Viral Article Hall of Fame: Bad Vegan, Sarma Melngailis, and The Boyfriend Scam

Glamorous Trash: A Celebrity Memoir Podcast

Chelsea Devantez

Society & Culture, Arts, Books

4.6 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 1 August 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In our inaugural Viral Article Hall of Fame episode, Chelsea welcomes "Text Me Back!" hosts Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays to dig into one of the wildest viral articles of all time: Vanity Fair’s How Sarma Melngailis, Queen of Vegan Cuisine, Became a Runaway Fugitive. They recap the story that inspired the Netflix doc "Bad Vegan," unpack revelations from Sarma’s self-published memoir, and explain how Alec Baldwin is somehow involved. Plus: clapbacks at body-shamers and the infamous pizza order that led to Sarma’s arrest. A content warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual abuse, abortion, and body image. Take care while listening and find helpful resources here. Join the cookie community: Become a member of the Patreon Follow Chelsea: Instagram @chelseadevantez Show Notes: Pre-Order Lindy’s new book “Adult Braces” How Sarma Melngailis, Queen of Vegan Cuisine, Became a Runaway Fugitive (Vanity Fair) Bad Vegan (Netflix) Bad Vegan, Part Two? (Grub Street) Where to find our guests, Lindy West and Meagan Hatcher-Mays : Listen to the Text Me Back! Podcast Lindy’s Instagram Meagan’s Instagram Text Me Back Instagram Support Text Me Back on Patreon *** Glamorous Trash is all about going high and low at the same time— Glam and Trash. We recap and book club celebrity memoirs, deconstruct pop culture, and sometimes, we cry! If you've ever referenced Mariah Carey in therapy... then this is the podcast for you. Thank you to our sponsors: Thrive Causemetics - Get 20% off your first order at thrivecausemetics.com/glamorous Everyplate - Get a special offer of only $1.99 a meal at everyplate.com/podcast and use code GLAMOROUS199 Libro.fm - Click here to get 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 with your first month of membership using code TRASH. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We've grown up surrounded by beauty ideals that promised confidence, but often delivered shame.
0:05.5	In a special episode of a millennial mind, I sat down with Nicola Adams to explore how appearance-based
0:11.3	compliments and body talk shape our self-worth without us realising it. In partnership with the
0:16.9	Dove Self-Esteen project, we unpack the tools to change the conversation for
0:21.1	ourselves and for future generations. Listen now and download the free body confidence journal
0:26.4	at Dove.com forward slash Y2K.
0:35.7	Welcome to Glamourous Trash. This is a podcast that book club's viral articles, celebrity memoirs, and trashy discourse
0:41.9	to elevate your life.
0:43.0	I'm your host, Chelsea Devonchez.
0:44.5	I'm a TV writer, comedian, filmmaker, author, and sometimes I'm in stuff too.
0:48.6	And today, we're doing a viral article Hall of Fame episode, where we reach back into the archives
0:56.0	and pick out some of the most notable viral articles
0:58.8	of all time.
1:00.2	And today we are book clubbing the Vanity Fair article
1:03.4	titled How Sarma Melangielis, Queen of Vegan
1:06.9	Cuisine, became a runaway fugitive by Alan Salkin.
1:11.3	So to really lay out what we are going to discuss today, this is the original article
1:17.1	about Sarma Mingyallis, who ran a raw vegan restaurant in New York City called Pure Food
1:23.4	and Wine.
1:24.6	Sarma then went on the run from the law with her husband, Anthony Strangess,
1:29.9	after it was discovered that they had stopped paying her employees, and Anthony had coerced
1:35.6	Sarma into giving him millions of dollars and putting her wildly in debt. Now, years after the
	...

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