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tv   Nightline  ABC  December 13, 2019 12:37am-1:08am PST

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this is "nightline." tonight, richard jewell. >> the act of terrorism transforming one man's life forever. >> a great deal of anger with people, anger at whoever was responsible for this overnight. >> a heroic deed dissected. a life destroyed. >> did you do it? >> no sir, i didn't >> now the interrogation video seen for the first time. >> i don't know if i should call my attorney or not. >> the search for vindication hitting hollywood. plus, emma chamberlain. >> i wanted a coffee and i made it happen. >> the larger than life youtube personality. proud and unapologetic about her ups and downs. >> i became severely depressed. >> not afraid to be herself in the face of online haters. >> but first the nightline 5.
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here, it all starts withello! hi!... how can i help? a data plan for everyone. everyone? everyone. let's send to everyone! wifi up there? uhh.
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sure, why not? how'd he get out?! a camera might figure it out. that was easy! glad i could help. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. so come ask, shop, discover at your local xfinity store today. >> good evening. thank you for joining us. twenty-three years ago. it was a story that shook the nation. shattered one man's life, and it helped teach me as a young reporter how to view the importance of facts and fairness. here is my nightline co-anchor
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juju chang. our thanks to juju, up next, >> you know my name, but you don't really know who i am. my name is richard jewell. >> when i hear the name richard jewell, i think human tragedy. >> reporter: the world first came to know richard jewell as the heroic security guard who saved countless lives during the 1996 bombing at the atlanta summer olympics. >> i spotted the bag laying on the ground under the beverage. bench. >> overnight, it changed. and suddenly, the rush to judgment began. >> where were you at 1:00 on that morning. >> did you do it? >> no, sir, i didn't do this. >> they needed a fall guy, and they took richard. >> move away -- >> you can always look at the guy who found the bomb just like you can always look at the guy who found the body. >> reporter: now 23 years after richard's life was upended, his
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story is getting the hollywood treatment. >> he had a good ticker. >> reporter: his vigilance was turned against him. for the first time we take you inside the fbi's investigation of jewell, with footage never before seen by the public. >> it's my understanding you're a hero. >> summer of 1996 atlanta, it was festive. the city was excited. >> everybody in town was fired up about it. everybody was involved in it. >> reporter: richard jewell was involved in it, too, guarding centennial park, a festive gathering spot for olympic spectators. >> a very humble guy, just very thankful to have a job at the time. >> reporter: tom davis, now retired, was overseeing security at the park that night. on the evening of july 27, the park was packed with tens of thousands of people.
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jack mac and the heart attack were on stage when terror struck. >> [ bleep ]. >> what? >> reporter: a large pipe-bomb filled with shrapnel. >> holy [ bleep ]! >> reporter: left under a bench in a military-style backpack detonated. >> we heard an explosion, felt the ground shake. >> it sounded like a cannon, a big, big cannon. >> i remember the heat. i remember the smell of gunpowder. >> reporter: byron pitts was one of the first reporters on the scene. >> a great deal of anger we're hearing from people. anger over who's responsible. >> it went from a festive place to a crime scene to ground zero for the biggest media event, certainly, in the history of atlanta, and the olympics for at least a time was over. >> richard's on the phone, and he said, mom, there's been a
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bomb explosion, and he said, i'm okay. and from then on i mean i was stuck to the television. >> reporter: the bomb killed one and wounded hundreds more. >> we will spare no effort to find out who was responsible for this murdererous act. we will track them down. we will bring them to justice. we will see that they're punished. >> reporter: far more people would have died were it not for the hypervigilance of the man who spotted the bomb, richard jewell. >> we got ourselves a suspicion package. >> reporter: at the time, the u.s. attorney who worked with the fbi. >> there was a real fear among all of us that whoever did it was going to strike again. >> reporter: meanwhile, richard jewell was catapulted into the spotlight. >> a lot of people are calling you a hero. >> the fbi has a suspect. >> reporter: but within three days after the atlanta journal constitution ran this headline,
