Noelle Cook

@noellecook

Author of The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging (Broadleaf Books, 2026) | Associate Producer + Researcher, The Conspiracists (2024) | noellecook.com

815 Following21,704 Followers1,244 Posts

Linktree Bluesky

writing

Is this your profile?Claim it and noellecook.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jul 11

The Conspiracists has been out for six months, and I keep coming back to the question at the center of it: what do conspiracy communities give people beyond the beliefs themselves? Certainty, purpose, identity, and belonging. January 6 was one outcome of that world, but it was never the whole story🧵

Bright blue book cover for The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging by Noelle Cook. Centered on the cover is a large stylized blonde woman’s face with dark, hollow-looking eyes and a Statue of Liberty-style crown.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jul 4

Palm Springs, showing off again.

Tall palm trees rise against a soft pink and lavender sunset sky, their fronds catching the last warm light.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 25

Stephen Miller’s proposal does not just echo Nazi Germany, it echoes the United States the Nazis studied: early-20th-century American eugenics, institutionalization, and the state sorting people into “fit” and “burden.” We know where this goes.

Black-and-white archival photo of an American eugenics exhibit board. Large text reads, “Some people are born to be a burden on the rest.” Smaller signs use flashing lights to claim rates of birth, imprisonment, and hereditary “defects.” A “Fitter Families Contest” card appears in the center. Credit line: American Philosophical Society.

Black-and-white archival photo of a larger American eugenics display. The board reads, “Some people are born to be a burden on the rest” and “Learn about heredity. You can help to correct these conditions.” Across the center it says, “America needs,” with “less of these” on one side and “more of these” on the other. Credit line: American Philosophical Society.

Black-and-white archival photo of an American eugenics exhibit board titled, “Learn About Heredity. You can help to correct these conditions.” Smaller signs claim that crime, institutionalization, and “mental defect” are hereditary social costs. Credit line: American Philosophical Society.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 12

Here’s one 🙄

Screenshot of a since-deleted June 5, 2026 post by Pam Hemphill reading, “My letter to the DOJ requesting $1,776 slush fund because of Trump lying to the country that the election was stolen!” Below the text are photos of her multi-page claim letter to the Justice Department’s Anti-Weaponization Fund Commission, listing charges, claimed losses and damages, and her signature line.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 12

MAGA Granny Pam Hemphill frantically deleted the posts announcing her planned $5 million claim against Trump’s taxpayer-funded “slush fund” after the attention turned negative & the fund began looking uncertain. Since it may survive after all, I saved this screenshot for her inevitable pivot back.🙄

Screenshot of a June 5, 2026 X post by Pam Hemphill (@PamHemphill79) reading, “My letter to the DOJ requesting $1,776 slush fund because of Trump lying to the country that the election was stolen!” Attached are photos of a three-page compensation claim addressed to the Justice Department’s Anti-Weaponization Fund Commission. The letter lists her January 6 charges, prison sentence and claimed losses, including $500,000 in legal fees, $160,000 in lost wages, $5,000 in incarceration costs, a $230,000 home, a $35,000 Mustang, ongoing therapy, reputational harm, and loss of family and friends.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 7

Mike Lee has spent years supporting policies that decide whose identities deserve recognition. Now that his own is being denied, he seems less enthusiastic about letting the government decide who counts.

Screenshot of a June 7, 2026 post on X by Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) reading: “I’m not talking about what individual Christians might think. I’m talking about the U.S. government. I can say confidently that the U.S. government has no business recognizing the Christianity of literally every other religious sect that worships Jesus Christ—with one exception.”

The post quotes Bethel McGrew, whose visible text reads: “I really respect Mike Lee in a lot of ways and believe he’s accomplished some good things, but his ongoing crusade to guilt Christians into saying Mormons are Christians is really getting irritatin…”

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 7

#Caturday timeline cleanse

A brown tabby cat named Malibu, sits tucked into a white wall alcove beside a leafy green pothos in a cream textured pot, looking directly at the camera with bright green eyes.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 6

Someone told MAGA Granny Pam Hemphill that Harry Dunn reposted me here, and she’s been spiraling on X ever since. Somewhere in the tantrum, she posted her $5 million claim against taxpayers. She built a brand on accountability, then demanded that you pay for the consequences of her personal choices.

