The Moth Radio Hour: "Truth and Consequences"

Original Air Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Jennifer Hickson

Overview of the Episode

“Truth and Consequences” is an hour dedicated to the moments when truth forces its way into our lives—when confessions demand reckoning, family secrets are unearthed, and candid honesty brings both pain and, sometimes, redemption. Three true personal stories unfold, told live, themed around confronting difficult truths: a police officer discovers his adoption and faces an imprisoned birth father; an immigrant teenager’s innocent answer upends her family’s life; and a preacher’s son recounts a childhood cover-up that lingers for decades. Each story explores the costs—and sometimes freedoms—of honesty and the lasting impact of secrets kept or revealed.

Key Stories and Discussion Points

1. Brad Ewell: Finding Out Who You Really Are

[04:04–19:38]

Story Summary

• Background:
  In 2019, at age 48, Brad Ewell—a longtime police officer—receives a text revealing he may be adopted. An ancestry DNA search by his wife leads a stranger to suggest Brad is her long-lost nephew.
• Confronting the Truth:
  Brad realizes he’s never seen photos of his mother pregnant or heard labor stories. He nervously calls his father, who confirms: “Yeah, Bradley, you’re adopted...and we’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you.”
  [06:52, Brad’s father’s words]
• Further Shocks:
  • His birth mother died 19 years earlier.
  • His biological father is alive, serving a life sentence in Angola Prison in Louisiana for murder.
• Reconciling with the Past:
  Despite working in law enforcement, Brad decides to meet his birth father. The encounter is honest and cathartic, with his father (Jim/“Pop”) accepting responsibility:

  "I did a horrible thing that I can never take back or fix, and that's why I'm here today." —Brad's birth father, [11:18]

• Building a New Relationship:
  COVID brings video visitation, deepening their bond. Despite initial emotional distance, Brad comes to genuinely care for Pop, struggling with what to call him until settling on “Pop.”
• Redemption and Parole:
  Changes in Louisiana law make Jim eligible for parole after 50 years. Despite a harrowing hearing, the board votes in favor, and Brad is there to witness his father’s release:

  “I hugged my dad, my pop, and just kept telling him, it's over, we're done, you're coming home.” —Brad Ewell, [17:38]

• A New Normal:
  Brad and Pop now regularly see each other. Pop's reintroduction to the world—seeing Avatar 2, running errands, attending Brad’s storytelling—is described with humor and gratitude.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On discovering his adoption:

  "...all I had was more questions than answers. I suddenly realized that my mom had never talked about being pregnant with me. I had never had the mom guilt trip of I was in labor for you for this many hours..." — Brad Ewell, [05:29]

• On meeting his biological father:

  "[He said] 'Son, it's good to meet you. And I want to start out by being honest.' … I could tell you that I'm in prison because of drugs and alcohol… But the truth is, I did a horrible thing that I can never take back or fix, and that's why I'm here today." — Brad's birth father [11:14]

• On the parole hearing:

  "...as we watched this last man process all of that, he finally paused … and voted yes for parole. And I jumped up. I hugged my dad, my pop and just kept telling him, it's over, we're done, you're coming home." — Brad Ewell [17:18]

Post-Story Conversation

[19:38–23:32]

• Brad’s current life: He’s retired from policing, focused on art and supporting people who discover late-in-life DNA surprises (through the nonprofit Right to Know).
• Reflections on nature vs. nurture:

  “…people who could be very good criminals are usually the ones that become good cops. And… had I grown up in a completely different environment than I did, I very likely may have ended up exactly where my father was...” — Brad Ewell, [21:00]

• Advice to adoptive parents:

  “…it in no way negates what the adoptive raising parents did… it's no different than grandparents… parents can be the exact same way if it's viewed much more like a bonus family than a threat to the current family.” — Brad Ewell, [22:59]

2. Gabby Fernandez Sanchez: Caught in the System

[27:42–37:33]

Story Summary

• Background:
  At 15, Gabby's family is carjacked at gunpoint in Venezuela; this catalyzes a move to the US to escape political violence.
• Immigration Strain:
  • Her mother, a teacher, secures a work visa for herself and the children—but not Gabby’s Spanish-born father, who must periodically leave and re-enter the country.
  • A seemingly innocuous phone call (“Does your father take pictures for money?”) is actually an immigration sting.
• Unintended Consequence:
  Gabby answers honestly, inadvertently confirming her father worked without a visa. He’s detained at the airport and deported, unable to return for 10 years.

  "He heard me betray him." — Gabby Fernandez Sanchez, [28:59]

• Family Split & Difficult Choices:
  The family is torn: stay in America and remain separated, or risk their immigration status and reunite abroad—a “Gabby’s choice.” Eventually, Gabby returns to Spain before turning 18 to keep her legal status.
• Long-Delayed Reunion:
  Seventeen years later, Gabby is determined that her father will not miss her wedding. After persistent legal wrangling, her father finally receives a 10-year tourist visa and makes it back for her wedding in Miami.

