What Came Next is intended for mature audiences only.

Episodes discuss topics that can be triggering,

such as emotional, physical, and sexual violence, animal abuse, suicide, and murder.

I am not a therapist, nor am I a doctor.

If you're in need of support, please visit Something Was Wrong.com

forward slash resources for a list of non-profit organizations that can help.

Opinions expressed by my guests on the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of myself or broken cycle media.

Resources and source material are linked in the episode notes. Thank you so much for listening. Javier Lava is a podcast host and Emmy award-winning television producer.

His show, Pretend Podcast, began airing in 2017 and highlights cases of

fraud executed by perpetrators from cult leaders to con artists to undercover FBI agents. However,

it was in June 24 that Pretend's 18th season became much more personal for him.

At first, accusations against Arkansas-based Ladonna Humphrey barely grabbed his attention.

But the more accusations he received, the more Javier realized he had to uncover the truth about

LaDonna, a seasoned true crime podcaster and author herself.

And almost immediately after Javier reached out to her for comment, he would begin to experience

alleged harassment too, joining the growing list of Ladonna's accusers.

The Broken Cycle Media team is incredibly grateful Javier was willing to share the behind

the scenes of this formative season and all that came next for him as his own role shifted

from host to victim.

My name is Javier Lever, Leva.

I am the host of the pretend podcast, but I almost feel like that's a persona that I've accidentally created because the guy that's on that podcast is not the same as the guy that lives everyday life.

I think my friends and family would say that I'm outgoing,

...