Heretics | Andrew Gold

By Andrew Gold

Journalist Andrew Gold talks to everyone from cult defectors and politicians to mainstream celebrities - people who’ve challenged the expected script and lived with the consequences.

Guests include Ro... more

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The podcast currently has 718 episodes available.

Best of Heretics | Andrew Gold

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Number 1: I Followed the Money Behind The Protests. It Led to 1 Man – Nate Friedman
Are the protests filling Western streets truly spontaneous - or are some being engineered from above? Investigative journalist Nate Friedman followed the money behind what looked like grassroots activism. He says he uncovered repeat organisers, nonprofit pass-throughs, more than $20 million connected to one little-known billionaire—and the same network appearing behind cause after cause. Subscribe to his amazing channel: @natefriedman In this rare long-form conversation, Nate reveals how he tracks the people and organisations behind mass demonstrations, why activists tried to block his street interviews and why he says major protests suddenly disappeared after federal investigators began asking questions. He tells Andrew what shocked him most when he came to Britain, why New York could be a warning to the rest of the West, how social media helps charismatic radicals gain power—and why the funding trail keeps leading back to China. But Andrew challenges him on the questions his critics will ask: Are ordinary protesters actually being paid? Can street interviews represent an entire community? Does editing distort the picture? And is Nate documenting a coordinated political machine—or only its loudest members? The conversation becomes deeply personal as Nate recalls losing Charlie Kirk, encountering students who celebrated it and making a decision that changed his mission. Watch to the end to discover the investigation Nate is building now—and why he says his goal is nothing less than saving the West. CHAPTERS 00:00 The $20 Million Machine Behind the Protests 04:46 What “Paid Protesters” Actually Means 08:44 Why the Same Faces Keep Appearing 12:16 He Asked Hundreds—Their Answer Never Changed 16:01 What Britain’s Elites Refuse to See 20:57 Is It Already Too Late for Britain? 24:20 New York’s Radical Experiment Begins 29:29 How 25 Years Changed America Forever 32:30 Is the Point of No Return Getting Closer? 37:19 The Enclaves Quietly Taking Power 43:10 Charlie Kirk: “The Worst Day of My Life” 47:08 Why He Refused to Stop #PaidProtesters #NateFriedman #FollowTheMoney #DarkMoney #InvestigativeJournalism #PoliticalInfluence #Heretics #AndrewGold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
September 03, 202654min
Number 2: Vanessa Feltz: This Interview Got Surprisingly Heated
Vanessa Feltz has spent more than thirty years at the heart of British television. I built Heretics outside it. We began by agreeing that television had become sanitised. Within minutes, she was asking whether I was ashamed of myself. What follows is a collision between two very different ideas of public conversation: one prioritises care and responsibility; the other prioritises bluntness and freedom. You decide which one the future belongs to. Sub to her new show here: https://www.youtube.com/@VanessaFeltzYouTube Following the sudden end of her Channel 5 programme, Vanessa reveals how Paramount pulled the plug, why terrestrial television is losing its audience and what decades in British broadcasting taught her about censorship, controversy and the shrinking space for unscripted opinions. But the agreement doesn’t last. A throwaway remark about Loose Women becomes an accusation of misogyny and ageism. Vanessa explains why she deplores my decision to interview Katie Hopkins, questions whether controversial figures deserve a platform and reveals whether she would invite Woody Allen into her home. Then, after Vanessa asks what I have said that made me unacceptable to mainstream television, the interview takes its most dramatic turn. We clash over transgender identity, pronouns, detransition, compelled speech and whether genuine compassion means affirming somebody’s identity—or being willing to tell them something they do not want to hear. At one point, Vanessa calls me “nasty”. Shortly afterwards, she announces that she has lost the will to live. But the arguments are only half the story. Vanessa also speaks with startling honesty about growing up with parents who rarely expressed love, being made to feel grateful to any man who chose her and why she has never sustained a successful relationship. She opens up about the cruelty she experienced over her weight, starving and dehydrating herself before televised weigh-ins on Celebrity Fit Club, the gastric band that became embedded