Coming Monday

As co-host of one of the biggest podcasts in the country, Jessie Stephens has grown a large audience as well as a large number of critics. Over the years, Clare has watched people create a distorted version of her twin sister online, misrepresenting her career, her values, her marriage and even the way she has embraced motherhood. Much of that criticism has centred on the rumour that Jessie is successful because of nepotism, a narrative she has never addressed candidly until now.In this episode, Jessie opens up about how that narrative began, why it stuck and how it feels to have your achievements and identity rewritten by strangers. She also reflects on the pile-on that hurt her most: a 2022 debate about marriage that spiralled into personal attacks and years of ongoing criticism. This conversation explores what happens when online narratives collide with real life, and what it means to be reduced to a stereotype when you are trying to live, work and raise a family in full view of the internet.With thanks to Jessie StephensThe Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Szeps has built a career on asking difficult questions and refusing to repeat the lines people want him to say. Today, he is known for pushing back against groupthink and hosting conversations most people avoid. But long before that was his public identity, Josh experienced his first pile-on the same weekend as his wedding.In this episode, Josh reflects on the online backlash that blindsided him in New York, the much bigger one that followed years later in Australia, and what it cost him to stay honest in a culture obsessed with picking sides.This is a conversation about marriage, media, tribalism and the personal toll of refusing to belong to any one camp.With thanks to Josh SzepsThe Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In early 2024, Married at First Sight alumni Domenica Calarco and her co-host were at the height of their podcasting success. Their show Sit With Us had built a loyal audience and strong partnerships, but one episode changed everything.After a controversial interview aired, Domenica found herself at the centre of a full-blown internet storm. Headlines, comment sections and brand partners turned against her, and within days, her life and career began to unravel.In this episode, Domenica opens up about what really happened, the toll of public scrutiny, and the moment she checked into a mental health facility to begin rebuilding her life.This is a conversation about resilience, recovery and what it means to survive a pile-on you never saw coming.With thanks to Domenica CalarcoThe Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April 2025, Australian actor and content creator Kath Ebbs (they/them) found themselves at the centre of a global tabloid storm — one that had nothing to do with being on television, and everything to do with who they were dating.Their then-partner, pop icon and Celebrity Big Brother UK contestant JoJo Siwa, had spent weeks on camera forming what looked like much more than a friendship with fellow housemate Chris Hughes. Viewers dissected every glance, every late-night scene, and when the finale aired, speculation exploded. There was just one problem in that storyline — and that was Kath. At the after-party, they were blindsided and dumped.In this episode, Kath Ebbs talks about heartbreak, public scrutiny and what it costs to tell your story when the internet has already written it for you.With thanks to Kath EbbsListen to Clare's initial podcast interview with Kath here on Conversations with Kath. The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tim Minchin knows what it’s like to have the internet turn on you for something you didn’t actually say.At the end of 2023, while touring An Unfunny Evening With Tim Minchin and His Piano, his mother Ros died unexpectedly. He was grieving, performing, and trying to plan a funeral when his phone lit up with a warning from his management: “You’ll get calls from numbers you don’t recognise. Don’t pick up.” A few nights earlier, he’d spoken onstage about empathy, nuance, and the danger of dividing the world into heroes and villains — but online, that message was twisted beyond recognition. Within hours, headlines accused him of taking sides in a global conflict, and strangers branded him a “supporter of genocide.”In this episode, Tim opens up about that week — what it felt like to be misrepresented while mourning, why he walked away from social media entirely, and how his song 15 Minutes of Shame captures the culture of outrage we’ve all helped create. It’s a conversation about grief, technology, and the cost of living in a world that rewards certainty over understanding.With thanks to Tim Minchin. Next week, Kath Ebbs joins us in studio.The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Cachia knows what it’s like to be piled on on the internet. She’s been sharing her life online for 13 years — first as a blogger, then an influencer and now an entrepreneur and author. Over that time she’s learnt to live with the constant criticism that comes with visibility: the comments about her body, her parenting, her relationships, her sexuality. But there was one message she couldn’t ignore. Heavily