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Amanda Riley, loving mother of two, devoted wife, and cancer faker. That’s the paradox explored by the shocking new series Scamanda, which mirrors a wildly popular podcast of the same name.
Below, here’s what we know about the real life Scamanda.
Why is Amanda Riley Known as ‘Scamanda’?
The notorious Amanda C. Riley’s Hodgkins lymphoma cancer scam fooled friends, family, and members of her megachurch — she had them all believing she was suffering from terminal cancer and raked in a reported $100k, gifts, and of course, enormous public sympathy. Ultimately, she was brought to justice by investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello, who, along with authorities, examined bizarre inconsistencies in Amanda’s narrative via her blog. Amanda’s conviction on wire fraud in 2021 and five-year prison sentence brought the unnerving story to an unexpected conclusion.
Us Weekly’s January 2025 interview with podcast producer Charlie Webster gave insight into Amanda’s alleged motivation. “I’m 100 percent convinced it wasn’t for the money,” she told the outlet. “I think it was an addiction. I looked at everything from an emotional, psychological, evidential [perspective]. She realized that this attention came — if you look at social media now, so many people crave ‘likes.’ They give us an endorphin boost. I think it was that on steroids, 10 times more. Even though she did harm people emotionally and financially, in that moment of time she did help people and created hope for people. It was very much about this validation, about people adoring her. She had this amazing group of people that saw her as this anointed one. They really did.”
Who is Amanda Riley’s Husband?
Amanda’s former husband is Cory Riley, according to Business Insider. The Texas duo shares two sons, Carter and Connor, and Cory reportedly filed for divorce in January of 2024. According to the outlet, Corey was previously married, and he met Amanda when she was just 17 and working as a cheerleading coach with his daughters from his first marriage. One of those daughters allegedly actually did battle cancer.
Eventually, Cory split from his first wife Aletta Riley and married Amanda.
Where to Watch the ‘Scamanda’ Show
You can catch Scamanda on ABC. The premiere episode aired on Thursday, January 30, at 9 p.m. ET, and subsequent episodes will air Thursdays.
How Many Episodes Are in the ‘Scamanda’ Docuseries?
Scamanda has four episodes: Stage 1: Who’s Afraid of Amanda Riley? Stage 2: All About Amanda, Stage 3: The Wheels of Justice,” and Stage 4: Catch Me if You Cancer.