  “We finally… had that airport reunion we were waiting for... at that moment we realized that we were made out of love and we were finally allowed to love each other at the same time, in the same place.” — Gabby, [36:20]

• Full Circle:
  The family, divided by arbitrary laws and red tape, is finally together for Gabby’s wedding after almost two decades apart.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On the family being split by the system:

  "...immigration laws are not designed to keep families together." — Gabby, [29:46]

• On being an immigrant:

  "...no matter where you are in the world, you're always going to miss someone." — Gabby, [32:54]

• On reunion and healing:

  “What brought us back together was love. Gracias.” — Gabby, [37:27]

3. Harold Cox: The Truth Will Set You Free (Eventually)

[42:03–55:27]

Story Summary

• Background:
  Harold, the creative and dramatic son of a preacher, is raised in a household where “If you tell the truth, the truth will set you free” is a constant refrain.
• The Incident:
  At 12, Harold sneaks his father’s Buick out of the garage, gets it stuck, and—terrified—fakes fainting. When discovered, he adds drama, elaborate storytelling, and more fainting (later with “rigor mortis” for flair!).
• Unexpected Response:
  His parents never confront him about the car. Instead, they respond with concerned silence and medical tests for his “condition”—a discipline that works far more effectively than punishment.
• Lingering Guilt:
  Decades pass and the family never discusses the incident. The silence creates a burden of guilt rather than “freedom.”

  “…for this instance, they were trying to find exactly the right thing. And they did. Silence. They refused to talk about it. And what does silence lead to? Guilt.” — Harold Cox, [54:10]

• Final Confession:
  Now in his seventies, Harold uses The Moth stage to finally confess:

  “I am here tonight to tell you I did it. I wrecked the car. I faked the illness. Now please set me free.” — Harold Cox, [55:17]

Notable Quotes and Moments

• “I learned the fine art of passing out… Feigning was my superpower.” — Harold, [43:30]
• On his elaborate deception:

  “Now, my parents are upset about this… So I go to a lot of doctors...I am committed to making this work...because this is the thing that’s saving my life.” — Harold, [53:00]

• Ultimate message:
  Even the truth must eventually come to light—and only then is there hope for release from guilt.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

| Time | Speaker | Quote | |----------|-------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:52 | Brad’s father | "Yeah, Bradley, you’re adopted...and we've been trying to figure out how to tell you." | | 11:18 | Brad's birth father ("Pop") | "I did a horrible thing that I can never take back or fix, and that's why I'm here today." | | 17:20 | Brad Ewell | "I hugged my dad, my pop, and just kept telling him, it's over, we're done, you're coming home."| | 22:59 | Brad Ewell | "...it's no different than grandparents... parents can be the exact same way if it's viewed much more like a bonus family than a threat to the current family." | | 28:59 | Gabby Fernandez Sanchez | "He heard me betray him." | | 29:46 | Gabby Fernandez Sanchez | "Immigration laws are not designed to keep families together." | | 32:54 | Gabby Fernandez Sanchez | "...no matter where you are in the world, you're always going to miss someone." | | 36:20 | Gabby Fernandez Sanchez | "We finally...had that airport reunion we were waiting for... we were finally allowed to love each other at the same time, in the same place." | | 54:10 | Harold Cox | "Silence. They refused to talk about it. And what does silence lead to? Guilt." | | 55:17 | Harold Cox | "I am here tonight to tell you I did it. I wrecked the car. I faked the illness. Now please set me free." |

Memorable Moments & Themes

• Truth as liberation and burden: For some, coming clean brought healing and new relationships; for others, secrecy produced years of unspoken sorrow or guilt.
• Family: by birth, by choice, by circumstance: The complexity of biology and nurture, and how both love and truth complicate family ties.
• Immigration and boundaries: How arbitrary laws can divide—and how persistence and love can (sometimes) overcome those divides.
• The power of silence: Sometimes saying nothing can have more impact than punishment.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening/Theme Introduction: [00:02–03:14]
• Brad Ewell Story: [04:04–19:38]
• Brad and Jennifer Conversation: [19:38–23:32]
• Gabby Fernandez Sanchez Story: [27:42–37:33]
• Harold Cox Story: [42:03–55:27]

Tone and Language

All stories maintain the warmth, humor, and honesty characteristic of The Moth. Each storyteller, and Jennifer Hickson as host, brings empathy and insight, with occasional lightness even as they tackle heavy truths.

Conclusion

In “Truth and Consequences,” The Moth listeners are challenged to confront the ways honesty, secrets, and personal history shape our lives. Whether truth brings freedom, pain, or—most often—a complex mixture of both, these stories honor the courage it takes to look unflinchingly at our past and to tell it out loud.