Screenshot of a June 5 post by Pam Hemphill on X. Hemphill writes, “Shame on everyone who’s been listening to @noellecook_com and not talking to me, as there’s always two sides to every story!” She claims Noelle was upset because Hemphill would not let her write a book about her and says Noelle “confessed” that she respects other January 6 women more. The post includes a screenshot of search results for Noelle Cook’s book, The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging.

Screenshot of a January 2024 private message from Noelle Cook to Pam Hemphill. Noelle writes that Hemphill’s listeners believed she was trying to secure an interview, but that by October 2021 Noelle had decided not to write about her because Hemphill seemed one-dimensional, attention-seeking, and committed to portraying herself as a victim. Noelle adds that she is not a journalist and is writing about women she has known over two years who are honest, authentic, and compelling without requiring guesswork.

Close-up of a page from Pam Hemphill’s compensation claim listing alleged financial and personal damages. Red commentary has been added over the document, questioning her claimed $160,000 loss from a part-time counseling job, the claimed loss of a $230,000 home despite renting, whether January 6 supporters helped fund the Mustang, the value of weekly therapy, the cause of lost relationships, and her repeated claims of death threats.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 4

Here’s what I can tell you about Maine. One summer, I spent a heavenly week on an off-grid island in the middle of Brandy Pond, located twenty-some miles down a logging road, and I didn’t see another human for 7 whole days.

View across Brandy Pond at golden hour, framed by pine trees and low brush in the foreground. A large tree trunk stands on the left, with pine branches stretching across the top of the image. The water is still and reflective, mirroring pale pink and cream clouds in a blue evening sky. A dense tree line runs along the far shore.

Two overturned canoes rest on a forest floor of pine needles and leaves. One is pale yellow and one is red. They sit among dense green trees, ferns, and undergrowth in a wooded area.

A peaceful lake or pond at sunset, with still water reflecting pink clouds, blue sky, and a dark tree line. Tall pines and dense forest line the left shore, with grasses or reeds along the water’s edge. The reflection is nearly mirror-like, making the trees and clouds appear doubled in the water.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Jun 1

There is a familiar mistake make ... She's still the same MTG.

Screenshot of an X post by Marjorie Taylor Greene, verified account @mtgreenee, posted May 31, 2026. The post reads: “I don’t want any more safe and effective vaccines. I want them to stop engineering ticks and viruses as bio weapons.” Below it is a quoted post from Leading Report saying: “Pfizer reportedly has a new ‘safe and effective’ Lyme disease vaccine designed to prevent infections from tick bites, per Dr. Marc Siegel.” The post shows 141.6K views.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· May 30

Pam Hemphill thanked AP for “sharing my thoughts about the J6... Slush Fund” after the article reported she filed a claim seeking $5M compensation from it. In the same article, repentant J6er Jason Riddle said what accountability actually sounds like: “I’d love money, but I can’t accept that.” 2/3

Screenshot of Pam Hemphill’s X post. Hemphill writes that she will never stop believing Trump and his enablers are to blame for January 6, then thanks AP News for “sharing my thoughts about the J6 $1.776B Slush Fund scandal.” The post includes an AP article preview with a photo of rioters outside the U.S. Capitol and a headline about Capitol rioters seeking payouts from Trump’s anti-weaponization fund.

Graphic titled “The Contrast Between Authenticity and Performance.” The top section quotes an AP article about Jason Riddle, a military veteran from New Hampshire sentenced to 90 days after pleading guilty to riot charges, saying it would be “ridiculous” for any Jan. 6 rioter to receive government compensation. He says, “I’d love money, but I can’t accept that,” and states that they were prosecuted for committing criminal behavior at the U.S. Capitol.

The bottom section quotes the same AP article about Pamela Hemphill, sentenced to 60 days in jail, rejecting a Trump pardon but filing a claim seeking $5 million in compensation from the fund. Hemphill blames Trump’s election lies for why she was at the Capitol, saying, “It’s a direct result of his lies that I was even there that day.”

Noelle Cook@noellecook· May 28

Pam Hemphill (aka MAGA Granny) spent years in the national spotlight saying she pled guilty because she was guilty. She was not a victim. She went to January 6 as a volunteer. Apparently personal responsibility comes with a $5 million taxpayer-funded buyout option.

