PRETEND

PRETEND+
PRETEND+

PRETEND is an investigative true crime podcast about real people who lie for a living — con artists, scammers, and the victims caught in their web. Hosted by journalist Javier Leiva, PRETEND exposes the human psychology behind deception and fraud. Each episode follows a real case of manipulation — from financial scams and Ponzi schemes to digital hoaxes and emotional cons PRETEND explains how and why deception works without shaming victims, combining ethical journalism with cinematic storytelling. Featured in lists of the best podcasts about con artists and scams, PRETEND investigates crimes of persuasion, trust, and betrayal. New episodes drop regularly with stories that reveal how manipulation shapes modern life, both online and off. PRETEND is produced by Creative Babble, LLC. © 2026 Creative Babble LLC [CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]

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  1. 1 day ago • Subscribers Only

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 4

    According to the anti-Gypsy camp, they've got the receipts. Gypsy really had leukemia. She really needed that bone marrow treatment, and the feeding tube and the surgeries were all real and documented, not fabricated. Case closed, they say. Munchausen by proxy, debunked. That's the claim, anyway. Three hundred pages of Gypsy's private medical records ended up online, and I got my hands on them. So do the documents validate the claims? We're going to dig in.

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 4

  2. 2 days ago

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 2

    Her critics say Gypsy Rose Blanchard can't keep her story straight. So I sat down with her for almost three hours and asked about all of it. The pills through the feeding tube. The video where she tells Nick Godejohn she'd been hiding that she could walk since she was seven. And the Demona videos she has never addressed in front of a reporter. You'll also meet the mother-daughter team behind Into the Weeds (youtube.com/@into-the-weeds-podcast), whose records requests produced what the internet calls the Gypstein Files. Binge the first three episodes now, ad-free, on Patreon (patreon.com/pretendpodcast) or PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts. Chapters: (00:00) Beignets And A Drive Into The Bayou (01:50) The Questions Her Critics Say She Dodges (02:36) No Mansion, Just A Fourplex (04:48) The Breaking Point Was A Throat Surgery (06:47) This Is My Voice (08:19) Vicodin Through The Feeding Tube (09:53) Did She Ever Go To School? (11:46) Into The Weeds Files The Records Request (12:59) What's Actually In The Gypstein Files (15:59) The Video Where She Walks (17:46) What Her Medical Records Say (20:43) I Ask Gypsy To Settle It (23:04) Videos Never Meant To Be Public (25:56) Slave, Master, And An Old Facebook Account (28:23) Dan Glidewell Testifies Under Oath (29:46) The Demona Video (34:25) Those Videos Were Disgusting (35:14) Isolation And The Price Of Freedom (36:10) Next Time On Pretend Written by Javier Leiva. Edited by Puneet Shenoy with The Podcast Pundits. Theme music by Joe Basile, thechicken.net. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 2

  3. 3 days ago ·  Bonus • Subscribers Only

    The Stalker: Shelbey Speaks (BONUS)

    It's like getting to the end of a movie and finding out the twist, then going back to the beginning because now every scene means something else. That's what I've been doing all week with the Rick and Tanya Fernandez interviews. This time we're looking at Shelbey's surgeries, what the doctor told police in 2019, and new audio from Shelbey herself, recorded before her arrest. Only on Patreon and PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts. A new Stalker bonus episode will be out later this week.

    The Stalker: Shelbey Speaks (BONUS)

  4. 6 days ago ·  Bonus

    The Stalker: Police Say They Found Who Was Sending the Messages, Part 22

    For almost five years, the Fernandez family told me their doctor's husband was terrorizing them. Threatening messages, unpaid pizza deliveries, police at the door for crimes that never happened. Three weeks ago, Peoria police surrounded their house with a search warrant and seized every device inside. Nobody was arrested that day. Then this week, one of the Fernandez children was booked into a Maricopa County jail on more than thirty counts, including stalking, making a terrorist threat, and sexual exploitation of a minor. All charges are allegations. No one has been convicted, and the case is ongoing. Catch up on the full series here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/41KG24W8b5Lz0dzHsU3LoP?si=3aaeef5a367d4c2d Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The Stalker: Police Say They Found Who Was Sending the Messages, Part 22

