Dallas-based comedians Christie Wallace and Heather McKinney grew up watching the infamous O.J. Simpson trial unfold, presenting book reports on the Bermuda Triangle, and watching TV shows like “Unsolved Mysteries.” While these might not strike you as typical topics of interest for young girls, today, Christie and Heather are gaining popularity as the hosts of Sinisterhood – a podcast based on their shared obsession with all things creepy and criminal.
Since its inception in May 2018, Sinisterhood has attracted an impressive fan base (including over 20 million downloads!) and brings listeners new episodes each week. We sat down with Heather and Christie to talk more about the podcast’s origin, their upcoming live show at the Texas Theatre, and their own spooky experiences. Please welcome Heather McKinney and Christie Wallace, our newest FACES of the South!
How did you first get involved in all things spooky and true crime?
Heather: We’ve both had lifelong fascinations with all things creepy and the macabre. Christie tells this story about how she did a book report on the Bermuda Triangle and how her dad was into spooky things. I also grew up watching the O.J. Simpson trial with my dad … and watching “Unsolved Mysteries” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” Then we both got into comedy, acting, and theater.
We started doing comedy in Dallas, and Christie began to do comedy right when Dallas Comedy House started in 2009. I had moved to Chicago after college, so as soon as I moved back to Dallas, I went to law school for four years, graduated, passed the bar, and was like, “I want to get into comedy again.” That’s when Christie and I met and melded our interests. Once we figured out this was something we could talk about, and other people might want to listen, it seemed to be a good path for us.
What path was that? How did it lead to the creation of Sinisterhood?
Christie: I had just had my first child and was home with her. I wasn’t on maternity leave because I had been let go from my previous job while pregnant, which was a huge blessing in disguise. I was watching a bunch of true crime series and bingeing everything on Netflix — specifically “The Keepers,” which follows two older women who set out to solve a cold case about a teacher who was murdered when they were younger.
I was really taken by it — that these women were so passionate and using their own resources to try and do something like this. I asked my husband if he thought there were any book clubs, but instead of talking about books, people just got together and talked about trying to solve a cold case or spooky stuff. He said, “I don’t know, but you should start one.”
I reached out to a Facebook group that Heather and I were both a part of through the comedy club we performed at and asked if anyone would be interested in meeting and talking about that kind of stuff. Heather said, “Yeah, absolutely I would,” so we started meeting up. The first time we just talked about stuff and recorded [the conversation] just for fun, but it wasn’t really an episode. It took until about episode 13 before we started to find our groove and roles in the podcast. That’s when things took off and where our episodes began.
Have you ever had creepy experiences of your own?
Heather: As a youth, my dad and I saw things in our house. I asked, “Have you ever seen something down the hallway?” A person had actually died at our house, so I think it was this specter of the woman trying to run out and save her husband, who sadly passed away in the driveway — a car fell on him.
As a teen at my high school boyfriend’s house, I saw what I think now is ‘The Hat Man.’ [Check out the ‘Hat Man’ episode HERE.] I had this description of the thing I saw in the doorway, and I’ve been telling everybody about it since I was 18. When we covered The Hat Man, I was like, “Oh, God, I think it was him,” but in our episode, we talk about sleep paralysis and your mind making sense of shadows.
Through this show, we’ve also evolved as people because I was — and still am — so sure it was a ghost, but we talk about some possible explanations for it. We delve into the scientific, psychological, policy-related, or logical explanation.
With Halloween right around the corner, what are some of your favorite ways to celebrate the season?
Christie: Our last live show of 2022 is on October 27, leading right into Halloween at the Texas Theatre in Dallas. It’s a very iconic theater where Lee Harvey Oswald was eventually arrested after the JFK assassination. It will also have a virtual component, so people who aren’t in Texas or Dallas can buy tickets to watch. It’s right before Heather’s birthday, so it will be a super fun show. We also had a Halloween show last year, so that’s becoming our tradition.
Heather: Almost every late October since we started the podcast in 2018, we’ve had a live show (except during the pandemic). Christie also has kids, and I have nieces, so we both love to trick or treat with them, dress in costumes, and decorate the house. I also throw a Halloween party every year — except during the pandemic — so that might be coming back this year.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given or received?
Heather: My high school teacher, Mrs. Muhl, gave us so much good advice, but she gave us the advice to take ownership over things. She would say, “If you have a problem, think about what you can do to take ownership over that problem. In short, make it your problem.”
That doesn’t mean that you can solve everything in the world, but in any situation, you (at the very least) have autonomy and control of your choices and decisions. If you feel like something is happening to you, always try to search within yourself and say, “What can I do to improve the situation?” … It’s about taking ownership of something, making it your problem to the extent that you have control over it, and then working from there. She said, “It will empower you and help you feel less powerless,” which I’ve found to be very true.
Christie: I don’t know who specifically said this, but as I’ve grown over the years, I try to live my life caring way less about what other people think about me than I did when I was younger. I focus on the things that bring me joy and fill my life with happiness.
For many people, including me, the pandemic helped weed out the stuff that wasn’t fulfilling. Now, I am more mindful about only having people in my life who contribute positively to it. It’s the same with my interests because time is fleeting, and we can’t get it back. I want to make the most of life by doing things that I find enjoyable and fulfilling.
With the exception of faith, family, and friends, what are three things you can’t live without?
Heather: My phone, Christie and the podcast, and iced coffee. I [need to] have Christie to send random thoughts to every day because no one on Earth wants to hear the bizarre things I have to think. At one o’clock in the morning, I’m like, ‘I made some AI pictures with this weird robot, and I’m going to send them to Christie.’ That’s why we’re best friends.
Christie: Burt’s Bees chapstick and Diet Coke. To me, Heather is both family and a friend, so I’m going to include her in that and then throw in my phone.
Thank you, Heather and Christie! To learn more about the podcast and where to listen, visit sinisterhood.com.
All photography provided.
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