Scamfluencers – Clifford Irving: The Howard Hughes Hoax | Episode 191

Date: December 8, 2025
Hosts: Scaachi Koul & Sarah Hagi

Overview

This episode of Scamfluencers unpacks one of the most fantastical literary deceptions in history: Clifford Irving’s audacious attempt to pass off a fake autobiography of the famously reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. The hosts, Sachi Koul and Sarah Hagi, take listeners through Irving’s early scams, his creative yet illegal plotting, the complicit cast around him, and the elaborate unraveling once the real Hughes emerged from hiding to expose the scam.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Allure of Infamy over Quality (00:25–01:14)

• Sachi jokes about notoriety being the reason for her podcasting career, poking fun at the desire for fame over authenticity.
• Sarah reaffirms her preference for quality over notoriety, hinting at the episode’s focus: a creative who pursues recognition at any cost.

“Well, I'm only in this industry so that people will learn my needlessly complicated name and how to spell it. It's kind of the only reason this podcast even exists.”
— Sachi (00:44)

Howard Hughes: The Perfect Mark (01:14–04:01)

• The hosts situate Howard Hughes as an elusive, eccentric subject, comparing him to Elon Musk but with a shroud of mystery and speculation around his whereabouts and habits.
• Both hosts note their pop-culture reference points for Hughes: "The Aviator" film and even a "Simpsons" episode.

Clifford Irving’s Early Scammy Tendencies (08:36–13:23)

• As a teenager, Clifford forged a note to skip school and attend a baseball game—skills he learned from his cartoonist father.
• Clifford’s creative aspirations were shaped by his dad’s dreams for him: not necessarily making great art, but embodying the glamor of fame.

“He had this image of me, I think, sitting beside a swimming pool under the palm trees… It just it is a little telling to me, and I doubt that is how his father phrased it.”
— Sarah (10:09)

Early Literary Struggles and Inspiration from a Notorious Forger (13:23–15:16)

• Irving’s modest literary output is overshadowed by his acquaintance with Elmyr de Hory—infamous art forger. Irving writes his biography but envies Elmyr’s flair.
• The book about Elmyr is well-reviewed but doesn’t sell; Clifford craves more notoriety.

Howard Hughes’s Reclusive Empire – A Scam Opportunity (15:16–19:18)

• Detailed backstory on Hughes’s rise, eccentricities, and total withdrawal from public life.
• Hughes’s unpredictability and isolation make him an ideal mark: no one can definitively deny or confirm contact with him.

Plotting the Great Hoax (19:18–21:54)

• Over coffee, Irving hatches the idea to fabricate a Hughes biography, exploiting the improbability of anyone verifying direct access to Hughes.
• He recruits friend Richard Susskind to help orchestrate research and invent “interview” tapes.

“It’s honestly pretty bold. And he seems to think this should all be easy enough... He’ll just do the same thing with Howard. It doesn’t matter if he can’t actually get access to Howard.”
— Sachi (20:48)

Forging Evidence, Faking Meetings, Sealing the Deal (24:23–26:49)

• Clifford forges a correspondence with Hughes, copying his handwriting based on a published sample, and presents this to publisher McGraw Hill.
• To explain the need for secrecy, the contract restricts any direct contact with Hughes—only Clifford can interact.

Scamming the Publishers, Researching for Lies and Stealing from Others (27:16–30:29)

• Irving and Susskind amass details from public records and then, serendipitously, get their hands on a genuine Hughes manuscript provided by an unwitting Hollywood producer—which they ruthlessly copy for their own use.
• Fake interviews—complete with invented color and Hollywood tales—pad out the manuscript.

The Money Laundering Scheme (31:06–34:19)

• Clifford’s wife, Edith, helps launder the publisher’s payments by setting up Swiss accounts under an alias derived from Hughes’s initials.
• Disguises and forged documents become part of the escapade.

“This move might have also been out of desperation because their marriage is on the rocks. Edith knows all about Clifford’s mistress, Nina, and they fight about it constantly. So Edith might see this as an opportunity to connect with her husband again.”
— Sachi (32:49)

Mounting Suspicion and the Real Hughes Emerges (34:19–38:42)

• Life magazine and McGraw Hill publicize the upcoming book, but Hughes’s representatives quickly condemn it as a hoax.
• Time Life bureau chief Frank McCullough, one of the last journalists to speak with Hughes, is conflicted but ultimately convinced by the forged documents—exemplifying the allure of a “scoop” and how it clouds judgment.
• Hughes himself speaks publicly for the first time in a decade, denouncing the book as a fabrication, but many are still left doubting as his voice alone is offered as proof.