pregnant, Sophie opened a direct message accusing her of being a sexual predator — all because of the ten-year age gap between her and her partner, Maddie.That moment forced Sophie to confront just how far people are willing to go when they think no one’s watching. Because that message wasn’t isolated — it was part of an entire ecosystem of online forums dedicated to dissecting her life. In this episode, Sophie opens up about the toll of that scrutiny, the time she hired a private investigator to uncover her trolls, and the shocking truth that one of them was a family member. This is a conversation about betrayal, resilience, and what it costs to keep showing up when there are online communities determined to tear you down.With thanks to Sophie Cachia. Next week, Tim Minchin joins us in studio.The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marlee Silva was 24 and on the cusp of a national book tour when her phone lit up—for all the wrong reasons. One accusation—branding her a “late-identifying” Aboriginal woman—ignited a vicious online pile-on. Overnight, friends fell silent, brands cut ties, and strangers dredged through her sister’s teenage Instagram posts, turning a few screenshots into a spectacle that almost destroyed Marlee’s career and sense of belonging.Five years on, Marlee has rebuilt and thrived: she’s now one of Australia’s leading voices in media and sport, a mentor to young women, and a presenter on Nine’s Wide World of Sports. But she has never spoken publicly about the toll those weeks took—on her mental health, her family, and her trust in community—until now. In this raw, unflinching conversation, Marlee reveals what it feeling ls like when the internet decides you don’t deserve your platform, how she clawed her way back, and why she still believes in the power of storytelling to heal.With thanks to Marlee Silva. You can find her podcast Marlee & Me here.Next week, business woman Sophie Cachia joins us in studio.The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here.Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here.Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to part 1 of Clare's conversation with Hannah here.On a Thursday morning in Australia, news breaks that far-right US activist Charlie Kirk has been shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Hours later, Hannah Ferguson — CEO of Cheek Media, a proudly feminist and unapologetically progressive platform — publishes her response. The headline reads: “The shooting of Charlie Kirk is not a choice between celebration and condemnation.” Within hours, her words ignite a firestorm, sending her name into headlines across mainstream media and sparking another brutal pile-on.In Part 2 of my conversation with Hannah, we talk about what it’s like to weather this latest storm in real-time. She opens up about the death and rape threats, the financial insecurity facing her business, and the attacks on her character that have left her shaken. This episode picks up where we left off in Part 1 — as Hannah confronts not just the personal cost of a pile-on, but the terrifying scale of one that has made her a national target.With thanks to Hannah Ferguson. You can see her live across the country in the upcoming months. More details can be found here. Next week, journalist Marlee Silva joins us in studio.The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here. Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done — about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on — here. Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to part 2 of Clare's conversation with Hannah here.When Cheek Media co-founder Hannah Ferguson posted a video supporting Kamala Harris in 2024, she didn’t expect it to spark one of the most painful pile-ons of her career. What began as criticism from prominent media voices soon spread to her own family, with strangers targeting her teenage sister in a way that blurred the lines between online outrage and real life.In this episode of The Pile-On, Hannah reflects on what it feels like when the attacks come from allies rather than enemies, and how she navigates being both a target and a commentator herself. She also opens up about the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination - when her response triggered yet another storm - and the lasting personal toll of living at the centre of public controversy.With thanks to Hannah Ferguson. You can see her live across the country in the upcoming months. More details can be found here.Next week, journalist Marlee Silva joins us in studio.The Pile-On is created and hosted by Clare Stephens.Produced by Lize Ratliff.For guest suggestions or feedback, message Clare on Instagram @clare.stephenssSubscribe to Clare’s substack NQR (Not Quite Right) here. Find her debut novel The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done - about a young woman at the centre of a vicious online pile-on here. Please remember you don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out for help can feel difficult, but support is available 24/7. If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is The Pile-On—where the headlines end, and the human stories begin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.