Love Trapped – Bonus Episode: “My Friends Call Me Tag”

Released March 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this bonus installment of Love Trapped, host Stephanie delves deeper into one of the online personas believed to have been used by Laura Owens, a central figure in the season-long investigation. This episode centers on the mysterious “Tag”—an alleged ex-boyfriend of Laura—who sent cryptic, manipulative emails to several online content creators reporting on the case. Through first-hand accounts from podcasters Megan Fox and Lauren Nighty, listeners get an inside look at the lengths to which someone went to influence the conversation and shift the narrative online.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Introduction of “Tag” ([02:25])

• Stephanie revisits the list of online personas tied to Laura. She introduces an additional alleged identity: “Tag.”
• Megan Fox, a journalist and YouTube podcaster who covered the case, is introduced as a new voice.

Tag’s Mysterious Outreach ([03:08])

• Megan recalls receiving several emails from “Tag,” who claimed to be Laura’s ex-boyfriend from 2015-2016.

• “Tag” claimed he was driven by guilt and desired to fill in “critical information holes” for the online sleuths covering Laura’s case.

  “My friends call me Tag. And over the past few months, I have been following the situation regarding Laura Owens, a woman I dated and was involved with intimately from mid late 2015 to 2016.”
  — Tag (read by Megan Fox) [03:25]

Suspicious Motives, Suspicious Language ([03:53])

• Tag’s stated intention was to help victims and expose the truth. However, his emails included cutting personal critiques of other creators, especially Dave Neal, another content creator.

  “He and I have zero connection or personal history, yet I was immediately revulsed by literally almost all of his content from day one. Frankly, he's an unfunny vulgarian, and I take serious issue with him calling himself a journalist.”
  — Tag (read by Megan Fox) [04:11]

• Megan found the negative, specific attacks reminiscent of the language Laura herself would use. Most notably, Dave Neal is widely liked in the community, so such intense dislike seemed “suspicious.”

  "You can't hate Dave. Dave is great. Dave is very difficult to hate. I mean, nobody hates Dave like this. Except Laura."
  — Megan Fox [04:34]

Attempts to Verify Tag’s Identity ([05:20])

• Megan tried to verify if Tag was a real person by requesting a phone conversation. Each time, Tag made excuses, notably claiming international travel (“I’m on a train in Vienna”).

• Megan concluded that refusal to verify was a major red flag:

  “If someone won't actually get on the phone with you, it's a very good sign that they're not who they say they are.”
  — Megan Fox [05:25]

Tag Contacts a Second Content Creator ([06:00])

• Lauren Nighty, a YouTuber and hospital psych evaluator, also receives emotionally charged emails from Tag.

• Tag’s message to Lauren similarly aimed to invoke sympathy for Laura (“she was struggling with suicidal thoughts”).

  “He tried to convince me basically that Laura really was like sick and he really was worried that she was going to do something to hurt herself.”
  — Lauren Nighty [07:34]

• Lauren responded with empathy, consistent with her professional background, but also asked Tag to verify his identity. After her reply, Tag ceased communication.

  “And they didn't respond. And I tried again to say… will you please talk to me and verify your identity as you offered to do? And it was like I never heard back again after that.”
  — Lauren Nighty [08:00]

Comparing Notes – Tag’s Manipulative Tactics ([08:20])

• Lauren and Megan connected offline and realized they had both received emails from Tag.

• They found that while the tone of the messages differed, both included flattery toward the recipient and derogatory comments about other creators (notably Dave Neal).

• The theory emerged: Tag was possibly Laura herself, attempting to shape the narrative by pitting creators against each other and drawing sympathy for her position.

  "Both of them have in common that he tried to basically gas us up to make us feel good about ourselves while putting down other people like Dave."
  — Lauren Nighty [08:28]

Finale – The Tag Persona’s Purpose ([08:47])

• The two never confirmed the true identity of Tag, but they reasoned that the purpose was to “report on this and be like, hey, someone from Laura's past came out and said this is actually true,” in an effort to discredit critics and rally support for Laura.

• Ultimately, the apparent attempt at emotional manipulation and narrative control was unsuccessful and possibly backfired.

  “…If it was Laura behind these emails from Tag, she might have done it to try to get sympathy from people online, but it seems to have backfired.”
  — Stephanie [09:05]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Megan Fox [05:25]: “If someone won't actually get on the phone with you, it's a very good sign that they're not who they say they are.”
• Lauren Nighty [06:26]: “I have to determine what's the basis for the things you're saying and what's the motivation behind these things… And that's what I was seeing in Laura. I was seeing a lot of these threats being made for a means to an end.”
• Lauren Nighty [08:47]: “I think that the idea of TAG was to report on this and be like, hey, someone from Laura's past came out and said like this is actually true, to get people talking online about how her story was not made up basically, and it didn't work.”

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [02:25] – Introduction of the Tag persona
• [03:08] – Megan’s recounting of her interactions with Tag
• [04:11] – Tag’s attacks on Dave Neal, suspicion arises
• [05:25] – Megan’s attempt to verify Tag’s identity fails
• [06:00] – Lauren recounts receiving similar emails from Tag
• [07:27] – Lauren’s background and how she got involved
• [08:20] – Lauren and Megan compare notes, conclude manipulation
• [08:47] – Theorizing Tag’s purpose, the scheme backfires

Conclusion

This bonus episode offers a gripping glimpse behind the scenes as internet sleuths cross-examine the waves of manipulation swirling around the ongoing Laura Owens scandal. Stephanie, Megan, and Lauren lay bare the challenges of digital journalism amidst lies, faux personas, and targeted emotional appeals—raising critical questions about credibility and the complexities of truth in an online world.