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This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human Find home wherever you roam at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites where longer stays feel comfortable, flexible and easy. Stretch out and enjoy spacious accommodations and homelike amenities designed to help you settle in and stay productive or relaxed for however long you need. And when you're a Sinesta Travel Pass member, staying at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites means earning points towards free nights, upgrades and more with every aladora. Go to sonesta.com to book your stay and unlock the best rates with Sonessa Travel Pass here today, Rome tomorrow. Join now@sonesta.com terms and conditions apply. This episode is sponsored by Virgin Voyages. There's something about the ocean. It creates space and sometimes space is exactly what you need. Virgin Voyages is adults only. No kids, no chaos, no buffets, just beautifully designed spaces, award winning food and room to actually breathe. Over 20 restaurants are included, plus entertainment, Wi Fi, fitness classes all covered. No surprises, no emotional or financial whiplash. It's not just a vacation, it's perspective. It's reset, it's choosing yourself. And sometimes that's the bravest thing you can do. Plan your escape@virgin voyages.com Open the door to Spring with Pura Explore vibrant scents inspired by place designed to refresh your home and how it feels every day. Transport your senses to a terrace in Santorini or a French lavender field, bringing the essence of spring into the home you love. Get started with a free Pura 4 diffuser when you subscribe to 2 cents monthly for six months. Shop now@pura.com when it comes to advancing your education, you have more options than you think. At Rasmussen University they find ways to remove barriers, not build them like a new laptop. If you're eligible and enroll in select online or on campus programs. That also means flexible and engaging online courses and resources, tuition saving options if you qualify, exceptional student support and much more online nationally or check out their 20 campuses across six states. Start when you're ready and get the support you need. Visit rasmussen. Edu I am joined today by David Sloan and Marielle Pearson. I know who you are and you guys are huge advocates of betrayal, but can you tell the audience who you are in relationship to the show? David, why don't you go first?
B
Sure. I'm the creative lead for ABC News Longform, which comprises ABC News Studios, 20 20, Nightline and Impact, our other news magazines. So I'm the creative leader over content.
C
And I'm Muriel Pearson, I'm the executive producer over here overseeing your wonderful show Andrea. And yeah, I work really closely with David on a lot of the things that he's working on, but I work really closely with your producer, John Hirsch, on making beautiful television out of your amazing podcast.
A
How did you guys get into true crime?
C
David is the king of true crime. I'm passing that to you.
B
I mean, I have been doing crime since I worked on 20, 20, 25 years ago or maybe a little longer. And I became the executive producer for 20 years. And it's ferreting out these stories of not only the most notorious, and it's like the seven deadly sins. I mean, why crimes are committed. It's jealousy, it's envy, it's anger. These are universal kinds of feelings in. But the eighth deadly sin is betrayal. It's almost the eighth deadly sin. It's not in there along with gluttony and sloth and all of those other ones, but it really is one of the deadly sins. And again, it has a commonality where someone everywhere on earth has been betrayed by someone big or small.
A
I'm so curious. What made you guys interested in taking the weekly series and converting it to tv? Obviously, we've done Stacey's story, Jen's story, and Ashley's story. What made you interested in the weekly format?
B
It's been remarkable. These limited series on Hulu have been remarkably received and keep adding viewers all the time in terms of driving subscriptions on Hulu. And then we just thought, like, why are we doing this for the network?
C
But you know what, Dre is, what is really remarkable about this is we all ask about how transferable these kinds of stories and the popularity is between platforms. And I think what we've learned from your show and a couple others is with a very, very powerful podcast that translates into network, that translates into viewers on Hulu. And it is astonishing to me because there are very few things that migrate cross platform with the success of betrayal. And we've seen it happen time and again, certainly with the Hulu series and with the network series as well. Your listeners, your aud are tuned in to watch these stories as they evolve on television series.
A
They're a very loyal community, and so it's really cool to see them support every phase of betrayal, whether it be when we went from limited to the weekly and then when we launched the show on Hulu. So it's really cool to see the feedback from the listeners and then advocate for the show and for the storytellers. What are some of the stories that you're looking forward to the most this season? I mean, obviously I have my darlings, but I'm curious which ones are yours?