in her liver and why she wishes Mounjaro and Wegovy had existed before she underwent gastric bypass surgery. There are also extraordinary stories involving Madonna, Katie Price, Woody Harrelson, Jeff Goldblum, The Big Breakfast and the famous guests who behaved very strangely after climbing into bed with Vanessa. Was Vanessa defending kindness and responsibility—or the instincts that made mainstream television frightened of real conversation? Was I defending honesty and free expression—or simply being provocative for its own sake? Watch until the end and decide for yourself. The way the conversation concludes may surprise you. Subscribe to Heretics for long-form conversations in which insiders, survivors and dissidents reveal the hidden rules of powerful people and institutions—and how those rules affect you. CHAPTERS 0:00 “Are you ashamed of yourself?” 3:54 Why mainstream television is dying 7:59 One joke turns the interview against Andrew 12:32 Is offensiveness ever “just a joke”? 18:15 The parents who rarely expressed love 21:59 Why Vanessa always needed to be chosen 25:09 Why Vanessa deplores Katie Hopkins 30:48 Vanessa discovers she was voted one of Britain’s worst people 35:18 How she avoided the internet until 2020 38:27 “What have you said?” The gender clash begins 42:36 What does it really mean to be a woman? 46:18 “You’re just being nasty” 50:10 When “just be kind” stops being simple 55:40 The weight-loss operation that went horribly wrong 59:03 Starving herself before a televised weigh-in 1:03:21 Why one slice of cake changes everything 1:07:19 Vanessa’s YouTube reinvention—and the stars in her bed #VanessaFeltz #Heretics #AndrewGold #FreeSpeech #BritishTV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 27, 20261h 16min
Number 3: Everybody Loves Raymond Star: I Had to Join Hollywood’s Secret Network - Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton says Hollywood became so hostile to dissent that she helped build a private network of 2,000–3,000 insiders - before the IRS asked for its members’ names. In this Heretics interview, the Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle star tells Andrew Gold why “Hollywood’s dead”—and what changed inside its comedy writers’ rooms. Patricia reveals how a small gathering involving Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight and Ben Shapiro grew into Friends of Abe, Hollywood’s secret community for conservatives, libertarians and independent thinkers. Follow Patricia on X here: https://x.com/PatriciaHeaton And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patriciaheaton Andrew first heard Patricia Heaton discuss Hollywood’s writers’ rooms with Dave Rubin on The Rubin Report. Here, they go further: from jokes being rejected as offensive and diversity requirements affecting hiring to Patricia’s Catholic faith, her pro-life beliefs and the people who allegedly refused to work with her. Patricia also challenges Andrew’s atheism before they debate October 7, Israel, antisemitism, Hollywood activism, radical Islam, immigration and the political future of America. Can Hollywood ever produce another timeless sitcom like Everybody Loves Raymond—or has fear permanently changed comedy? Subscribe to Heretics for more honest conversations with the insiders, survivors and dissidents challenging powerful institutions. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Hollywood’s secret club: the explosive preview 1:06 Patricia Heaton says “Hollywood’s dead” 6:40 Why classic comedy couldn’t be made today 9:54 The joke young writers called “homophobic” 14:46 Diversity rules inside Hollywood writers’ rooms 19:04 Being Catholic and pro-life in Hollywood 23:03 Friends of Abe: Hollywood’s secret conservative club 26:06 3,000 members, IRS scrutiny and career backlash 32:06 Patricia Heaton challenges Andrew’s atheism 38:00 October 7 and Hollywood’s silence 42:00 Did the West learn the wrong lesson from 9/11? 45:48 Why is Israel held to a different standard? 49:58 Andrew’s terrifying Jerusalem chase 53:04 Is activism Hollywood’s latest status symbol? 56:04 From sitcom fame to a warning about freedom 59:25 Christianity, Islamism and closed communities 1:02:25 Mamdani, political violence and the far left 1:05:38 Can America reverse course? #PatriciaHeaton #EverybodyLovesRaymond #TheMiddle #Hollywood #Heretics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 24, 20261h 11min
Number 4: Gene Simmons: Stop Letting These Celebrities Do This
