Podcast Summary: What It Was Like

Episode: I Dated a Billionaire Weapons Dealer
Host: Julian Morgans
Guest: Jill Dodd
Date: September 26, 2025

Main Theme

This episode explores the real-life "Cinderella story" of Jill Dodd, a young American model who became involved with Adnan Khashoggi, a billionaire Saudi arms dealer in the 1980s. It investigates the power dynamics, glamour, and darker realities behind their relationship—and offers candid reflections on objectification, exploitation, and the hidden costs women pay to gain access to power and wealth. The discussion veers from lavish yachts and couture to the emotional fallout and lifelong impact on Jill.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jill’s Modeling Beginnings

• [07:41] Jill shares how she fell into modeling by answering an ad for a fit model in LA’s garment industry, eventually leading to photo shoots and a 10-year modeling career.
  • "I ended up in the photo shoot, and I was paid like the other girls. And then I was like, wait, I could maybe make more money at this than the $4.25 an hour I was making..." – Jill Dodd

The Dark Side of the Modeling Industry

• [09:45-11:35] Jill details the openly predatory environment in 1980s Paris modeling, where bookings were tied to attending parties with wealthy, older men and sexual favors for jobs were common.
  • "They would make us go to these parties where they were all politicians and older men...If you don't go to the parties, you're not going to work." – Jill Dodd [09:45]
• The normalization of exploitation and Jill’s early boundaries: she refused to keep attending parties after being repeatedly attacked.

Meeting Adnan Khashoggi – The “Cinderella Moment”

• Monte Carlo Party
  • [12:00-16:38] Pamela (her agent) invites Jill to an extravagant birthday party in Monaco for Khashoggi’s daughter.
  • Jill describes the wild scene of dancers, pirates, and luxury. She dances with Khashoggi, not knowing who he is, finds him safe due to his age, then realizes he is a powerful billionaire when her agent informs her.
  • "He pulled my sleeve up and...wrote I love you in blood down my arm." – Jill Dodd [16:32]

First Encounters on the Yacht

• Yacht Tour
  • [21:57-27:49] Adnan invites Jill and Pamela aboard his super-yacht, the largest in the world at the time, featuring couture closets, a hospital, a disco-conference room, and even a helicopter.
  • Jill is both overwhelmed and oddly at ease, her familiarity with fashion and older men dampening the intimidation.
  • Adnan reveals the yacht was used in a James Bond movie—emphasizing the surreal, glamorous environment.
    • "He had ski boats inside the boat. He had a hospital downstairs...in case anyone needed heart surgery." – Jill Dodd [27:13]

Power, Spies, and Objectification

• [28:21-29:45] Jill learns Adnan uses women as spies during business deals, asking them to seduce partners for secrets.
  • "They would sleep with him and get secrets...So they were spies for him." – Jill Dodd [28:21]
• Adnan’s origins as a middleman for American vehicles in Saudi Arabia slowly transitioned into arms dealing. Jill only realizes the extent of this later.

Emotional Connection and Early Relationship

• [30:02-32:06] Despite the extravagance, Jill feels genuine connection and excitement—highlighting her loneliness and need for conversation while modeling in Paris.
• The first night together is platonic, but romantic feelings grow.

The Ugly Truth—Being “Bought” and the Price of Participation

• [32:06-34:12] Jill stays overnight on the yacht, not realizing a $50,000 commission was paid to her agent for facilitating the introduction.
  • "It's disgusting...I felt shame. I felt like, oh God, I was such a fool." – Jill Dodd [32:24]
• It takes years and conversations with other women for Jill to process and de-shame the transaction. Many kept silent out of shame and fear of judgment.

