Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli

3.9 (179)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
WEEKLY SERIES

When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power. So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power. From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.

TRAILER

Introducing - Blame It on the Fame: Milli Vanilli

A German producer offers two young Black performers a devil’s bargain: if they tell one little lie, he can make them stars. But when the group achieves stardom on a scale no one expected, the lie begins to unravel in the most spectacular fashion in front of the entire world. From Wondery comes Blame It on the Fame: Milli Vanilli, a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales. Listen exclusively on Wondery+ beginning February 12th. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

02/05/2024

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2 min

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3.9

out of 5

179 Ratings

Agree w the other reviews

03/14/2025

Bluvthompson

Great pod until it turned into a racial commentary. This story could’ve been about two people of any other race and the result would’ve been the exact same. And that‘s really the point, the story isn’t about cultural appropriation - it’s about PEOPLE.
Why bring race into it?

09/09/2025

Carri B

Anyone who was around during the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli knew they were “chosen” because they were young and hot, not because they were black. It’s idiotic to think otherwise.
Amanda shines

06/30/2025

Stiqman3

Incredibly dope! I was unaware that Amanda did this type of voice work. She’s engaging and narrates well. Very entertaining and informative
Of course it’s her!

06/12/2025

kj49046

I was like dang I really like this host and it’s Amanda Seales! Of course it is! I always wanted to learn more about this bc I knew there was more than meets the eye. Also I saw someone say that she shouldn’t talk about race bc it’s irrelevant but I think that’s wrong and it is important to touch on race. That’s what makes it good!

When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power. So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power. From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.