The Great Pretenders

Published: Feb. 27, 2019, 5 p.m.

Ever wonder about people that pretend to be something they aren’t? Well, Javier Leiva has built his entire podcast, Pretend Radio, around that concept, and he joins Mary Payne to break down a few of the episodes. Javier is intrigued by the idea that you never know what a person walking down the street is thinking. The podcast features people close to Javier who are “pretenders,” in addition to several episodes about stories like this from across the United States. They touch on the story of shooter Vester Flanagan, the Santeria religion, a transgender love story, and the Word of Faith Fellowship Church, which is the topic of Season Three. Javier discloses to Mary Payne that being a podcaster gives him access to people and facts of stories that are not easily accessible to typical media outlets, making the stories even juicier. Podcast Recommendations: Criminal Heavyweight This American Life Twisted Moms and Murders For Keeps Find Pretend Radio: Pretendradio.org Twitter: @pretend_radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices