The wellness path to conspiracy

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 May 2026

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Sean talks with Vox senior correspondent Anna North about the strange rise of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. They explore why MAHA resonates, especially with younger people, how legitimate concerns about food and public health blur into conspiracy thinking, and why social media has become such a powerful engine for both. They also discuss the collapse of trust in institutions, the emotional logic behind wellness movements, and what it would take to rebuild trust in science and public health. Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Anna North (@annanorthtweets) We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Right, home from work, walk the dog, kids are back.
0:05.0	Mom!
0:06.0	Up the stairs for something.
0:08.0	Ugh, back down, no idea what I went up for.
0:12.0	Mom, what's for dinner?
0:14.0	Chop, sizzle, done.
0:17.0	Hello Fresh can't slow life down, but it makes bringing everyone together around the table a whole lot easier.
0:23.4	So it's phones down, forks up.
0:25.5	Hello Fresh. Bring back dinner time.
0:29.8	What's up, y'all? I'm Skylar Diggins, seven-time WMBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and mom.
0:36.2	And I'm Cassidy Hubbard, host and reporter for nearly 20 years,
0:39.8	covering the biggest names and stories in sports and mom.
0:43.6	And this is Am Mom, a community for athletes, game changers, and moms of all kinds.
0:49.6	Dropping May 14th.
0:51.1	Tap in with us.
0:58.2	Thank you. May 14th. Tap in with us. This is a gray area.
0:59.7	I am Sean Elling.
1:00.6	My guest today is Anna North.
1:02.7	She's a colleague of mine here at Vox who covers American culture and family life.
1:07.3	She's also the author of The Excellent Newsletter Kids Today.
1:12.5	I invited Anna on the show to talk about Maha, that is Make America Healthy Again for the uninitiated. We talk about what this
1:18.5	thing is, how it's evolving, and who it's appealing to. This is one of those trends that on the
	...

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