Ballon Boy - The Heene Family

True Crimecast

Stove Leg Media

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We explore the bizarre 2009 "Balloon Boy" hoax, where parents Richard and Mayumi Heene staged a national panic by claiming their six-year-old son, Falcon, was trapped in a runaway homemade flying saucer. This episode details the chaotic search, the moment Falcon was found, the on-air slip that exposed the stunt as a desperate bid for a reality show, and the felony charges and restitution that followed. We also cover the controversial 2020 pardon and hear from Falcon today, who still grapples with the fallout of the infamous media circus.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Stoveleg Media, igniting conversation.
0:25.6	This is True Crimecast.
0:27.7	Jamie joined by John.
0:29.2	What is happening?
0:30.0	Dude,
0:30.8	I don't know,
0:31.1	man.
0:32.5	We're in the middle of football season.
0:34.2	This is the best time of year.
0:35.5	Football,
0:36.9	chili, more chilly. More cool. Lack of heat is my favorite part of it.
0:42.6	I went outside today and just didn't want to die, so that's a step in the right direction.
0:48.3	I think you're probably right. We have had this case cooking for quite a while, and I am just so excited to dive into the details
0:56.6	here. Yeah, it's a really good one. Before we get started, I do want to say thank you to a new
1:01.7	Patreon member and that is Charlie Philbrick. So Charlie joined at the $7 a month levels. So thank you
1:08.5	so much, Charlie. I've put some stuff in the mail for you. And if you
1:12.0	become a new Patreon member, don't forget, I will send you some swag that's left over from
1:17.7	CronCon. So Phil, you're going to be surprised by a couple of things. And then you also get your
1:23.0	autograph picture of us, which you can use to scare away crows from your garden. Great for dartboards. I'll tell you that much. Yep. I also have a thank you to a new five-star review that came over on Apple podcast. This is from John 512, which is not me. Not you. I've been listening for a few years now after first hearing y'all on Talk Is Jericho and I've been hooked ever since.
1:45.1	We were on Talk as Jericho last week. If you haven't checked it out about the Ken and Barbie
1:49.4	Killers. I usually put it on while I'm gaming or driving and it always makes time fly by.
1:54.6	I'll definitely be subscribing to Patreon soon to support y'all. So thank you for that.
	...

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