Screenshot of an X thread. Joyce Alene reposts a Scott MacFarlane post about 35 former federal judges filing a motion in Florida to reopen Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, with an embedded image from a court filing saying, “This court was deceived.” Below, highlighted with a red box, Pam Hemphill replies: “I’m applying under the advice from an attorney for $5 million dollars, as. J6 defendant!” The reply is timestamped 6:12 PM, May 27, 2026.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· May 3

Fin’s first flight, and it’s cross country. Flying out of Palm Springs, easily the most beautiful airport.

A small tan puppy (Fin) lies on green grass wearing a bright neon green harness and black leash, panting with his tongue out. Palm trees, a shaded outdoor walkway with white canopy structures, and low buildings sit behind him under a vivid blue sky.

Tall palm trees line a landscaped area outside a low, modern airport building with mountains in the background. Bright sun, blue sky with scattered clouds, and clean walkways frame signage and an outdoor sculpture.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· May 1

I think it’s citing examples that can help explain the “meaning” behind the slang.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· May 1

The first citation I notice from The Conspiracists, and it’s for “Big Mike.” 😭

Screenshot of a Wiktionary entry showing a 2026 citation for Noelle Cook’s The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging. The excerpt reads: “Tammy reposts a meme of Barbara Bush and adds her own caption: Big Mike wasn’t the first First DUDE!” The phrase “Big Mike” is bolded. Below are category links (“English citations pages,” “English terms with quotations”) and a note that the page was last edited one month ago.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 25

Looking forward to being back in Baltimore. If you’re in town on May 6, and able to join us at Red Emma’s, I’d be glad to see you there.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 24

Three screenings down, a BBC Radio 4 interview recorded, four cinemas to go. A full week in London and properly exhausted for all the right reasons. Grateful to everyone who has shown up, spread the word, and supported our work. And thank you to director Liz Smith for the adventure of a lifetime.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 19

Forty years ago today, I was a 19-year-old living the dream when I got to photograph and meet Ian McCulloch at an Echo & the Bunnymen show in Irvine, California. April 19, 1989.

Four vintage concert photographs. In the first three images, Ian McCulloch performs on a dark stage under colored lights and haze, dressed in black with tousled hair falling over his face. He sings into a microphone stand with eyes closed in one shot, grips the mic dramatically in another, and gestures while holding a cigarette in a third. The atmosphere is moody and theatrical, with red, blue, and amber stage lights glowing behind him. In the fourth image, Noelle Cook stands beside Ian McCulloch offstage or backstage. Noelle wears a light-colored blazer and carries a shoulder bag, looking at the camera with a slight smile. Ian stands next to her in dark clothing and red-tinted sunglasses, facing forward with a cool, reserved expression. The photos have a grainy late-1980s or early-1990s flash-camera look.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 19

Remind me, was Grok found in the Epstein files?

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 18

Women do not always enter extremism through openly political content. Sometimes they enter through homemaking, homeschooling, wellness, motherhood, or backlash to feminism, and are then introduced to something much darker. By the time it looks political, it's their new community.

Screenshot of an Instagram post by the account “antiquaesthetic.” The main image shows a young woman with very long wavy brown hair seated sideways at a small metal patio table on a wooden porch. She is turned away from the camera, holding a teacup over a matching saucer. She wears a bright red long-sleeved blouse and a long black pleated skirt. Behind her are pale green house siding, large windows with white trim, and several potted plants visible on the windowsill and porch. An empty matching metal chair sits to the left.

At the top right, the caption reads: “Someone recently told me I give off Mormon vibes 😂” followed by hashtags including “#antiqueaesthetic #antique #revoltagainstthemodernworld #ecofascism #econationalism #escapesociety #vintageaesthetic #vintagevalues #traditionalvalues #traditionalgenderroles #traditionaleuropean #vintagelifestyle #vintagefashion #tradvalues #trad #traditionalwoman #modestfashion #natsoc #nationalsocialism #conservative #conservativevalues #cottagecore #cottagecoreaesthetic #cottagegarden #countrylifestyle #cottage #homestead.” Several hashtags are highlighted in yellow, including “#revoltagainstthemodernworld,” “#ecofascism,” “#econationalism,” “#natsoc,” “#nationalsocialism,” and “#homestead.”