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jewel went from the city's savior to prime suspect. >> a great reporter managed to get this incredible scoop, which means somebody in law enforcement had leaked it. >> reporter: verinvestigators bn digging into jewell's past. >> he's a wanna-be cop, needs a badge to feel like a man. there was no way to read it without thinking there's a good chance this guy did it. >> reporter: he fits the profile. >> he fits the profile. >> reporter: so, when jewell faced cameras again, the tide turned. >> did you do it? >> no, sir, i didn't do this. >> reporter: minutes later, two fbi agents showed up at jewell's house. >> are you taking mr. jewell away? >> have you ever been to a picnic and drop a piece of bread and the ants swarm on that piece of bread? that's what richard's house was like. >> he was worn, torn and tattered. >> i'm a special agent with the fbi. >> reporter: they got him to
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come to headquarters under the guise of helping them make a video. this is that video, never before seen by the public. >> i present you with this form, i'd like you to kind of read it over. tell me if you understand everything that's on that form. >> reporter: but, when the investigator gives him his miranda rights, jewell finally realizes he's under suspicion. >> i don't know if i should call an attorney now or not, because i don't know if this video is for, i don't know if i'm being investigated for this or if this is for what you have told me it is for. >> would it be all right for me to call my attorney? >> reporter: after that, jewell called an old friend, attorney watson bryant. we showed bryant the interrogation video. >> he knows what's going on. he's not a dumb redneck, okay? >> reporter: the film captures the fierce, real-life bond between jewell and his lawyer, portrayed by sam rockwell. >> i'm asking you if you had any part in the centennial bombing, yes, so if you have anything to
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do with this -- >> i did not plant that bomb in centennial park, and i made the mistake of assuming you knew that. >> all right, well, let's beat the hell out of these bastards, okay? >> reporter: what made you think he wasn't the bastards? >> because i know him. that's why. because i know him to be a good, decent guy. if he had $2, he'd spend $4 buying you presents. >> reporter: bryant became his bulldog. >> you guys are really barking up the wrong twree wiree with t, i doesn don't think he'll be arrested. >> reporter: on july 31, 1996. >> the attorney representing richard jewell is being notified of this search. >> reporter: federal agents searched his apartment, that's jewell sitting on the staircase while they removed some of their
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personal possessions. >> i couldn't believe it. i love tupperware. they had taken my flour, my sugar, my macaroni, anything i had in tupperware. >> reporter: he made the decision to face the press. that helped change public opinion, recreated in this powerful scene by kathy bates. >> my son is innocent. richard is not the olympic park bomber. he saved people's lives. >> reporter: what was a mother's heart feeling in that moment? >> what she says at the end. mr. president, please clear my son's name! >> she was in a room full of people who had maligned her son. >> reporter: the film itself has sparked controversy for portrayal of kathy scruggs. it's implied she had sex with
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the fbi agent who leaked that jewell was a suspect. this week lawyers sent a letter to clint eastwood and his team calling it entirely false and malicious. >> i can understand why everybody'd get defensive on this thing, but the plain facts are, they were the first ones to notify the public that this was going on, but i don't hold it against them. i read their paper. it seems fine. >> hollywood takes artistic liberties. while i appreciate their opinions, if they think it's going to extinguish what we're trying to do with the jewell family, they'd be incorrect. >> reporter: olivia wilde tweeted, i do not believe that kathy traded sex for tips. on october 26, 1996, after 88 days of scrutiny and investigation, jewell's name was finally cleared.
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jewell successfully sued several media companies for defamation. do you, when you see the movie, feel like your son will be vindicated finally in history? >> finally. but, after 23 why not -- why couldn't they have seen it then? it took a lifetime. i was 60 years old. and i'm 83 now. >> she feels that there's some vindication from the film, that's humbling. >> excuse me for being emotional about this. the very quality that enabled him to find that bomb they turned against him. to me, that's tragedy. >> reporter: jewell will never get the chance to see justice served on the big screen. he passed away in 2007 at just
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44 years old. ultimately, what kind of a toll did this take on richard? >> i think it killed him. it just deflated him so. >> reporter: you think he died of a broken heart? >> i do. >> our thanks to juju. next -- she's got nearly 9-million followers and faces haters and fame with the same sass. d using, their laundry smells more amazing than ever. ah, honey! isn't that the dog's towel? hey, me towel su towel. there's more gain scent plus oxi boost and febreze odor remover in every fling. gain. seriously good scent.
