♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, putting out the fire. billy mcfarland, disgraced founder of the infamous fire festival coming clean. >> i would like to apologize, it's my mission to make it up to you guys. >> first interview since getting out of prison. >> first off, super nervous. >> what he learned behind bars. what he's planning next. >> are you truly a changed man or is this just a spin? >> "wakanda forever," the enduring phenomena of black panther. >> sometimes you only tell

stories within a box, we blew the lid off the box. >> inside the sequel and the legacy of chadwick boseman. >> forgive me. >> fans eagerly awaiting the new black panther reveal, and an intimate interview with the pop star. >> music was my therapist and the chord progressions were the chair i laid on. ♪ >> on the road, baring his soul ♪ >> on the road, baring his soul in his third when do you spray febreze air? after every flush. in my kitchen, febreze tackles my toughest odors. after vacuuming, because fresh means clean. i spray every chance i get. starts working instantly to freshen any room. febreze air. i've got nothing to eat. nothing. hold on, i can do something. ♪ turning nothing into something ♪ ♪ turning nothing into something ♪

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good evening, thank you for joining us. tonight an exclusive interview with the man behind the fire festival scandal. billy mcfarland says he's a new man, promoting a new business venture. is it another con? michael strahan. >> it sounds so silly, but i had no logistical experience, i couldn't understand or predict the problems that were going to happen. looking back now, i would have told myself a hundred times to stop and cancel. i just didn't know what i was

doing. >> reporter: billy mcfarland, entrepreneur, investor, con man, scammer. why do you want to do this interview now? >> first off, super nervous, one of my first times speaking live about everything that happened. excited to talk about before we do, i want to make it clear i was totally wrong and it was terrible. so i let a lot of people down and it's my mission to make it up to you guys. >> reporter: the man who brought the world the fyre festival. >> there was no bathrooms, running water, nothing. >> reporter: is out of prison and ready for his next big project. >> my goal is to pay people back and learn what i'm good at, make a positive impact. >> reporter: raised in new jersey, entrepreneurial spirit from a young age,

launching ventures in new york city, leading up to his most ambitious idea yet. a music festival in the bahamas boasting luxurious accommodations, gourmet meals and an a-list music lineup. itwas promoted by supermodels and clever marketing tactics. blank orange squares flooding instagram feeds and catching the eyes of millennials and influencers. many bought tickets, boarding a flight for the experience of a lifetime. only to be met by chaos. storm soaked beds, little to no sanitation, no five star dining

experience. music acts backing out of the festival. thousands were left stranded. >> an absolute disaster. >> reporter: the disaster so epic. >> he got in over his head, kow÷ planned something that everybody said couldn't be done, people with experience said couldn't be done, reality hit pretty hard. instead of doing the right thing, he kept digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole. >> reporter: a lot of people consider you to be the ultimate con man. what do you consider yourself to be? >> i was wrong, i messed up. and i was so driven by this desperate desire to prove people right, i had these early investors, backers in place. and i think i was just so insecure i thought the only way to prove myself to them was to succeed. that led me down a terrible path

of bad decisions. >> reporter: was it to prove yourself or for money? >> to prove myself. once again, i was totally wrong, i lied to investors to get money. but i put every dollar i had or could find to make this festival happen. i literally came back to new york after with 100 bucks in my pocket. >> reporter: you had so many employees say we cannot make this happen in time. i'm just so curious why you didn't just pull the plug well ahead of the festival? >> i should have listened. there's no excuse. >> reporter: in 2017, alliola aa workers was filed against mcfarland, since settled. the following year he pleaded guilty to various fraud and admitted to using fake numbers to attract investors.

he went to prison and was released after nearly four years behind bars. >> i did time in solitary confinement, and that was tough. not knowing how long i would be in solitary for. >> reporter: what did you learn about yourself in prison? >> i used to take pride in getting things done, not how things got done. going forward, the biggest thing for me is building relationships throughout the process. whether they're a success or failure it's more how it's done instead of by all means idea. that's wrong. >> did you knowingly con the investors to get their backing? >> reporter: jordan is a podcaster who interviewed mcfarland in prison. >> i think he feels bad about what happened, what happened to him and bad and humiliated about what happened to his investors. the question is, is that strong enough to prohibit repeat

content? >> reporter: the judge called you a serial fraudster, whose fraud, just like a circle, has no end. has your fraud ended? >> i think that's an extremely accurate description of my behavior. this time around it truly is more important to me to build trust and relationships than any long-term ideas of success. >> reporter: out of prison on supervised release, mcfarland has $26 million in restitution to pay investors, vendors and concert goers. his earnings will be garnished until it's all paid back. what are the conditions of your release? >> i can't leave new york and i have to pay a significant portion of my earnings to restitution, which is super important to me. it's pretty much like you're confined but allowed to work to make amends.

>> reporter: mcfarland recently started a new business venture online. >> i'm working on something new, this time, it's a little crazier but a whole lot bigger than anything i've ever tried before. >> reporter: you said you were here to apologize, say you're sorry, but you are launching a new venture. are you here to apologize or promote that? >> i need to apologize, that's the first and last thing that needs to be done. i let people down. >> he's really going to be on a tight leash unless he finds somebody who is careless with their money. i don't think it's impossible. >> reporter: mcfarland remains focused on rebuilding his reputation, he says. how do you expect people to trust you? >> time, and doing little things on a weekly basis and slowly building. i went way too fast before, i need to do everything in a

manageable way to make work. >> reporter: are you truly a changed man or is this just a spin? >> i hope i continue to change for the next 40 years. i'm certainly not done changing yet. >> our thanks to michael. coming up, "wakanda forever," a preview of one of t announcer: type 2 diabetes? discover the power of 3 in the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. announcer: ozempic® provides powerful a1c reduction. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes.