A visible comment below says: “You have a modesty worthy of a beautiful white girl. White women should be inspired by you.” The post shows 136 likes and is dated August 20, 2021. The overall image pairs soft vintage domestic styling with explicit extremist-coded and white nationalist hashtags and comments.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 18

That post about chickens is not always just about chickens. Sometimes it sits right next to anti-LGBTQ hate, racism, biblical submission, antisemitism, and even literal Nazis, with a block of hashtags meant to feed you more. That is how the pipeline works.

Outdoor scene in a wooded, overgrown homestead area with a group of chickens pecking at the ground among green plants and brush. In the background are trees, cut logs, and a small rustic structure or coop. A white text box is overlaid across the center with a dense block of hashtags, several highlighted in yellow. Visible tags include: “#selfsufficiency #growyourownfood #homestead #homesteading #selfreliance #outdoorlife #homemaker #revoltagainstthemodernworld #christianvalues #traditionalism #rejectthemodernworld #westernvalues #traditionalvalues #femininenotfeminist #christianworldview #traditionalhousewife #offgridtinyhouse #offgridhomestead #offgrid.” The image presents backyard chickens and food-growing aesthetics alongside traditionalist and anti-modern ideological tags.

Cropped image of a woman seated outdoors on grass near a garden, wearing a light blue vintage-style dress with front buttons and decorative trim. Her face is mostly out of frame, and her long wavy brown hair falls over one shoulder. She is holding or resting a hand on a reddish-brown chicken beside her. A white text box overlays the lower left portion of the image, containing many hashtags, with some highlighted in yellow. Visible tags include: “#antiqueaesthetic #vintagefashion #vintagestyle #vintageaesthetic #vintagevalues #traditionalvalues #traditionalgenderroles #traditionaleuropean #tradvalues #traditionalwoman #modestfashion #revoltagainstthemodernworld #econationalism #econationalist #kaczynski #escapesociety #cottagecore #cottagecoreaesthetic #natsoc #traditionalfemininity #tradwoman #tradwife #traditionallifestyle #selfsufficient #selfsufficiency #cottagegarden #countrylifestyle #smallfarm #backyardfarm.” The image combines soft cottagecore imagery with explicit ideological and extremist-coded hashtags.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 18

Tradwives are not just influencer grift. They soften the ground, making extremism feel natural, moral, even desirable. In a post-truth culture, people are rarely radicalized through serious engagement with history. They are pulled in through imagery, hashtags, adjacent content, and algorithms.

Vintage-style illustration of a white family seated in church pews. A father in a dark blue suit looks upward, seated beside a mother in a lavender outfit and hat. Two blond children sit with them, and part of another child’s face is visible behind the pew at left. An American flag stands in the background on the right. Over the image, black text boxes with white lettering read: “Outbreed.” and “Outlast.” A white rectangle near the bottom contains a dense block of hashtags, many highlighted in yellow. Visible hashtags include: “#biblicalpatriarchy #christianpatriarchy #biblicalgenderroles #biblicalsubmission #biblicalmarriage #biblicalorderofthefamily #traditionalgenderroles #biblicalwomanhood #biblicalfemininity #traditionalfemininity #rejectmodernism #westernkind #tradfem #tradwife #antiwhiteracism #revoltagainstthemodernworld #rejectdegeneracy #antifeminism #feminismiscancer #feminismispoison #femininenotfeminist #traditionalfamily #traditionalvalues #traditionalism #embracetradition #rejectmodernity #outbreed #outlast.” The image combines nostalgic church-family imagery with explicit far-right and antifeminist slogan text.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 18

Stay in that ecosystem long enough and you are fed a buffet of far-right ideology: anti-feminism, anti-LGBTQ hate, antisemitism, white grievance, Christian nationalism, pronatalism, rigid gender hierarchy, and assorted forms of accelerationism. It deserves far more scrutiny than it gets.

Screenshot of an Instagram post from the account “thetradchristianwife.” Large text at the top reads: “This is the ideal female body, you may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.” Below the text is a cropped image of a pregnant person holding their belly with both hands. They are wearing a chunky cream-colored cable-knit sweater and dark pants. The setting appears warm and domestic, with a lit fireplace in the background on the left and a decorated Christmas tree with glowing lights and ornaments on the right. The post pairs pregnancy imagery with explicit ideological text about the “ideal female body.”

