The Cult of Nickelodeon

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Comedy, Education, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Few pop culture phenomena have commanded such fierce devotion while hiding so many skeletons in their neon-colored closet. This week, Chelsea, Amanda, and Reese dig into Nickelodeon—not just as a childhood staple, but as a world built on loyalty, odd rituals, and unsettling secrets. From the hypnotic allure of The Kids' Choice Awards and the iconic green slime to the troubling revelations surrounding Dan Schneider and the exploitation behind the scenes, we’re breaking down how Nickelodeon crafted a universe that felt rebellious and freeing, while masking a much darker reality. Was the network’s quirky, anti-establishment vibe just smoke and mirrors? How does nostalgia shape the way we process these unsettling truths? Join us as we peel back the layers of an empire that shaped generations, for better or worse. Nick-Nick-Nick, Nick-Nick-NICK-NICK! Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube! Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles. Thank you to our sponsors! Start earning points on rent you’re already paying by going to https://joinbilt.com/CULT You have got to take advantage of this brand new deal from Adam & Eve at https://www.adamandeve.com/cult Please consider donating to those affected by the Los Angeles Fires. Some organizations that Team SLAC are donating to are: https://mutualaidla.org/ https://give.pasadenahumane.org/give/654134/#!/donation/checkout https://shorturl.at/SGW9w Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The views expressed on this episode, as with all episodes of Sounds Like a Cult, are solely host opinions and quoted allegations.
0:06.0	The content here should not be taken as indisputable fact. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
0:12.3	I just cannot believe that this objectively revolting substance was able to be harnessed by Nickelodeon into something that little kids wanted to
0:23.6	happen to them. Are you trying to say that the slime is an innuendo? It starts as some funny
0:31.0	little penny t-shirts and some silly little foot jokes and then it is straight up psychological
0:35.6	trauma for these actors.
0:38.7	This is Sounds Like a Colts, a show about the modern day cults we all follow.
0:44.1	I'm your host Amanda Montel and I'm an author.
0:46.1	And I'm your co-host, Chelsea Charles, and I'm an unscripted TV producer.
0:50.3	And I'm also your co-host, Reese Oliver.
0:53.4	Sounds like a Colts coordinator. Every week on
0:55.8	this show, we discuss a different zeitgeisty group that puts the cult in culture, from
1:01.0	Tradwives to Stanley Cups to try and answer the big question. This group sounds like a cult, but is it really?
1:16.6	Yeah. Sounds like a cult, but is it really? And if so, which of our culty categories does it fall into?
1:20.6	Live your life, watch your back, or a get the fuck out.
1:24.6	After all, not every culty lookinglooking group these days is equally destructive.
1:29.5	Cultish influence falls along a spectrum.
1:32.0	The point of the show is to analyze how fanaticism shows up in everyday life, to poke a little
1:36.9	bit of fun at human search for meaning, and to critique how power abuse shows up in places
1:42.2	you might not think to look.
1:43.5	Like a cult of seemingly aspirational child actors
1:47.1	drenched in green slime and secrets.
	...

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