CW: Mentions of abuse and rape
Our listeners know we love a scam. Last summer when I was in search of some new scammy content, I stumbled upon Something Was Wrong in Stitcher. At the time, the show was already several seasons in, but I’d seen some buzz for season one in reviews, so I started at the beginning. What I found was better than just a scam story; I found an empathetic storyteller centering victims of abuse, control, and manipulation. Something Was Wrong is riveting in its subject matter, but more importantly, it’s bringing attention to some really crucial issues.
When I first dove into season one, the story of Sara, a woman who thought she was engaged to the man of her dreams, I was most impressed by the fact that host Tiffany Reese was putting this whole podcast together on her own. Tiffany, a blogger, author, and body-positivity advocate, launched the show in 2019, and while occasionally there were some “new podcast” issues (occasional audio quality issues on phone interviews—hello, we know all about that one!), I was blown away by how great it was with what I assume were probably limited resources at first. Tiffany is not only a great storyteller, but she’s also a good interviewer and she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to narcissistic abuse because she’s experienced it herself.
Tiffany Reese photographed by Jill Krause
somethingwaswrong.com
Season one does a fantastic job of showing how a narcissistic abuse works over time, with the abuser slowly asserting more and more control over their partner in such an insidious way that it can be nearly invisible at first. And like any great story, it kept us on the edge of seats as more and more of the truth was revealed. (I’m not going to spoil anything here because I want y’all to listen.) My husband and I listened to the entirety of season one on a road trip, and we couldn’t get enough. Between episodes, we’d pause the show and talk about our own experiences with people who’d exhibited some of the behaviors we were hearing about on the show. Before the road trip was over, we started season two.
Season two enters new territory with the story of an abusive and manipulative friendship featuring a compulsive liar. Just like season one, I often found myself with my mouth agape as I listened to what this woman did. Season three tells the truly wild story of three families tragically affected by a narcissistic abuser. Seasons four through eight cover a wide range of topics including abusive romantic relationships, cults and cult leaders, online harassment, and even murder. Every season has been engaging, and all along, Tiffany does a wonderful job of centering the victims and survivors of psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse; coercive control; gaslighting; and fraud.
Actual footage of me listening to the first two seasons
It’s easy to see from season to season how this podcast itself has inspired more people to open up about their own stories of survival. Listening to this show has even made me realize that some of things I’ve experienced in past relationships were abusive—there were times I knew something was wrong but didn’t know how to articulate what was happening. There were times I felt crazy and didn’t understand how long I’d been gaslighted. I know that if the show had this effect on me, it’s had this effect on tons of other listeners too. There’s a moment in season five when the subject is discussing sexual abuse she experienced in her marriage, and Tiffany calmly says, “What you’re describing...is rape.” The subject knew this too by this point, but when she was experiencing it, she didn’t think of it as rape. I remember hearing that discussion and thinking that this was going to be an important moment for listeners who have experienced the same thing and didn’t have the tools or language to recognize it yet. (There is even a place to share your own story if you’re so moved.)
Something Was Wrong (which is an award-winning show, by the way!) is now a part of the audiochuck network (the network started by Crime Junkie’s Ashley Flowers), and the first three episodes of season nine are out right now. It’s so cool to see how far this podcast has come from its humble beginnings to now, and I can already tell season nine is going to be my favorite so far.
Jump in and start listening to the newest season, or hop around to any of the others that interest you. You can explore the different topics covered here. Have you listened to Something Was Wrong? Tell us what you think!