Hot Mics with Billy Bush

Journalist Maureen Callahan (The Nerve) joins Billy Bush for an in-depth conversation about ‘The Tell,’ Amy Griffin's bestselling memoir, the growing legal battle with Joleene Altum, the recovered memory controversy, and the unanswered questions surrounding one of the year's most talked-about stories.

In this episode:

Maureen explains why she questioned Amy Griffin's story long before the New York Times investigation.

The latest developments in the Amy Griffin vs. Jolene Altum lawsuits.

The controversy surrounding MDMA-assisted memory recovery.

The mystery of "Claudia" and Billy's reporting identifying the woman Amy says inspired the character.

What happens if the allegations in The Tell don't withstand scrutiny—and why it matters to real survivors of sexual abuse.

If you've been following our investigation into The Tell, this is one of the most important conversations we've had.

Topics:
Amy Griffin, The Tell, Maureen Callahan, Billy Bush, Hot Mics, Jolene Altum, recovered memories, MDMA therapy, Amarillo, New York Times investigation, memoir controversy, true crime, investigative journalism, childhood sexual abuse allegations, Oprah, Martha Stewart.

Who is the real "Claudia" in Amy Griffin's story? Thanks to a loyal Hot Mics listener, Billy was able to find her and make contact with her. This morning he shares details of that exchange, and her response to Billy may surprise you . Plus, a closer look at Amy Griffin's federal lawsuit in Nevada, the lost Martha Stewart podcast interview with Amy that somehow disappeared.

Billy Bush takes a deeper look at the growing controversy surrounding Amy Griffin’s bestselling memoir The Tell and the dueling lawsuits now testing its central claims. Billy examines Joleene Altum’s allegation that Griffin appropriated details of her childhood abuse, Griffin’s denial and countersuit, the role of MDMA-assisted therapy and recovered memories. The unanswered questions involving Oprah, the book’s celebrity supporters, ghostwriter Sam Lansky, Dominique Price and the mysterious “Claudia.”

Billy also breaks down several declarations, reporting and timeline disputes and locations of the Griffin's private plane during a time that her camp alleges that she was not near Palm Springs and Griffin’s accounts of other alleged abusers.



#Thetell #AmyGriffin #podcast #Tunein #Billybush

Justin Baldoni's legal team responds to Blake Lively's $8 million legal fee request, calling itbloated, poorly documented, and stretched far beyond the actual defamation claim —including hundreds of thousands in redacted charges and expenses with no receipts. Plus,Wayfarer Studios chairman Steve Sarowitz breaks his silence in a new podcast interview,addressing the toll of the legal battle. Then, the Amy Griffin saga takes new turns: sworndeclarations from Griffin's ghostwriter and a new witness surface, conflicting localaccounts from Griffin's hometown emerge, and Billy uncovers the surprising reality-TV pastof Dominic Price, the man at the center of the alleged story-gathering scheme. Plus, Billypreviews Peacock's "Five Star Weekend" and the moral dilemma at its core.

Hashtags:#HotMics #BillyBush #BlakeLively #JustinBaldoni #AmyGriffin #TheTell #podcast

Billy reacts to the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, reportedly from an aorticdissection just hours after a call with President Trump, and revisits Graham's dramaticpolitical reversal on Trump alongside Hunter Biden's viral tribute. Then, Billy digs into thestrategist behind Graham Platner's rise and collapse — Daniel Moraff, the 31-year-oldoperative who recruited Platner, secured Bernie Sanders' endorsement, and is now facinghis own scrutiny over past allegations of misconduct on a prior campaign. Plus, the AmyGriffin legal saga escalates as new sworn declarations corroborate Jolene Altum's claims,while Griffin's own private investigators reportedly found no independent evidence backingher story. Billy also breaks down this year's Emmy nominations and can't get over theflopping epidemic ruining the World Cup.

Hashtags:#HotMics #BillyBush #LindseyGraham #Platner #AmyGriffin #TheTell #Emmys#WorldCup