Gene Simmons joins Andrew Gold for a completely unfiltered Heretics interview about KISS, celebrity politics, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Israel, fame, sex, money—and the first 29 years of his relationship with Shannon Tweed, which he now sees very differently. The KISS co-founder and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer explains why he believes the public should ignore political advice from entertainers—including himself. He takes aim at celebrity activism, discusses Kylie Jenner, Javier Bardem, Bruce Springsteen and Billie Eilish, reveals why he abandoned the Democratic Party, and warns that Los Angeles and New York are in deep trouble. But the most revealing moments are personal. Gene discusses being abandoned by his father, the terrifying childhood night that taught him to rely on himself, his extraordinary self-belief and why he says fame gave him permission to behave in ways an ordinary man never could. He also addresses the stories about 4,800 women, admits how his behaviour affected Shannon and their children, and responds directly to an explosive accusation involving his late KISS bandmate Ace Frehley. Along the way: Donald Trump, Mike Tyson, Margaret Thatcher, antisemitism, Israel, Islam, capitalism, the nuclear family, Gene’s infamous tongue—and how KISS became “Disney without the overhead,” selling everything from condoms to caskets. This is Gene Simmons as few interviews capture him: funny, combative, candid and completely unfiltered. Subscribe to Heretics for more fearless, long-form conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. CHAPTERS 0:00 Gene Simmons Arrives—and Asks Why We’re in “the Ghetto” 2:20 “Ignore Celebrities”: Kylie Jenner & Javier Bardem 6:34 His Father Abandoned Him: The Poverty That Shaped Gene 10:56 Donald Trump, Democracy & Britain’s “Flawed” System 15:09 Why Gene Abandoned the Democrats—LA & New York in Trouble 19:22 Trans Politics, the Nuclear Family & Why Musicians Should Shut Up 23:31 Billie Eilish’s “Stolen Land” Claim—Then Religion Gets Explosive 29:07 Hollywood’s Israel Problem & 6,000 Years of Antisemitism 33:35 Judaism, Humanism & Why Gene Simmons Loves Himself 37:15 The Childhood Night That Changed Him—and Mike Tyson’s Secret 41:31 “Stop Complaining”: Gene’s Brutal Formula for Success 46:25 The Infamous Tongue, 4,800 Women & Sex Addiction 52:02 “Didn’t It Hurt Shannon?”—His 29-Year Reckoning 57:16 Gene Simmons Answers Ace Frehley’s Explosive Accusation 1:01:43 Armie Hammer, Islam, Extremism & Britain’s Grooming Gangs 1:05:39 Jesus, Galileo & the Heretics Gene Simmons Admires #GeneSimmons #KISS #Heretics #AndrewGold #RockAndRoll Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 31, 20261h 13min
Number 5: She's The Most Evil Person Online - Kanika Batra
Kanika Batra says her psychiatrist scored her 33 out of 40 for psychopathy. She also says she set someone on fire - and that the worst thing she has ever done cannot be discussed because “there’s no statute of limitations.” In this unfiltered Heretics interview, Andrew Gold sits opposite the former beauty queen, author and viral sociopathy creator to discover what life is really like without emotional empathy, guilt or remorse. --- Follow Kanika: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KanikaBatra TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ogkanikabatra Website and book: https://kanikarose.com --- Kanika explains her diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), commonly associated with sociopathy, and why she describes herself as an extreme psychopath. But can a psychopath genuinely love? Can you recognise one by looking into their eyes? Which of Kanika’s smiles is real - and what weakness would she exploit to manipulate Andrew? They discuss: * Kanika’s psychopathy score - and why 32 out of 40 is so extreme * The disturbing things she says she did as a child• Who she set on fire and what she felt afterwards * How sociopaths imitate emotion, empathy and remorse * The difference between a psychopath, sociopath and narcissist * How Kanika would psychologically manipulate Andrew * Whether psychopaths can experience love• Fake smiles, unblinking eyes and the physical signs she looks for * Her controversial Sociopathic Dating Bible * Why she adopted a different personality for her TikTok audience * Which celebrities and political figures she believes are psychopaths or narcissists * Her unexpected involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew story Kanika Batra - also known online as Kanika Rose - has built an audience of more than 670,000 people across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, generating over 37 million views with videos about sociopathy, dark psychology, manipulation, narcissism, dating and power. She has also appeared on LADbible’s Honesty Box, discussing what it means to live without empathy, guilt or remorse. Kanika’s descriptions of her own experiences - and her opinions about the psychology of public figures - are her own and should not be treated as clinical diagnoses or medical advice. #KanikaBatra #Psychopath #DarkPsychology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 17, 20261h 4min