B
I'm looking forward to the abduction. I mean, where do you get the story of. First of all, the best stories have the perpetrator or the husband as I will call him, he's really a perpetrator. The best villains are the ones hiding in plain sight. So this guy is a devoted father. He's a financial advisor who his clients trust. He's an elder at their church. And to think that he also would get involved in abduction and ransom and soundproof dungeon with victims, it almost shocks the conscience. And it is really the ones who are hiding in plain sight that are truly remarkable and the most frightening.
A
What about you, Mariel?
C
I am looking forwards to Morgan because Morgan is so spunky. Morgan is successful. Morgan is not going to let anybody take her down. Morgan fights back, as many of these women do. You don't have to be victimized. You don't have to take it from somebody. You can do something about it. And it is fascinating to me how a woman like Morgan kind of shows you a little bit of the heart of darkness. Because one little theme that I've seen emerge from this series is a lot of men who really didn't feel comfortable with their wives success that they really, who knows at what point they decided they wanted to take that down. But it was a power thing. It wasn't just a betrayal thing, which is already awful enough. But it really raised questions in my mind about what the ultimate, deeper, darker motivation of some of these men was. Were they trying to take that woman down?
A
It's such a great point. When you watch Crystal Harris's episode, you will find similarities between Sean Harris, which is Crystal's husband, and Rodney Morgan's ex husband. Different scenarios. Crystal was the breadwinner, she was working. He was taking care of the kids. And then he experiences loss and he starts to change. The same story is very similar in Morgan's case. It's really to see things just, you know, to see those like themes come up in these perpetrators and the offenders is so fascinating.
C
Yes.
A
The one thing I was gonna say off your point, David, about these perpetrators hiding in plain sight is some of these stories are hiding in plain sight. I remember when Danielle emailed us. I think her email was like three sentences long. And it was just like big fan of the podcast, you know, really quick in and out. You would have no idea what that woman went through. She just heard the show, she wrote in and you would never know that her husband at one Point had dungeon in a random rental property. You know, it's a real indication of. You just don't know what someone has gone through or what they're going through.
B
I'm so full of admiration to the Glass group because what you have done with the podcast, and we've been lucky enough to meet you and to collaborate with you on the network and on Hulu, is that you've created a sisterhood. You've created a sisterhood not of just listeners, but women who can bear witness to stories like the other listeners. And it's very, very impressive and rare, and the fact that it keeps regenerating and really snowballing into almost this sort of movement of women sharing these stories and taking power and empowering themselves. It's just this collective strength that. I really admire all of you for bringing this about.
A
Oh, thank you for saying that. That means a lot to me.
C
What I kind of love about this series is true crime in the past has taken a little bit of criticism because it's been too much about the crime, the salaciousness of the crime, or the perpetrator. This brings it firmly into the space of the victims, of the people to whom the crime is being perpetrated on. But I've got to say that there's something incredibly emotionally compelling about constantly reframing the crime within that context, between a woman's inside of a woman's point of view. Although I shouldn't just say a woman, because, I mean, we should tease it a little bit, Andrea, that we have a man. We have a man. Betrayal in our coming up.
A
We do Ramon, and he was the first man that we had on the weekly, and that was a watershed moment. Obviously, aside from Tyler on the, you know, the Hulu doc, it was. I think Tyler really set a stage for men to participate in betrayal because I do think that there's a lot. There is a level of shame in every storyteller where they feel that they are the only one that got duped. They're the only one that didn't see it. And I think for male storytellers, it's really hard in particular. And Ramon, man, is he not just so strong and willing and just to stand on his two feet and say, this is what happened to me? I am so grateful to the both of you for believing in betrayal and just being a fan of the show and the stories. And so I can't thank you enough. Muriel, do you want to tell the audience where they can find betrayal, secrets and lies?
C
Betrayal, secrets and lies. Coming to the ABC News Network near you Sundays 10:00 clock Eastern Standard Time streaming on Hulu and Disney afterwards. Watch us and be part of that wonderful sisterhood that David was talking about.
