Lies We Bought is a podcast that traces advertising lies and marketing deception back to where they started. Host Emily Rask spent over a decade building marketing and advertising campaigns, and now she's reading the fine print out loud (think everything from "got milk?" to "clean beauty") to show how the message got made and why we believed it. Part branding history, part consumer psychology, part 1950s wink.
If you love smart, myth-busting shows about advertising, branding, and the hidden tricks behind the stuff you buy, you're in the right place.
Pulled fresh from the oven every Tuesday at 7 AM EST. Hit follow and start questioning the receipts.
As Seen on TV: The Infomercial Moved to TikTok Shop
In 1949, a man demonstrating a blender on Cleveland TV got more than 400 phone orders in one day, and As Seen on TV was born.
This episode of Lies We Bought follows the infomercial from that live demo to the Ginsu knife, Billy Mays, the Snuggie, and the FTC cases that finally caught up with the biggest claims. Then we follow the pitch to where it lives now. QVC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2026 as shoppers moved to TikTok Shop, and the urgency of late-night TV followed them into the feed. Plus the trade court case that had to decide whether a Snuggie is a blanket or a robe.
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6 Oct 2026
Laughter Is the Best Medicine: The Science, the Myth, the Markup
Is laughter really the best medicine? In 1964, Norman Cousins checked out of the hospital, moved into a hotel room with a projector and a stack of Marx Brothers films, and became the man who laughed himself well. His story is still repeated everywhere, minus one detail that was in the room the whole time.
In this episode, I follow the phrase from a biblical proverb about grief to a medieval surgeon's bedside orders, a Reader's Digest joke column, Patch Adams, and the rise of Laughter Yoga, paid certifications, humor consultants, and wellness apps. Along the way, I look at how toxic positivity turns burnout and chronic illness into an attitude problem.
Then the science gets its turn, from a 2023 PLOS ONE meta-analysis on laughter and cortisol to Robin Dunbar's research on pain tolerance and a 2024 study on medical clowns in a children's hospital. The receipts hold up better than you might expect, and they still stop short of the word "best."
I'm very much pro-laughing. This one is about who started charging for it.
📱 Follow along on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebought
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/
29 Sept 2026
The Five Love Languages: The Dark Side of Love Advice
The Five Love Languages has sold millions of copies and shows up everywhere from first dates to therapists' offices, yet Gary Chapman built the framework from his own notes as a Baptist pastor counseling couples. This episode traces how the book became relationship gospel and what Focus on the Family has said about it.
It also looks at why critics warn that treating a struggling relationship as a love problem can be dangerous for people in abusive situations, and where the framework can still help couples.
📱 Follow along on
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LiesWeBought/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lieswebought/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lieswebought
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lieswebought
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lieswebought/
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