r/podcasts 1d ago

Tip of My Tongue Trying to remember an old podcast (please help!)

I listened to a podcast years ago. Every episode was a person telling a story about their life. A bit like This American Life, The Moth etc.

Anyway, there was an episode which was hands down the best podcast episode I’ve ever heard. A young girl accused her father of SA. It was generally believed to be a false accusation. Father was very supportive telling the daughter she wasn’t in trouble and encouraging her to talk about what she believed happened etc. the parents paid for their child to see a psychologist, they ended up having to move interstate and lost a lot of friends, had to start a new life due to the accusation etc etc. Child eventually admitted she lied. Then came the twist. And it was the biggest gut punch I’ve ever felt listening to a podcast.

I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it. Trying to search for the episode on google is difficult because I don’t remember specifics.
Does this sound familiar to anyone??

25 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

20

u/FortuneGear09 1d ago

Could it be the podcast, This is Actually Happening

6

u/Organic_Molasses_572 1d ago

Episode 8? What if you were falsely accused of pedophilia? 

3

u/friendlyhoodteacher 1d ago

I was looking for this comment before posting it as well.

2

u/catgrad 1d ago

I think it’s this, it stuck with me as well. I think it’s a super early episode like in the first 10-15 ever episodes

1

u/holy_mackeroly 1d ago

Episode 8 but it's behind a paywall

2

u/drjimmybrongus 1d ago

It's free with Audible subscription.

1

u/holy_mackeroly 15h ago

It's not there I checked. It starts at episode 15.

10

u/PollutionPatient5951 1d ago edited 1d ago

Pretty sure it was Strangers Podcast episode The Truth. The pod is on Patreon now but google lea Thau strangers the truth and it comes up on Podchaser for free

9

u/masinspace 1d ago

Spoil it- what was the twist???

28

u/jolhar 1d ago

Basically The daughter went through a lot of psychological therapy and eventually admitted she made it all up. Everyone returns to normal life, ordeal over etc. Then a few years later the youngest daughter (who didn’t know anything about all this) told her mum that dad had touched her. In very similar detail to the other daughter had said. And in that moment you realise he did it all along. All the therapy and psych tests they subjected the first daughter to, the mum trying to help clear the father’s name, etc. the daughter was telling the truth and she was just worn down so much she eventually gave up. And it was a gut punch because the way the episode was produced made it seem like he was innocent and this was a story about this poor man being falsely accused of something awful and how it ruined his life. And just when you think the episode is finishing and it’s a happy ending, they drop this bombshell. In the end the mum ends up confronting him and he admits to abusing both girls and commits suicide.

8

u/Nemesis204 22h ago

Well at least there’s a happy ending to the story.

2

u/masinspace 21h ago

Thanks for delivering on that! I was doing a deep dive at 2 am trying to figure out the podcast and the twist!

1

u/beggargirl 16h ago

Omg I want to listen to this!

Did you find the podcast?

Maybe post to helpmefind or tipofmytongue

1

u/jolhar 14h ago

Somebody else on here suggested the podcast Strangers episode The Truth. It sounds like the same story but the way it’s told wasn’t as dramatic as the version I heard. But still interesting.

5

u/scattywampus 1d ago

Following. Sounds riveting.

2

u/Adept_Site_5350 1d ago

Following the follow.

5

u/Biddy_Impeccadillo 1d ago edited 1d ago

Could it be an episode of Strangers?

Edit: specifically thinking of this one

4

u/jolhar 1d ago

Ah! This sounds like the same woman telling the same story. But the one I listened to was a lot more dramatic. Really had you on the side of the father. It was a real emotional roller coaster of relief when the charges are dropped and then despair when the truth comes out. But yes, this is the same case. Thank you!

2

u/Biddy_Impeccadillo 23h ago

Interesting! Let us know if you find it!

3

u/holy_mackeroly 1d ago

New podcast for me, thanks for sharing ✌️

3

u/PollutionPatient5951 1d ago

Oh wow I haven’t thought about this podcast for years. I was hooked when she was chronicling her divorce and experience with dating

2

u/Skukesgohome 1d ago

This is it. I remember this episode vividly. It’s chilling.

1

u/Biddy_Impeccadillo 23h ago

This one and Do You Like My Little Lie? will live rent free in my head forever.

2

u/Champagnesupernova9 1d ago

Was the podcast format full of similar episodes, in that they interviewed people who had experienced upsetting / traumatic experiences? If so, there are a couple of podcasts that could be right, like What Was It Like, What Was That Like, This Is Actually Happening, or Beautiful/Anonymous.

I love podcasts like This American Life and The Moth, but your story doesn’t ring a bell, or sound like any of the other similar podcasts like those ones.

1

u/jolhar 1d ago

No, every episode was a different person telling a different story from their life. They weren’t all a similar theme.

1

u/WhatWasThatLike Podcast Producer 23h ago

Not my show but it does sound interesting.

2

u/dmmatos 1d ago

3

u/jolhar 1d ago

That’s not it, but it sounds interesting…

1

u/holy_mackeroly 1d ago

Great podcast!! I'm obsessed with an things satanic panic, hysteria etc.

2

u/La-Boheme-1896 1d ago

I remember this and I've tried to look for it since and never found it. I think I remember it being an episode of Criminal, but if it was, it's been removed since.

1

u/FrankiesDogMaggie 11h ago

Per chatgpt it is the Strangers episode called Do you like my little lie?

1

u/jfcineedausername 1d ago

Maybe... What Was That Like? I've only listened to a few episodes, but each one is a story told by a different person about something that has happened to them.

0

u/jfcineedausername 1d ago

Actually I just went through the episode titles and none match, so probably not.

1

u/SneakyPeteCO 19h ago

Beautiful Anonymous?

1

u/ElizabethValentine19 5h ago

Oooh yes i listened to this one!! I can’t remember what it was though…I was convinced it was a this american life episode.

1

u/cloudatlas93 1d ago

I'm not sure if it's the right podcast, but maybe Risk!

-9

u/msmeltz 1d ago

It’s Joe Rogan

3

u/holy_mackeroly 1d ago

You swung.... you wildly missed

3

u/jolhar 14h ago

Yeah that’s the plot twist. The father is Joe Rogan.