  5. 11 Aug

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 1

    Gypsy Rose Blanchard is the most beloved convicted murderer in America. Half the country sees a victim. The other half thinks she conned everyone, including her mother. I spent months trying to figure out which side is telling the truth. Then I emailed Gypsy. A few hours later, we were on a call. Chapters (00:00) The Most Beloved Convicted Murderer In America (01:35) The Short Version (02:53) It's All A Lie (03:41) Inside Her Medical Records (05:26) Allergic To Sugar (06:10) The Community That Flipped The Narrative (07:48) Andrea Dunlop Interviews Gypsy (09:41) Then I Read The Comments (11:20) Straight To The Source (11:52) Welcome To The Gypsyverse (13:04) The Internet Does What The Internet Does (15:35) Is Gypsy Rich? (17:22) What Are They A Fan Of? (19:22) Famous vs. Well-Known (20:12) Billboards, Flyers, And A Minor Child (23:14) Nick Godejohn Is Still In Prison (24:18) The Demona Clips (25:54) Would You Answer Uncomfortable Questions? (27:47) Next Time On Pretend (28:24) Update: The Prison Calls (30:28) What I Will And Won't Play Binge the first three episodes now, ad-free, on Patreon (patreon.com/pretendpodcast) or PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts. Leave a comment. I want to know what you think. Written by Javier Leiva. Edited by Puneeth Shenoy with the Podcast Pundits. Theme music by Joe Basile, thechicken.net. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 1

  6. 11 Aug • Subscribers Only

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 3

    Long before Gypsy Rose Blanchard's mother was murdered, the tension inside that house was already at a breaking point. The private videos between Gypsy and Nick Godejohn that nobody was supposed to see. The evidence of violence that the HBO documentary never showed you. And the text messages from the night of June 9th, 2015, read out loud, minute by minute. They are not what you expect. Gypsy's critics say she was the violent one all along. That it was Dee Dee who had reason to be afraid. Chapters (00:00) Everyone Has A Hot Take (02:26) The BB Gun (04:09) Chained To The Bed (05:11) Why Not Just Run Away? (07:23) Nancy Simpson: She Was Shopping For A Man (09:22) That Bitch Is Dead (10:40) Victim Doesn't Mean Innocent (11:19) The Plea Deal (13:17) When Nick Became The Victim (16:16) Functions Like A 10-Year-Old (17:52) I Still Love Her (18:43) Activating The Dark Side (20:34) The Texts From June 9, 2015 (23:58) What Gypsy Makes Of It (25:15) Andrea Dunlop On The Autism Argument (26:56) Grace And Accountability (28:01) Why Don't They Show You The Same Grace? (29:35) On The Plea Deal (30:15) Is It In All Of Us? (32:15) Next Time On PRETEND (33:03) Prison Call: I Know What I Want For My Life Binge more episodes ad free on Patreon at patreon.com/pretendpodcast or PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts. Written and produced by Javier Leiva. Edited by Puneet Shenoy with The Podcast Pundits. Theme music by Joe Basile, thechicken.net.

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession, Part 3

  7. Trailer

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession | Official Trailer

    Gypsy Rose Blanchard is America's most beloved convicted murderer. The media told us she spent 23 years in a wheelchair, with a feeding tube, a breathing machine, and a diagnosis list that never ended. None of it was real. Her mother made it all up. And then Gypsy had her mother stabbed to death. When she walked out of prison in December 2023, not everyone was celebrating. A community formed online working together to dismantle her new life. So yeah. America's sweetheart is also a convicted murderer. And depending on who you ask, she's either the most sympathetic person alive, or the most dangerous woman on the internet. This is The Gypsy Rose Obsession. Coming August 11th on PRETEND podcast. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vaCjR7UvlN9aTIzW6kNCo?si=b3549d886084412a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    The Gypsy Rose Obsession | Official Trailer

  8. 4 Aug

    He Turned His Own Father In. Then Built a Career Catching Con Artists.

    William Ruzich's father stole his identity while he was deployed in Afghanistan. He came home from war at 21 to find bills, liens, and creditors in his own name. He turned his own dad in for fraud. Then he went to work catching people just like him. William is a private intelligence operative now, tracking down scammers, fraudsters, and people who vanish with other people's money. Coming August 11th: The Gypsy Rose Obsession, a new free series from PRETEND. Watch the trailer and subscribe: https://youtu.be/9fcD0os3aG8 Kingdom Forge, a book by Anders Edwards that teaches kids about online safety, Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Ready Player One. Check it out: https://a.co/d/0hpgdcYx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    He Turned His Own Father In. Then Built a Career Catching Con Artists.
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About

PRETEND is an investigative true crime podcast about real people who lie for a living — con artists, scammers, and the victims caught in their web. Hosted by journalist Javier Leiva, PRETEND exposes the human psychology behind deception and fraud. Each episode follows a real case of manipulation — from financial scams and Ponzi schemes to digital hoaxes and emotional cons PRETEND explains how and why deception works without shaming victims, combining ethical journalism with cinematic storytelling. Featured in lists of the best podcasts about con artists and scams, PRETEND investigates crimes of persuasion, trust, and betrayal. New episodes drop regularly with stories that reveal how manipulation shapes modern life, both online and off. PRETEND is produced by Creative Babble, LLC. © 2026 Creative Babble LLC [CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]

Information

  • Channel
    PRETEND+
  • Creator
    Creative Babble, LLC
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    373
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Creative Babble, LLC. All rights reserved 2025
  • Show Website
    PRETEND
  • Provider
    Javier Leiva

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