Screenshot of an Instagram post from the account “tradwifeoriginal.” The main image shows a retro, idealized illustration of a nuclear family standing on a small patch of lawn in front of a white suburban house with a garage. A man and woman stand in the center with two children beside them, all facing the house. Across the image, black text strips with white capital letters read: “ALL AROUND US, WE ARE BESET / BY THE DEGENERATION / OF THE MORAL FABRIC / OF HOUSEHOLDS.” Below the image, the Instagram caption begins, “For God, for Family and for Country.” The overall post uses nostalgic domestic imagery paired with moral-decline rhetoric.

Screenshot of a Facebook post from a page called “Tradwife,” dated August 19 at 11:00 AM. The visible post text reads: “Feminist women in 2010: -I don’t cook -I don’t clean -I don’t want kids…” followed by “See more.” Below it is a side-by-side comparison image under the large heading: “Your Life, Your Choice!” Across the top of the left side it says: “Feminism, ‘Progress,’ Degeneracy, Despair,” and across the top of the right side it says: “Femininity, Tradition, Beauty, Happiness.” The left side shows four young people at what appears to be a protest or public gathering, some with words written on their chests and stomachs, including phrases such as “SLUT RULES,” “RESPECT THE SLUT,” and “MY BODY MY RULES.” The right side shows five smiling young women standing together outdoors in coordinated traditional-looking dresses. The post presents an explicitly anti-feminist comparison, framing feminism as vulgar and degraded while idealizing traditional femininity as beautiful and happy.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 18

Tradwives do not necessarily arrive looking like politics. They show up as beauty, cottagecore aesthetics, order, femininity, simplicity, and motherhood. That is part of what makes it effective. The surface is soft and already normalized. The politics under it are not.

Screenshot of an Instagram post from the account “tradwife_aesthetics.” The image shows a woman standing in a sunlit citrus orchard, reaching up to pick fruit from a tree. She is wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a light-colored, mid-length floral dress with short sleeves. She holds several oranges or tangerines in one hand while reaching with the other. A small wooden step stool stands beside her with more fruit placed on top. A wicker basket filled with citrus sits on the ground at the lower right. The orchard continues into the background, softly blurred, with more trees heavy with fruit. The overall image has a warm, pastoral, highly curated aesthetic.

Screenshot of an Instagram post from the account “tradwife_aesthetics.” The image shows a pregnant woman standing in a green field of low, dense plants. Her face is partly cropped out of the frame. She has long light-blonde hair and wears a flowing teal wrap-style maxi dress with short sleeves and a tie at the waist. One hand rests under her belly and the other lifts the side of her dress slightly. She appears to be wearing tan or light brown boots. The image has a soft, muted, pastoral look, presenting pregnancy in an idealized, highly curated style.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 17

Wake up, babe. A new redemption manifesto just dropped from Michael Cohen... sorry, Lev Parnas... no, Anthony Scaramucci... damn it, Michael Avenatti.

Screenshot of a social media post from Michael Avenatti’s verified account. The post reads: “My official website is live. It’s honest about who I was, what happened, and where things stand. Nothing more, nothing less.” Below is a link preview for michaelavenatti.com titled “Michael Avenatti — Official Website,” describing him as a trial lawyer, communicator, and author of a forthcoming memoir. The post is timestamped 2:57 PM, Apr 17, 2026, with 4,185 views.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 13

@ericswalwell.bsky.social still hasn’t bothered to post on Bluesky, but on X he’s framing this as an apology for past "mistakes in judgment,” while never mentioning remorse for abusing his power to exploit women. Sexual assault is not poor judgment. It is violence against another person.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 11

One of the few politicians I trust is Jamie Raskin. So, yes. I am going with this.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 11

"We Believe." Outside the Supreme Court on September 28, 2018.

September 28, 2018
Washington DC

Two young women stand in a crowd outside the U.S. Supreme Court during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, facing the camera with both hands raised, palms forward. Written across their palms in marker are the words “WE BELIEVE.” The woman on the right wears round dark sunglasses and a black T-shirt, while the woman on the left smiles slightly, also dressed in black. Behind them, a dense crowd holds protest signs, with a white stone monument and trees visible under a bright blue sky.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 9

She’s an incredibly patient teacher.

Noelle Cook@noellecook· Apr 9

Fin’s three-month-pass has expired.