience attending a TurningPointUSA event at Rutgers University. In this event, Nelso...
Tucker Carlson's Framing of January 6
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn recent weeks FOX News has been exposed for spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the 2020 Election. After text messa...
Librarians vs Conspiracy Theories: The Battle for Knowledge, Truth, and Ethics w/ Bradley Wiles
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Ph.D. candidate and librarian Bradley Wiles talks about how conspiracy theories have forced the librarian profe...
Antisemitism: The Conspiracy Theory of the Enemy Above
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOne of the most prominent conspiracy theories in ancient and contemporary society is that of antisemitism (hatred of Jews). In recent ...
Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Dr. Benjamin Dow, an academic researcher in the field of conspiratorial ideologies and professor at Southern Me...
What Is A Conspiracy Theorist? w/ Aoife Gallagher
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn today's episode, Aoife Gallagher from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and author of Web of Lies: The Lures and Danger...
The Conspiratorial Right Wing's Protection of Alex Jones
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textRight-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was obligated to pay the family members of the Sandy Hook massacre 965 million dollars after t...
Giorgia Meloni: The Rise of Conspiracism in Italy
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textFascism is often used by the political left to refer to the political right and vice versa. But what is fascism? What are its characteri...
Bill Maher's Logical Fallacy of Medical Science
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn the arena of political discourse, many can regard political commentator Bill Maher as an influential figure in mainstream television....
The 1994 Ruwa, Zimbabwe Alien Visitation: Fact or Fiction? w/ Myriam (My Love)
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textAre we alone? It is one of humanity's greatest mysteries and one that carries our imagination into the cosmos. But what if I told y...
9/11 Conspiracy Theories: Flight 93 - The Day the Sky Attacked
10 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn September 11, 2001, four American airlines were hijacked and converted into weapons of war. One of these planes was Flight 93, which ...
The Conspiratorial Mindset Behind Sandy Hook Elementary School
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn December 14th, 2012, twenty children and six adults were murdered by 20-year-old Adam Lanza at Sandy Hook Elementary. In the aftermat...
Dr. Jordan Peterson & The Moral Panic of Transgenderism
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textSince Pride Month in 2022, the political right has mobilized an offensive attack on the LGBTQIA+ community in the name of the culture wa...
The Harm of 5G EMF Radiation: Science or Pseudoscience? w/ Tim Sandars: Part 2
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn today's episode, Nelson and Tim discuss the effects of 5G radiation on the human body by talking about the conspiracy theories a...
The Harm of 5G EMF Radiation: Science or Pseudoscience? w/ Tim Sandars: Part 1
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn today's episode, Tim Sandars joins as a guest to speak on his research and understanding of non-thermal EMF radiation, precisely...
The HIV/AIDs Denialism Movement & the Implications on the LGBTQ+
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn June 5th, 1981, hospitals in Los Angeles, California, began to notice an alarming trend of patients developing pneumocystis pneumonia...
The Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory & The Reaction from the Republican Establishment
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn 2011, Renaud Camus published a book titled "Le Grand Remplacement," or as it's translated in English, The Great Replac...
Roe v. Wade: The Moral Argument of Abortion
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn May 2nd, 2022, the sociopolitical landscape was struck by a 9.5 earthquake when the initial draft majority opinion from the U.S Supre...
The Gay Agenda & Pedophilia Scare Conspiracy Theory
08 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn July 1st, 2022, the controversial Parental Rights in Education bill, or as the political left dubs it, the Don't Say Gay law, wi...
The Ketanji Brown Jackson Sex Offender Conspiracy Theory
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textThroughout the Ketanji Brown Jackson's (KBJ) Supreme Court hearing, several accusations were flared at KBJ to discredit her ability...
The Will Smith Slap Denialism Movement
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn March 27th, 2022, the 94th Oscar’s was hosted by Chris Rock. In a segment that will be remembered in the years to come. Rock direct...
The Ukraine-Russia War Conspiracy Theories
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textSince the invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, around the world, people and establishments have condemned the brutal acts of Russ...
The Ukraine-Russia: Misinformation Campaign
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn early February 2022, the Russian Federation deployed around 190,000 troops near the eastern borders of Ukraine. As a result, this ala...
The Conspiratorial Mindset of Dr. Peter McCullough
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Dr. Peter McCullough a cardiologist in training and conspiracy theory producer came on to the...
The Misconception Behind The Minor Attracted People Movement & Why It's Starting On The Wrong Foot
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn November 8th, Allyn Walker an assistant professor at Old Dominion University gave an interview on why minor-attracted people (MAPs) s...
The Travis Scott Conspiracy Theory
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textOn November 5th, 2021, thousands of fans attended Travis Scott's festival Astroworld. In the process, nine people lost their lives,...
Operation 5G The Conspiracy Theory
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textAs COVID-19 crippled country after country, many experts were tasked with answering how this virus worked and where it came from? Some s...
The Tuskegee Experiment Of 1932: Psychosocial Mistrust Of Vaccinations Among African Americans
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn 1932, the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) and the Center for Disease Prevention (CDC) started what was intended to be a 6...
Rutgers University Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn this episode, Nelson Perez talks about the updated immunization requirements Rutgers University has implemented for the Fall 2021 sem...
The Defense Mechanism Of The Anti-Vaxxer
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn this week's episode, Nelson Perez analyzes a conversation he had with an anti-vaxxer and breaks down many of the talking points ...
The Conspiratorial State Of America
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn this episode, Nelson Perez uses the existential threat model to explain the psychology behind Capitol Hill's riots on January 6t...
The Conspiratorial State Of The Republican Party w/ Sam Faldraga
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textIn this episode, Sam Faldraga discusses the events on January 6th, 2021, when Pro-Trump supporters invaded Capitol Hill. As America and ...
The Mindset Of The Anti-Vaxxer & The Generalization Of Science
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textWith the FDA approving the Pfizer vaccine to be distributed worldwide to fight off COVID-19, many skeptics have become critical of the t...
The Psychology of Not Knowing & Why Conspiracy Theorists Don't Have All The Answers
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textHow much do you know? What about what you don’t know? Or what you don’t know of what you don’t know about. On this episode of the ...
The Transactional Relationship Between Conspiracy Theory Producer & Consumer
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a text Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, but why are people so attractive to them? What occurs psychologically to people who engage in...
The American Pedophile: The Psychological Perspective & Why We're Doing It Wrong.
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textStigma is a social label that carries negative social consequences to certain populations in a community. No group faces more stigmatiza...
Conspiracy Theories and their Perpetrators
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textThe Illuminati's plan to implement the New World Order to the LGBTQ community pushing the gay agenda for population control. Everyo...
Conspiracy Theorist
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Send us a textPeople laugh and mock conspiracy theorists for believing in wacky claims, but what if I told you, you yourself are a conspiracy theorist...