Becoming a "Wife" and the Cultures of Exchange

• The Offer
  • [39:52-43:30] During a trip to Spain, Adnan produces an elaborate narrative, comparing Muslim polygamy to Old Testament tradition, and asks Jill to be one of his wives under a five-year contract, offering her freedom to date others as long as they aren’t from his country.
  • He refuses to kiss her until she agrees, and after her acceptance, he gifts her jewelry and they consummate the relationship.
    • "I want you to be one of my wives...we'll make a five-year contract and I'll take care of you." – Adnan (relayed by Jill) [41:49]
    • "Don't date anyone that's from my country." – Adnan [42:22]

The Honeymoon Period & Emerging Realities

• [46:24-48:32] The first year is glamorous and intense. Over time, signs of multiple women emerge, with the lifestyle demanding Jill play the part—attending formal dinners, wearing couture, holding intellectual conversations with aristocrats and powerful men.
• Jill's status as Adnan’s “favorite” soon erodes as she notices he is buying identical rings in bulk for new girls, showing her perceived uniqueness was an illusion. Heartbreak and disillusionment follow.

Turning Point – Choosing Freedom Over Opulence

• [52:23-56:20] A pivotal dinner party leaves Jill feeling repulsed by Khashoggi’s world of power games and objectification. A compliment from a service worker about Jill’s self-made dress cements her realization.
  • "I would rather live on Skid Row than live with these people. And I was like, that's it. I'm done." – Jill Dodd [55:59]
• The relationship ends; Jill experiences grief and loss, but also clarity.

Retrospective—Power, Objectification, and Consent

• [58:20-61:50] Jill reflects on the transactional nature of her relationship and the price of financial security: loss of freedom and agency.
  • "He bought me because he wanted to use me for his lifestyle...he paid for me. He bought me. It's sick." – Jill Dodd [58:20]
  • She cautions young women against trading freedom for security:
    • "There's a price, and the price is freedom...if I'm not free, I'm not happy." – Jill Dodd [61:50]

Closure & Lasting Impressions

• [61:56-63:23] After their breakup, Jill and Adnan remained in periodic contact. She believes their affection was real within his worldview, but he always compartmentalized relationships.
  • "My heart is like a chest of drawers. And when I see you, I pull out that drawer, and when I see another one, I pull out that drawer." – Adnan (relayed by Jill) [64:32]
• Jill laments the ongoing cultural scripts that allow such dynamics and stresses self-worth and independence.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He pulled my sleeve up and...wrote I love you in blood down my arm." – Jill Dodd [16:32]
• "He wanted me to make him look good. He wanted to enjoy my youth...at the time, I had low self-esteem and I was competing in the modeling world." – Jill Dodd [58:20]
• "There's a price, and the price is freedom...if I'm not free, I'm not happy." – Jill Dodd [61:50]
• "My heart is like a chest of drawers. And when I see you, I pull out that drawer, and when I see another one, I pull out that drawer." – Adnan (as told by Jill) [64:32]
• "I would rather live on Skid Row than live with these people." – Jill Dodd [55:59]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [07:41] Modeling beginnings in LA
• [09:45] Explaining the “party-for-work” trade-off in 1980s modeling
• [12:00] Introduction to Khashoggi at Monte Carlo party
• [16:32] The “I love you in blood” scene
• [21:57] First yacht visit and couture wardrobe
• [28:21] Khashoggi’s “spy girls” and business
• [32:06] The $50,000 commission for Jill’s introduction
• [39:52] Adnan proposes a contract for Jill as a “wife”
• [46:24] The honeymoon period — and realization she's one of many
• [55:59] Epiphany: Jill chooses to leave for freedom
• [58:20] Retrospective on objectification and “being bought”
• [61:50] Advice to young women about the price of access

Tone & Atmosphere

Throughout the interview, both host and guest maintain a frank, open, and thoughtful tone. Jill is reflective and occasionally emotional, often punctuating stories with humor and honesty. Julian offers empathy, curiosity, and frequent reality-checks against prevailing “Cinderella” myths.

Closing Thoughts

Jill’s story is a powerful deconstruction of the myth of wealth and romance. Her firsthand experience reveals the hidden trade-offs, emotional fallout, and lasting impact of commodification and power imbalance. The episode balances tales of wild excess and glamour with clear-eyed warnings about the cost of surrendering agency and the subtle traps of “fairy tale” relationships.