Page 5 of Beauty & Chaos

But shedidsave my life.

The following week I was sent to Phillips Academy and have not seen my father since.

CHAPTER TWO

BROOKLYN

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Casting my eyes over the notes I’ve been reading from, I glance back at the camera and smile. “Well, that’s all for tonight, you guys. Thank you for all your comments and information you’ve been sending in. Don’t forget you can find the links to the donation pages my team has personally vetted for the stories we covered today.”

I take a quick glance at the comments and force my smile to stay in place.

The Leo Taylor story has gone viral.

It’s every podcaster’s dream, but given he’s such a popular actor with multiple generations, asking questions about his, shall we say, dating life, has stirred a huge pot.

I don’t care.

If the manhasbeen sexually abusing women, then I intend to expose him. My job is to ask questions and gather information. To discuss topics and, if necessary, lead people to the authorities.

In this situation, that’s definitely the case.

The power of podcasts is the freedom of speech and the reach we have. Unearthing the truth has always been something I’m passionate about, and in doing so, I have to sift through the details and fight for those who have been hurt because of lies.

It’s what gets me out of bed, fuels my hours of researching, and allows me to face my large audience. Those who both love and hate me.

It comes with the job.

Thinking that the entire population on the planet is going to agree with or like me is simply insanity. It’s that freedom of speech—and thought—that drives me.

So I have to suck it up.

And employ someone like Milly—my social media manager—to review comments so I can protect my mental health.

Scott, Milly, and I have helped the community here in NYC in many ways. From getting changes done to three different pedestrian crossings after two deaths, to better accessibility at the library, and outing a government official suspected of money laundering.

The latter put me on the podcast map.

Times have changed. No longer are people going to the same three media outlets for their news and being told what to believe. Now people are asking questions, joining like-minded groups to investigate what really is going on. Sleuths—generally moms and sometimes dads—are searching the web, archived library records, and anywhere they can think of for information about people, places, and events to get to the truth.

It's not just my podcast—there are thousands.

Find your tribe, and there is someone digging up facts about something important to you.

I might be an investigative journalist, but you still need a tough outer skin to do this job. There are powerful people in this town—country—and money talks. So when Leo Taylor’s story landed in my inbox, I did think twice.

Not for long.

When I started to understand how he’d used his power and influence in the movie industry to abuse women, I knew I couldn’t stay silent.

To be fair, if I had a dollar for every celebrity who was accused of this type of thing, I’d be on the billionaire list. This was different. Originally, I saw a comment on a thread by a woman, and it struck me as true.

Which, in this day and age, is strange, right?

The post was an entertainment news article about Leo Taylor's nomination to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She said he didn’t deserve it after what he’d done to her and other women.

I wasn’t looking to cover a celebrity story. After all, I’d worked atThe New York Timesprior to this, so I wasn’t a gossip columnist. Yet, I snuck into her DMs and asked if she would speak to me about Leo Taylor. It took Susan (not her name) a day to respond, but when she did, we quickly set up a call, and within ten minutes she had my full attention.