A
Thank you guys. I really appreciate you taking the time. Find home Wherever you roam at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites where longer stays feel comfortable, flexible and easy. Stretch out and enjoy spacious accommodations and homelike amenities designed to help you settle in and stay productive or relaxed for however long you need to. And when you're a Sonesta Travel Pass member, staying at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites means earning points towards free nights, upgrades and more with every eligible stay. Go to Sonesta.com to book your stay and unlock the best rates with Sonesta Travel Pass Here today, roam tomorrow. Join now at Sonesta.com, terms and conditions apply. When it comes to advancing your education, you have more options than you think. At Rasmussen University they find ways to remove barriers, not build them like a new laptop if you're eligible and enroll in select online or on campus programs. That also means flexible and engaging online courses and resources, tuition saving options if you qualify exceptional student support and much more online nationally or check out their 20 campuses across six states. Start when you're ready and get the support you need. Visit Rasmussen.
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D
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Podcast: Betrayal Season 5
Host: iHeartPodcasts | Glass Podcasts
Episode Date: April 20, 2026
This bonus episode offers an in-depth, behind-the-scenes discussion between the Betrayal podcast team and their television partners at ABC News Studios. Host Andrea talks with David Sloan (Creative Lead, ABC News Longform) and Muriel Pearson (Executive Producer, ABC News Studios) about transforming the podcast's stories into TV, the unique appeal of "betrayal" in true crime, the interplay of audience and survivor communities, and upcoming stories for the season. The episode highlights the evolution of true crime storytelling into a survivor-centered space, while previewing new cases and reflecting on lessons learned from the show's journey.
"I work really closely with your producer, John Hirsch, on making beautiful television out of your amazing podcast." – Muriel Pearson
"The eighth deadly sin is betrayal. It's almost the eighth deadly sin...someone everywhere on earth has been betrayed by someone big or small." – David Sloan
"It is astonishing to me because there are very few things that migrate cross platform with the success of Betrayal." – Muriel Pearson
[05:53–08:12]
"The best villains are the ones hiding in plain sight." – David Sloan (06:03)
"Many of these women do [fight back]...it wasn't just a betrayal thing...what the ultimate, deeper, darker motivation of some of these men was." – Muriel Pearson (06:55)
Comparison of Themes Among Perpetrators:
"You would have no idea what that woman went through...it's a real indication of, you just don't know what someone has gone through or what they're going through." – Andrea (08:35)
[08:52–09:44]
"You've created a sisterhood...women sharing these stories and taking power...collective strength." – David Sloan (09:11)
[09:46–10:31] Muriel contrasts traditional, perpetrator-focused true crime with "Betrayal’s" victim-centered approach, emphasizing emotional resonance and the empowerment that comes from centering survivor voices.
"There is a level of shame...for male storytellers, it's really hard in particular. And Ramon...stand on his two feet and say, 'this is what happened to me.'" – Andrea (10:54)
"Betrayal, Secrets and Lies. Coming to the ABC News Network near you Sundays 10:00pm EST, streaming on Hulu and Disney afterwards." – Muriel Pearson (11:26)
On Betrayal’s Universal Appeal:
"It really is one of the deadly sins...someone everywhere on earth has been betrayed." – David Sloan (03:30)
On Community-Building:
"Your listeners, your audience are tuned in to watch these stories as they evolve on television series." – Muriel Pearson (04:59)
On Survivors’ Strength:
"Morgan fights back, as many of these women do. You don't have to be victimized. You don't have to take it from somebody. You can do something about it." – Muriel Pearson (06:45)
On the Power of Sharing:
"You've created a sisterhood...taking power and empowering themselves...this collective strength." – David Sloan (09:11)
Empathy for Male Survivors:
"There is a level of shame...they feel that they are the only one that got duped." – Andrea (10:45)
The conversation is candid, empathetic, and celebratory. The guests and host repeatedly underscore the importance of survivor stories, audience engagement, and the emotional threads that tie both the podcast and TV series together. There's a strong sense of community, resilience, and mutual admiration throughout the episode.
This bonus episode of "Betrayal" gives listeners and viewers an inside look at the team’s creative process and the philosophical underpinnings of the show. It’s rich in previews, personal reflections, and validation of the community that has grown around these stories. Both fans and newcomers will find insight into why "Betrayal" resonates so powerfully—and why its mission to center survivors and challenge the myth of the "perfect victim" is so vital.