The True Story Behind Sue Thomas: the FBI’s First Deaf Agent
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2025
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Sue Thomas’s life became the inspiration for the TV drama Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, but the real story is far more powerful than anything Hollywood put on screen. Born profoundly deaf, she grew up learning to read lips and pushed past low expectations to earn a place inside the FBI. There, she became the Bureau’s first deaf agent and proved that disability could be turned into strength.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:04.0 | What I told people, I was making a podcast about Benghazi. |
| 0:08.5 | Nine times out of ten, they called me a masochist, rolled their eyes, or just asked, why? |
| 0:15.1 | Benghazi, the truth became a web of lies. |
| 0:18.5 | From prologue projects and Pushkin Industries, this is Fiasco, Benghazi. |
| 0:23.9 | What difference at this point does it make? |
| 0:27.4 | Listen to Fiasco, Benghazi, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:33.4 | Music This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports and from business to history, and everything in between, |
| 0:55.2 | including your story. Send them to Our American Stories.com. |
| 0:59.4 | Sue Thomas became the first deaf person to work as an undercover specialist, |
| 1:03.7 | doing lip reading of suspects for an elite surveillance team at the FBI. |
| 1:08.6 | In 1990, Thomas wrote her autobiography entitled Silent Night, which became the |
| 1:13.0 | basis for the TV series Sue Thomas, FBI, EY. The continuing story of her life is chronicled |
| 1:20.6 | in staying in the race, where Thomas shares stories about living with multiple sclerosis. |
| 1:26.6 | Here's Sue Thomas. |
| 1:28.6 | Some of you might have remembered that TV show called Sue Thomas, FBI. |
| 1:38.0 | And as I traveled around the country speaking, I find that I keep getting asked three most popular questions. |
| 1:47.0 | Question number one. |
| 1:50.0 | Are you the real Sue Thomas? |
| 1:53.0 | Question number two. |
| 1:55.0 | How long did you work for the FBI? |
| 1:59.0 | Only for three and a half years. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.