What a Creep Season 13, Episode 8: Robert Durst

In 2015, HBO released a docu-series that took the nation by storm. The first media interview with Robert Durst, the son of billionaire real estate magnate Seymour Durst, in decades at the time. The then 72-year-old Durst has been accused of three murders in his life and seemed to use his money and privilege to avoid any real penalty.

The filmmaker Andrew Jarecki was obsessed with Durst’s story, so his 2010 film All Good Things starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst was inspired by the story of Durst’s first marriage Kathie McCormack who disappeared in 1982 and was declared dead in 1990. Since then, he was accused of murder two more times and seemed to be made of Teflon.

He is now serving time for first-degree murder and will soon be on trial for the murder of his first wife. Will he make it long enough to face a jury of his peers again?

Trigger warnings: Murder, death by suicide, mental illness, and domestic violence

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 7: Frank Sinatra (Replay)

Francis Albert Sinatra is one of the most celebrated vocalists of the 20th Century. He has sold over 150 million records and continues to sell just as well now as he did at the height of his height popularity.

He was known for his blue eyes and velvet voice. He was one of the first teen heartthrobs, a lover of women, a man who would just as soon get into a fight and then hug a person. He was demanding of everyone around him but outside of music & performing—cut himself a lot of slack.

Frank was a loyal friend unless you pissed him off, a good actor if you didn’t ask for too many takes, a lover who expected fidelity and gave none of it back. He was incredibly progressive for his time but used ethnic slurs without care.

Frank ran on all cylinders until he ran out of gas. Then he expected to be treated with kid gloves. He loved his kids but did not spend much time with them. He could be very generous and also hold a grudge for years.

He could be elegant and a total brute. Demanding and then pathetic. He was either a manic depressive or bipolar individual who at times could be a complete and total creep. He is complicated, smart, funny, mean, talented, childish, and ultimately a sad, lonely man who was his own worst enemy.

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 6: Rex Harrison

From Henry Higgins to Doctor Doolittle, Rex Harrison is one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men of the 20th Century. With his tall stature, deep booming voice, and his undeniable confidence—audiences ate him up whether he was playing a deceased sea captain in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir or Julius Caesar. “Sexy Rexy” as he was known led a life full of swagger, luxury, success, and often—tragedy.

This is one of those old-timey movie star tales where the Creep is an arrogant, mean, stingy son of a bitch who treated co-workers, colleagues, family, and anyone in a position that could be referred to as “staff” like disposable trash. Here is the history of one of the least beloved people in show business.

Trigger warnings: Two of his partners died by suicide

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 5: Bobby Flay

 

Bobby Flay is a celebrity chef who has hosted 16 (!) cooking shows and specials on The Food Network and The Cooking Channel including “Boy Meets Grill” and “Beat Bobby Flay” – a show that Anthony Bourdain once commented on saying, “Beat Bobby Flay sounds promising until you realize it’s about cooking.”

He’s also a cheatin’ husband and a low-stakes creep – the kind you might encounter in the office and think, “Ugh that guy sucks.”

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 4: Gwen Shamblin Lara

Gwen Henley Shamblin Lara was the founder of a popular Christina diet program called “The Weigh Down” whose followers were instructed to use God as their guide to lose weight and overcome eating issues. This led her to start her own ministry called the Remnant Fellowship which along with her best-selling books and popular online programs and festivals made her a wealthy woman.

For years, she dodged rumors that she ran a cult and took advantage of her followers. On May 29, 2021, she died in a plane crash along with her second husband for Tarzan in Manhattan actor Joe Lara, her son-in-law Brandon Hannah, and several members of her church on their way to a MAGA rally.

HBO Max produced three episodes for a series called The Way Down (two more are due next year) which exposed many of the more unsavory aspects of her life. Today we talk about the mysterious leader with the incredible head of hair and what is happening with her ministry today.