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this is what voting yes on prop 31 means. yes on 31 ends the sale of candy flavored tobacco products. yes, stops big tobacco from targeting our kids. yes, protects kids from nicotine addiction. vote yes on 31. "wakanda forever," the sequel to the global phenomena

"black panther" hits theaters next week, but it's bitter sweet for the fans and stars after the tragic death of chadwick boseman. ro robin roberts. >> a fan of the character, black panther is not emotive even on the page but there's a gravity to him. >> reporter: producer nate moore's idea was to introduce the black panther on the big screen in "captain america: civil war," chadwick boseman. >> he thought it was a cameo, but we were interested in doing a stand-alone movie. >> you see the scene, the bullets bouncing off the black panther. people lost it. in a world we're protesting for no bullets to be aimed at a black person, to see them buns o bounce off from a police

helicopter? that's something special. >> it's not surprising the public would demand more of that character. >> your highness. >> reporter: the public got what they wanted and so much more. the movie and its ripple effects were felt across the globe. as i saw on my visit to ghana. talking with danai gurira, who grew up in africa and is a fierce warrior in the movie. >> the world is ready for something they might not be aware. they were ready to take in africa in a new way, shows our specificity, excellence, diversity and coolness. you know? >> sometimes you're allowed to tell stories only within a certain box. with panther, we blew the lid off of that box. >> it's a phenomenon in every way, the box office, culturally,

critically. did you feel pressure, expectations, for the second one? >> of course. of course. i felt humble to be asked to do another one. it's not a guarantee, but i wanted to do it. >> the way you were able to introduce a new world, new characters. >> started to have that familiar feeling, maybe we bit off more than we can chew, developing this. >> he helped create the underwater nation for the film "wakanda forever," ryan brought in a cast of international actors. >> when i was a kid in mexico, i never dreamed something like this. he's the ruler, this character is based on indigenous, latin american, especially mayan cultures. one of the biggest messages in this movie is that it's time to heal the breaks in our heart and

embrace who we are. >> when i started this movie, didn't even speak english, and it's beautiful, this world with indigenous language. mexican woman with this face, see myself for the first time on the big screen, it's wonderful. >> who is going to be donning that majestic, symbolic, important piece of costume that chadwick did? >> i don't want to give it away before folks see it. but what i will say, the person who ends up putting it on earns it through the film. and i hope people enjoy it. ♪ ♪ don't shed no tears ♪ >> there's something truly universal about this story. >> i watched the teaser the first time, i missed chadwick boseman immediately.

>> when chadwick passed away, i was broken, and so we all are being invited to experience the story and seek the hope we all need and hopefully in the process pay tribute to chadwick and furthered his legacy. >> what do you feel his legacy will be? >> it can't be defined to a sentence. a sound bite or a film. um, forgive me. >> no apology necessary. >> he had these giant hands like massive. and that's what i think about with him, his reach. across history, pulling us up,

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finally tonight, my "nightline" coanchor goes one-on-one with charlie puth. >> reporter: charlie puth only has a few hours to kill here in new york city. a gifted pianist, singer and pop star. >> music was my therapist, and the chord progressions were like the chair that i laid on, and the melody was the figurehead talking to me. what did you think about that when you were writing that. ♪ ♪ you don't want my heart ♪

>> reporter: the four-time grammy nominee has garnered worldwide attention for bringing fans into his progress on tiktok. ter: orwardthen at 2022, a third studio album, grown-up and self-aware, the self-titled "charlie". >> it's my personality with a beat behind it. for a while i wasn't exactly encouraged to tell my story. as many hits as i have, none of those hits did anything for me as an artist. no one really knew me and what i was like. >> reporter: you used tiktok in the way that chefs use a test kitchen. >> yes. >> what if there was another part that went -- >> almost the audience is

collaborating. the pandemic took away my ability to play for audiences. usually i would leave having played for 15,000 fans and go back in my bus and make a whole new song. >> reporter: you confess you're in love. >> i am. >> reporter: what does that sound like? >> being in love is. ♪ like all those little intervals that are ugly, but when you add the rest of the notes, it becomes pretty. >> reporter: especially early love, where it sounds like you are, it keeps you on your toes. 30 years in, it sounds different. >> maybe it will be like -- ♪ >> reporter: charlie bares his soul to the sold-out crowd. ♪ it's been a long night ♪ >> we're all here not for a very long time, for a very important

time. and the goal is inspire each other. i want people to look at me, be like i could do what charlie so doing. >> thank you all so much! >> our thanks to juju, see more of her interview with charlie on impact by "nightline," streaming on hulu, new episodes drop thursdays. we'll see you back monday, have a good and safe weekend. thanks for the company, america. a good and safe weekend. t this is what voting yes on ca. good ni prop 31 means. yes on 31 ends the sale of candy flavored tobacco products. yes, stops big tobacco from targeting our kids. yes, protects kids from nicotine addiction. vote yes on 31.