Go behind the scenes of Dirty John: Live at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel

Dirty John spent 31 days at No. 1 on Apple Podcasts. On Dec. 11, join Los Angeles Times reporters, experts and singer-songwriter Tracy Bonham live for an unparalleled look inside the story, the characters and the issues behind the series.

About the event

Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Goffard and moderator Carolina A. Miranda of The Times, will take you inside the Dirty John story with never-before-heard audio and previously unseen material. They'll examine the mind of a sociopath, the psychology of coercive control and the lasting effects of domestic abuse.

Special guests include:

• Debra Newell
• Terra Newell
• Tonia Bales

Experts include:

• Patti Giggans—Executive Director & CEO, Peace Over Violence
• Matthew Murphy—Senior Deputy District Attorney, Orange County DA’s Office Homicide Unit
• Francis McBride—Detective, Los Angeles Police Department OCB Family Justice Center

In addition to the discussions, Tracy Bonham will perform "Devil's Got Your Boyfriend" from the Dirty John soundtrack.

• The Theatre at Ace Hotel
• 929 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
• Monday, Dec. 11
• Doors open at 6 p.m.
• Price: $20-$25

Read the series

Read Chapter One of a six-chapter series and also listen to the podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Stitcher).

Dirty John and coercive control

Dirty John tells the story of a grifter in Orange County who lied to and manipulated his wife. It reveals a lot about domestic abuse. What does emotional abuse look like? Read about it, and what you can do if you’re worried about abuse.

Resources

Read more about intimate partner stalking and more from Peace Over Violence.

In the media

The series made headlines nationwide, including in The New Yorker, The Guardian, CNN, PopSugar, Marie Claire and Mashable.

Here’s what some publications wrote:

“This new six-part series from the L.A. Times has all the ingredients to be your next podcast obsession — and will have you questioning who you can really trust.”— Entertainment Weekly

“The LA Times has joined the true crime narrative trend by going all-in with not one, but two storytelling formats for its new feature, Dirty John. The story … is a serial narrative that’s being released in six longform installments. But it also features an accompanying podcast series that highlights interviews with family members and the building sense of tension and suspense that narrative podcasts can instill even better than solid reporting. Pick your poison, or try both.”— Vox

“Both articles and audio take advantage of the opportunity to approach ‘Dirty John’ in a literary way, evoking a not-too-distant time and place with a precision of detail. The result is a throwback, small-s serial sensibility, effectively bridging a traditional form of storytelling with its digital descendants.”— IndieWire

“Journalist Christopher Goffard of The Los Angeles Times may be the bard of crime in Orange County, California.”— Longreads

“It's really hard to sell a true crime podcast to people without spoiling the specific twist that makes it so compelling, but what we'll say is if you're listening to the first of Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Goffard’s six-part series and feel a little of ahead of things -- keep going.”— ET Online

“‘Dirty John’ isn't just a worthy successor to ‘Serial’ in the canon of bingeable true-crime podcasts — it's a longform series, too! If audio isn't your thing, you can read the six-part series, the final part of which was published on Sunday. But your best bet is to read and listen.”— Digg

“Honestly, we’ve gotta say we haven’t been this obsessed with a true crime podcast since the OG Serial days.”— Pedestrian.TV

“‘Dirty John,’ the new hit podcast produced by some supremely talented folks at our sister paper The Los Angeles Times and the podcast network Wondery, are as compelling a story as any available on any medium.”— The San Diego Union Tribune