logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
2m 48s

Introducing Believable: The Coco Berthma...

Dear Media
About this episode

Coco Berthmann became internet-famous by sharing her story of surviving sex trafficking as a young child growing up in Germany. She was sheltered and supported by families in Utah, where her faith and fame intertwined. But in 2022, Coco was arrested for raising money for a fake cancer diagnosis, and people began to doubt everything that she had ever said. Is her life story truly one big elaborate lie? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sara Ganim and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning showrunner Karen Given investigate in Dear Media’s first true crime podcast.


New episodes drop on Thursdays.


If you or a loved one is struggling, help is available:

Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial 988

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 855-897-5910

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Resources

Mental Health Hotline: 866-903-3787


Produced by Dear Media.

Up next
Sep 2023
Call Us Anytime
As Coco Berthmann’s lies are exposed, survivors band together and ask why she wasn’t stopped sooner. Meanwhile, Coco makes her last appearance in court for lying about cancer, but the case against her only addressed a fraction of the money she raised. What happened to the rest of ... Show More
1h 12m
Sep 2023
The Cocoverse Crumbles
In the spring and summer of 2021, Coco Berthmann seemed to be at the height of her popularity. She recorded a TEDx talk and appeared at events with Elizabeth Smart. But behind the scenes, more and more people were starting to doubt her story. Her solution? Come up with a bigger l ... Show More
55m 20s
Sep 2023
Time to Call in an Expert
From the start of our investigation, we’ve heard the same question over and over again. “Why would someone lie about these things?” This week, we attempt to find out why Coco Berthmann lies ... with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Sohom Das. If you or a loved one is struggling, help is ... Show More
47m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Harsh Reality
On this episode of They Walk Among America… On the evening of July 24th, 2000, Sarasota police officers were dispatched to a house on Grand Cayman Street following a 911 call from a local resident who said a young man had told him he believed his aunt had been killed. After forci ... Show More
50m 20s
Jul 2023
Believable: The Coco Berthmann Story
589: On this short episode Lauryn and Michael sit down to discuss a recent show Dear Media has produced featuring Coco Berthmann. In 2021 Lauryn and Michael interviewed a woman named Coco Berthmann who claimed to be a victim of sex trafficing and child abuse. Many listeners may r ... Show More
6m 8s
Aug 2022
Episode 141: The mystery of Sharon Marshall and the horror of her tragic life
IT'S a mystery that spanned decades, full of fake identities, murders, and kidnappings.In April 1990, when Tonya Hughes was killed after a hit-and-run incident in Oklahoma City, the FBI revealed that her so-called husband, Clarence Hughes, was actually her father.Coming forward t ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2023
Escaping NXIVM Introduces: Crime Story
Fraud. Abduction. Murder. Every week, Crime Story host and investigative journalist Kathleen Goldhar goes deep into a tale of true crime with the storyteller who knows it best. From the reporter who exposed Bill Cosby, to the writer who solved one of Australia’s most chilling col ... Show More
50m 35s