Hosted by Laura Beil (Dr. Death, Bad Batch), Sympathy Pains is a six-part series from Neon Hum Media and iHeartRadio. For 20 years, Sarah Delashmit told people around her that she had cancer, muscular dystrophy, and other illnesses. She used a wheelchair and posted selfies from a hospital bed. She told friends and coworkers she was trapped in abusive relationships, or that she was the mother of children who had died. It was all a con. Sympathy was both her great need and her powerful weapon. But unlike most scams, she didn’t want people’s money. She was after something far more valuable.
Latest episodes
Showing 7 · updated from the feed
Justice
Laura gets a call from a relative who provides insight into Sarah's past. Sarah has her day in court. Her victims have the chance to say their piece, but still struggle t
May 4 2022 29 min
Truth
Across the country, people who have known Sarah see the Dr. Phil show and learn the scope of her lies. Victims call police, who say they cannot prosecute Sarah because “i
Apr 27 2022 38 min
Andrea
Liz, Brian and Bethany confront Sarah on national television. Dr. Phil arranges psychiatric care for Sarah, after she leaves the set. Meanwhile, Andrea Smith, a stay-at-h
Apr 20 2022 37 min
Liz
Liz Hickox works in financial services and volunteers for a breast cancer charity. At a bike ride for young survivors, she meets Sarah, who says she has stage 4 metastati
Apr 13 2022 35 min
Erin
This time, at a summer camp in California, Sarah Delashmit is a counselor. She becomes fast friends with Erin Johnson, a 23-year-old woman who was born with cerebral pals
Apr 13 2022 37 min
Bethany
Sarah shows up at a Texas camp for people with disabilities in the fall of 2015 in a power wheelchair, seemingly unable to move her body. During the week of camp, counsel
Apr 13 2022 30 min
Introducing: Sympathy Pains
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Apr 5 2022 3 min
Chart positions
Where Sympathy Pains ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 5, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
Laura Beil does a terrific job here, as she always does. She is so diligent in her reporting, no detail is left unexplored but she is able to bring all the threads of this complex story together. I adore her voice!
britinohio · Sep 2025
I wasn’t sure this would captivate me, but I binged it over just two days. Laura Beale’s detailed reporting layered across superb storytelling storytelling is spot on. This is a haunting, sad, slightly creepy saga where surprises unfold at every turn.
echo dog · Dec 2023
Laura does a great job researching and reporting deviant personalities. The episodes are not too long, her voice is easy to listen to and she keeps it interesting. This show comes highly recommended, as do her other podcasts. You won’t be disappointed!
Susankt66 · Oct 2022
This podcast is completely captivating and I couldn’t wait to hear every episode. Highly recommended… also sad but really really good.
LoveUU! · Oct 2022
It shakes you out of the story to hear 2 minutes worth of ads multiple times per episode. It’s a shame because the story itself is interesting and narrated well.
Jjjmar · May 2024
Good story - way too many ads in relation to the length of the episodes. I fast forwarded 30 seconds at least 4 times at two points in the first episode alone. Stopped there and won’t be listening to the rest. Too bad because it seems to be a good story
Desertchick64 · Sep 2023
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Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Sympathy Pains, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