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Trigger warnings: Church cults, eating disorders, and child abuse

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 3: Danny Rolling, The Gainesville Ripper

Did you know that the movie SCREAM was inspired by a true crime? We didn’t. Danny Rolling, the Gainesville Ripper, murdered five students in Gainesville, Fla., in August 1990, which all but shut down the college town. And it turned out he had murdered before but didn’t get caught until years later. This is a rough one y’all.

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Trigger warnings including child abuse, rape, mutilation, and decapitation

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 2: Mark Weinberger

Dr. Mark Weinberger was at one time THE Ear, Nose, & Throat surgeon in Indiana, a place where factory smoke billows through the air constantly causing sinus issues for many of the residents. Most of them with union jobs and therefore, have health insurance. In 2004, he disappeared in Europe while on vacation with his wife for her 30th birthday. What she didn’t know was the man she married committed medical malpractice for several years and had hundreds of lawsuits waiting for him back home.

He took off for several years leaving destruction in his wake. But, the persistence of the law, the attorneys of the victims, and his now ex-wife bring him back to America to face multiple charges. So, did this Creep get his comeuppance? Let’s find out.

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What a Creep Season 13, Episode 1: Casey Affleck & James Franco

Casey Affleck is a successful actor, writer, and director who was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Supporting Actor in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in 2007. He also had roles in a string of hit films like To Do For, Good Will Hunting, Oceans 11, 12 & 13, plus Gone Baby Gone directed by his older brother Ben.

In 2009, he and his buddy Joaquin Phoenix decided to direct a Spinal Tap-esque film where Joaquin would play a hyped-up version of himself becoming a hip hop star after winning an Oscar for Walk the Line. It was called I’m Still Here and was a flop in many ways, artistically and financially (he used his own money to fund it) plus, he was later sued by two women who worked for him for sexual assault and continual harassment on the set by him and his buddies on the set. This lawsuit has not stopped the press fawning over his talent.

In this episode, we will talk about the two lawsuits and their aftermath.

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James Franco

Actor James Franco co-starred on Freaks and Geeks and eight movies with Seth Rogen, including Pineapple Express, This Is The End, and Sausage Party. He was nominated for Best Actor in 2010 for the movie “127 Hours,” and won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for The Disaster Artist.

He’s directed almost 30 low-budget indie features and shorts, written books, and taught film classes at New York University, the University of Southern California, UCLA, Palo Alto High School, Playhouse West, and Studio 4.

Such an accomplished fellow – too bad he’s also a big creep.

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Trigger warning: sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gaslighting.

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What a Creep Season 12, Episode 10: Les Moonves

For almost 30 years, Leslie Moonves was one of the most powerful media executives in America. He was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation, overseeing news shows like “60 Minutes” to dramas and sitcoms like “CSI” and “The Big Bang Theory.” He was also in charge of Showtime, the publishing house Simon & Schuster, and the streaming service, CBS All Access. He was one of the highest-paid CEOs in the country, sometimes earning more than $50 million in a year.

He’s also guilty of sexual harassment and sexually assaulting a lot of women, including actresses, writers, producers, doctors, massage therapists, and CBS staff members. Les Moonves is a creep.

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Trigger warnings: Sexual assault and sexual harassment

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What a Creep Season 12, Episode 9: Alex Kelly

Alex Kelly was considered a golden boy in his hometown of Darien, CT. Born to a wealthy family and growing up in a peak New England fancy neighborhood (meaning rich & white) he was good-looking, athletic, and popular.  That all changed in February 1986 when the HS senior was arrested for suspicion of two rapes of girls in the span of four days. The Dairen police and district attorney decided to charge and try him for both at the same time which worried his family that he was being railroaded.

So Alex decided to take off for parts unknown rather than face the consequences. Nine years later he was caught and brought back to trial. His story is bat shit insane and remains so to this day.  He was dubbed “The Preppy Rapist” by the media much like Robert Chambers in 1986 was called “The Preppy Killer” for the killing of Jennifer Levin. The media works overtime to make white men likable. UGH!

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault and delayed justice

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This episode’s Not a Creep: Chanel Miller

“Know My Name” (book)

“I Am With You” (Animated short film)

Chanel-Miller.com

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