Louis Theroux Goes Inside the Manosphere. It’s Worse Than You Think.

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

Society & Culture

4.2 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Louis Theroux joins Kara to discuss his new Netflix documentary, "Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere." The film explores the online world of male influencers selling fitness, wealth and self-improvement through ultra-masculine and misogynistic ideologies. Louis focuses on the extreme fringes of the manosphere, where racist, homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric mixes with conspiracy theories – and his depiction of these influencers manages to be both hilarious and nerve-racking at the same time. Kara and Louis break down how the manosphere economy works, why so much of the content targets teenage boys and how tech platforms amplify it. They also examine the loneliness and economic frustration that can make young men susceptible to these messages, and why ideas that once lived on the fringe are increasingly moving into the mainstream. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The technique that they're selling isn't usually the way they actually got rich, right?
0:05.2	They're saying like, use my, just by placing tiny little ads.
0:08.5	That was one in the 90s.
0:09.9	I like your voice.
0:12.3	Or you can hypnotize yourself to be a winner.
0:15.4	And there's some multi-level marketing program that they're getting one.
0:19.0	Really, they're getting rich by selling the program.
0:22.7	You know what I mean?
0:23.5	Yeah, your voice is excellent, by the way.
0:25.2	I have to say your voices is quite good.
0:27.8	Your American con man voice is excellent. Hi, everyone from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. This is on with
0:46.3	Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. My guest today is documentary filmmaker Louis Theroo. He's a host of a new film called Louis Theroux Inside the Manosphere
0:56.3	on Netflix. If you haven't heard much about the Manosphere, it's a collection of online male
1:01.2	influencers who promote fitness, self-improvement, and business through the lens of ultra-masculine
1:05.8	and often misogynistic values. The more extreme end of the manosphere spectrum is characterized by
1:12.1	racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic rhetoric, along with the proclivity for far-right
1:16.4	conspiracy theories. That's on top of the misogyny. Just, it's something else. It's this
1:22.5	fringe of the manosphere that Louis Theroux set out to investigate, although it becomes clear in the
1:27.2	documentary that even the most extreme ideas expressed by influencers are becoming increasingly mainstream.
1:32.6	They're also very commercial, and that's why I want to talk to Louis.
1:35.7	This is a great documentary.
1:37.5	I thought it was really well done.
	...

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