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the ones that make a truebeen difference in people's lives. and mike's won them, which is important right this minute, because if he could beat america's biggest gun lobby, helping pass background check laws and defeat nra backed politicians across this country, beat big coal, helping shut down hundreds of polluting plants and beat big tobacco, helping pass laws to save the next generation from addiction. all against big odds you can beat him. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. emma chamberlain is a youtube
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star, to her nearly nine million followers. sometimes with no makeup, many times with no filter. and never with any apologies. here is nightline special correspondent adam rippon. >> hey, guys. ♪ >> reporter: for emma chamberlain, life has become very fabulous. i'm here for a photo shoot. i'm given a glimpse into a life millions are dreaming of, and videos like this one. pulling in nearly a billion views. but the attention not always positive. facing online haters and mental health challenges in the public eye. >> i know it's like a common thing to say, social media's really bad for, you know. but it's so true. that's its own demon within itself. no, i did not have a stylist pick it out for me, [ bleep ]. >> reporter: chamberlain's rise
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to fame began with a camera and sense of humor, documenting her teenage thoughts, broadcasting what many would consider mundane. challenging the perfectly coifed norms of the social media landscape, wearing no makeup, messy hair, unafraid to show her acne, as millions watch online. >> in my head, i'm like, i don't know how this would go. i think it would be really interesting to find out. that's when i feel like i get the videos i like the best. >> reporter: she used the platform of youtube to it her own brands. today she has 8.2 million followers, a popular line, collaborations with fashion brands, a spot on time 100's next list. her larger than life persona is not only fun but worth millions. so what is a normal day for you look like? >> i wake up, i always exercise some way, because if i don't, i'm kind of not a good person throughout the day. i need to release endorphins,
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and then after that is correct cocorrect, go to the coffee shop. >> reporter: coffee is a cornerstone of her brand. >> i'll work, go to a meeting. whatever the work thing is that day. >> reporter: it's exactly that. her daily life, that arguably made her famous. >> i did one where i, like, didn't have my phone for 24 hours. it was a good thing i did in my life. i needed that. >> reporter: now just 18 years old, her brand has noticeably changed in recent month, pivoting from awkward in a hoodie to high fashion in pairs. fashion week. >> yeah, that was amazing. best weekend of my life. >> reporter: do you feel like you're evolving? >> absolutely, and that is weird to me. >> reporter: for all the silly antics and spoofs, she also chose to bear her soul. >> i became severe laly depress.
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>> school is like a huge focus for me. i worked really hard. i was very successful at school. i think i just is started to realize like i had a different path, and that that was okay. a lot of people had their opinions about it, but, you know, after talking to like my parents, my parents were very on board. >> reporter: she started devoting more time to her youtube channel, joining the like of celebrities like ariana grande. >> peace and your energy. >> reporter: chamberlain uses her platform to open up about anxiety and depression. >> it's also allowing me to be more mentally healthy and prioritizing my own health, mental health, physical health. >> reporter: in that video, you talked about like your depression and anxiety. >> yeah. >> reporter: people like you are helping to make a big change in those different anxieties and depression, making it a lot less of a taboo. >> i don't think it should be taboo at all. it's something i struggle with. school made my mental health much worse and leaving definitely helped. but it wasn't the end, you know what i mean.
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>> reporter: mm-hm. >> it's a constant battle throughout your life. >> reporter: creating her videos is a full-time career, schedule she had to reevaluate. >> i'm starting to get help with the process. >> reporter: cutting back her 40-hour editing process, no longer pulling all nighters for youtube. you're a role model. >> i would hope so. >> reporter: does that come with extra pressure in what younger kids might see or think? >> yes, i think of myself as a very normal 18-year-old girl, so that can be a little, it can make me a little nervous. i make mistakes, you know, and i'm like, not perfect. >> reporter: for her fans, chamberlain is the ultimate celebrity. >> get over here! oh, my god, i love you. i'm going to cry. >> reporter: at the world's largest convention for video
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creators and the like she's escorted by security. >> she brought a new style of editing and completely being yourself to youtube. and it was so cool. >> like a lot of youtubers online get themselves perfectly ready, makeup done, hair did. and she would roll out of bed and be like, i'm done, hoodie on. >> emma chamberlain! >> reporter: her core demographic are women 18-24. she crosses over seamlessly from social media to traditional media, photographed in a recent issue of "w" magazine. when she's not traveling and blogging she's recording her podcast, stupid genius. if i'm a vision board, where do you see yourself in ten years? >> i love this question, i'm 18 now, so i'd be 20. >> reporter: you'd still be younger than me. >> ten years from now, i'm thinking babies, i'm thinking cute boyfriend/husband. >> reporter: mm-hm. >> kind of happy. >> reporter: for "nightline,"
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elliott. you came back! a lot's changed since you were here. it's called the internet. holiday movies. [ remote bleeps ] ♪ i'm dreaming ♪ of a white christmas family. home. [ music swells ] woohoo! -yeah!
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>> finally tonight, lou pearlman
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managed some of the biggest boy bands in the world. until he managed to get caught swindling them. >> i was in the biggest band in the world and selling records, and someone's making millions and millions, but i couldn't even afford my apartment or get a car. >> tomorrow night at 9:00/8:00 central. that's "nightline." thanks for the company, america. goodnight.
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