Speaking of photos, I think the number one thing listeners want to know is how on earth did she get photos of herself in the hospital for her blog? People have posted them online, and it truly looks like she was a patient. How’d she do it?
CW: So my understanding is she did actually go to the hospital. They're not fake photos. She did things like said she fainted or that she wasn't feeling very well and then took herself to the emergency room. And then she would say things like she got dehydrated or she had cancer and she was dehydrated. So then they immediately put her on a drip, and then, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap. She'd turn up in different ER rooms and then take photographs. She also would get medical equipment, which I was like, How'd you get medical equipment? Actually it's really easy to get medical equipment. You can go and buy it from a medical store.
The second big question listeners have is about Amanda’s husband, Cory. He was never charged in the case. In your opinion, did he know what was going on?
CW: So the way I would answer this is, if you listen carefully to the podcast—and there's four bonus episodes on their way after the final episode—if you listen very carefully to the nuances of what was said, it will give you the answer. People are smart. I was really careful to make sure that I stuck to the facts but also showed you the facts so you can decide.
Okay, well that's another mystery for the online detectives to dig into. I understand that the podcast can’t make accusations against him legally, though, since he has not been charged with anything. Where is Cory now?
CW: He is looking after his two kids in Texas, where Amanda is serving her sentence.
Two characters in the story who I think have really resonated with the audience are Jessa, Cory’s daughter, and her mother, Cory’s ex-wife, Aletta. While Amanda was perpetuating her cancer scam, she and Cory were simultaneously waging a custody battle against Aletta for full custody of Jessa, and were ultimately successful. Jessa then became one of the first people to grow suspicious of Amanda. How are Jessa and Aletta doing now?
CW: It has been a really hard journey for Jessa. With the podcast, she really wanted it to be out there, but it is still very vulnerable for her of course. And it’s hard for her to hear not just from her angle but how much the web spread and how many other people were involved and the harm that was caused. But she's doing really well. She’s got her own little place and got a lovely husband who she went to school with. I think she's doing a lot of healing.
And the same with Aletta. I think for a long time Aletta was made out to be a bad mom, which I can't even imagine what that must have felt like. She was made out to be the bad one and the one that was lying. And I think for the first time she feels like she has credibility, you know, it wasn't her lying.
English (US) ·