The Legal Unraveling and Final Confession (45:06–49:49)

• Investigators uncover that the Swiss “HR Hughes” is actually Edith in disguise.
• Frank and Pulitzer-winning reporter Bill Lambert catch discrepancies in Clifford’s travel claims, and soon Clifford confesses when exhausted and cornered.
• Clifford and Edith’s affair, laundering, and full confession come to light, and even Clifford's mistress, Nina, testifies against him.

“When he asks if she’d gone on vacation with Clifford in Oaxaca, Nina confirms that she had. And she says there’s no way Clifford met with Howard Hughes while they were there because they were in bed together, going at it ferociously the entire time. And yes, she is willing to testify.”
— Sachi (48:24)

Consequences and Aftermath (51:23–53:32)

• Clifford pleads the Fifth, but grand juries unravel the hoax in detail.
• Clifford and Richard are jailed; Edith serves time in both the U.S. and Switzerland.
• The ghostwriter of the original, real Hughes manuscript recognizes theft of their work.
• Dogged reporting and legal pressure ensure the entire plot is exposed.

Reflections on Irving’s Scam and Lasting Fame (53:32–end)

• Hughes remains reclusive until his death, while Clifford capitalizes on his infamy by writing a meta-account of his own scam (“The Hoax”).
• The hosts reflect on the psychology and effort behind such scams and the fine line between notoriety and artistry.

“...it is so crazy to get away with. And a part of me wonders if he took into account the notoriety he would have if found out—he was famous until the end of his life for this.”
— Sarah (55:20)

“This is a guy who clearly knew how to get himself out of a number of jams and thought he could get himself out of this one too. And you know what? Maybe he did... he got remarried and died a free man.”
— Sachi (56:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the audacity of the scam:
  “...to do that with someone who is alive and one of the most famous people on earth, regardless of how reclusive he was at that point in his life, is so bold.”
  — Sarah (55:15)

• On the fun of scamming:
  “Ultimately. Fun scam. Really? A fun scam for me.”
  — Sarah (57:53)
  “If you gotta rip somebody off, Howard Hughes is a great place to start. I'm not actually that mad at it.”
  — Sachi (57:58)

• On manipulated reality:
  “It seems like so strange that it couldn’t possibly be anything but the truth.”
  — Sachi (38:20)

• On Irving’s motivation:
  “He just wanted people to know him.”
  — Sachi (55:32)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Clifford Irving’s Childhood Forgery: (08:36–09:26)
• Devising the Howard Hughes Scam: (19:18–21:54)
• Forging Letters to McGraw Hill: (24:23–26:49)
• Financial Scheme with Edith in Switzerland: (31:06–34:19)
• Howard Hughes’s Public Denial: (38:42–40:23)
• Clifford’s Confession and Legal Fallout: (48:16–51:23)
• Show’s Summary/Reflections: (53:32–end)

Tone & Style Notes

The episode maintains a sly, irreverent tone, balancing fascination with the creative aspects of scamming and genuine disbelief at the scale of Irving’s duplicity. The hosts often inject humor and personal commentary, making the episode engaging even for those unfamiliar with the case.

For Listeners Who Haven't Tuned In

Through meticulous storytelling, Scamfluencers reveals Clifford Irving’s Howard Hughes hoax as a scandal of ambition, creative energy gone wrong, and the irresistible lure of notoriety. It’s a wild tale of faked interviews, forged signatures, and the extraordinary lengths someone will go for literary immortality—even if it’s built on lies. The hosts also reflect on why we fall for such stories, the cultural mystique of the scam artist, and how, in the end, Irving’s name—and not his work—secured him the renown he always wanted.

Recommended Further Reading:

• The Hoax by Clifford Irving
• The Inside Story of the Howard Hughes-Clifford Irving Affair by Fay, Chester, and Linklater
• F is for Fake (film by Orson Welles)
• The Hoax (2006, film starring Richard Gere)