[ cheers and applause ] this is nightline. >> tonight. scamanda. >> i cannot feel my legs. i can't move my feet. i wake up with a blinding migraine every day. >> a wife, mom and devout christian battling terminal cancer. but what was really happening was far more sinister. >> the fact that somebody was doing that for financial gain was just nauseating. >> her blog posts capturing hearts and wallets. >> we believed everything that came out of her mouth. >> was it all a lie? meet the

woman who helped expose the truth. >> do you think she's likely to scam again? >> plus, julia stiles, the ten things i hate about you actor. >> pick up on friday, then. >> oh, right. friday. >> now directing a film of her own. wish she were here. >> the memories people have of us, they make us immortal. >> starring dirty dancing's jennifer gray. >> the time of my life. >> why it was so important for her son to see her on the other side of the camera. >> he could see me in a leadership role, you know, being the boss, the person with ideas and people were interested in my ideas. >> and countdown to the big game. >> it's win or go home. >> meet eagles running back saquon barkley. his amazing plays on the field, the history he can make on super bowl sunday, and what makes him more nervous than game day. >> i'm just not good with stuff like that. i'm a lover boy, but i'm not like a clever lover boy. i'm not like a clever lover boy. >> nightline will be rightecret? more than just my armpits stink. that's why i use secret whole body deodorant.

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and there's always a constant fear that who's to say something like that won't happen again? that's fair. we committed to underground, 10,000 miles of electric line. you look back at where we were 10 years ago and we are in a completely different place today, and it's because of how we need to care for our communities and our customers. i hope that's true. [joe] that's my commitment. [ambient noise] ginger. >> yes, robin. >> thanks for joining us. i'm stephanie ramos. tonight, a shocking story. a young mom beloved by her friends, family and church community. devising an elaborate ruse to attract sympathy and cash donations, bilking loved ones and strangers out of more than $100,000 before her scam was exposed. here's nightline's ashton singh.

>> it was a devastating story. a wife, mother and devout christian battling terminal cancer in her 20s and 30s. >> when i got the official diagnosis, it blindsided me. >> we felt. >> so bad for her. she was suffering in such a complicated and deep way. >> amanda riley chronicling every detail of her journey online. >> she started a blog. it blew up pretty quickly. >> amanda was the symbol of hope in the church. >> she was worshiped. >> everything about being sick brought me closer to god instead of pushing me away. >> capturing not just the hearts, but donations from hundreds of followers and rallying an entire community behind her. >> there was no reason for us to doubt that she was telling the truth. >> we believed everything that came out of her mouth. >> but it was all a lie. >> and it's an interesting story of family betrayals like friendship betrayals, as well as

this wider story of the fact that this woman faked cancer. >> a new abc. >> docu series, commando, unravels the story of amanda riley. >> my name is amanda. everybody here calls me amanda riley. >> the four part series, based on a popular podcast hosted by charlie webster. >> what you are about to hear is a true story. >> this was all about purpose, validation, insecurity, attention. and i feel like that became very, very addictive for her. >> for more than seven years, amanda scamming hundreds of people out of more than $100,000 to pay for medical bills. authorities say she never had. >> five hospital stays and 32 doctors appointments and lab visits in january alone. >> when the tipster got ahold of me, it was in like june july of 2015. >> nancy muscatello is an investigative producer who first received a tip that this all might be an elaborate ruse.

>> amanda's blog had already been in existence for three years, because amanda was claiming to be a diagnosed in 2012. this almost like a medical diary that amanda kept online. very active on it. she was posting 2 or 3 times a week. >> nancy digging into the case for nearly a decade. >> how unique. >> is it to have this sort of living, breathing document that is playing out in real time as you're trying to uncover this scam. >> having it happen in real time, and being able to make the calls within a couple of days later. and it was a fight. it was a little bit of a dance too, because i don't want her knowing i exist yet. >> for years, amanda claimed to be suffering from hodgkin's lymphoma, going in and out of remission. >> i'm not shiny bald yet, but my hair isn't growing anymore and it breaks at the roots when i wash it. >> photos, videos, and detailed blog posts depicting everything from shaving her head to

treatments. >> what are some of the things that she actually said. and did to advance this story? >> she's a very good storyteller. she's great with the written word and with pictures, too, and she showed herself in hospitals with iv drips. she showed bruises under her eyes. she showed a shaved head. fundraisers, trials that she was going on. this account was so in depth. and it was also hopeful and inspirational. >> a friend recounting in the docu series when amanda even fainted during church. >> i just remember pastor chase saying like, oh, amanda passed out. everyone like, lay your hands out. like, let's start praying for her. >> who's ever going to question whether you are lying or not? you're never going to question that. this is somebody that got taken off by an ambulance in the middle of a church service. people saw her in hospitals, and

it's something that touches so many of us. and so i feel like using that really was the key manipulating so many people and so many people wanting to help. >> over the years, amanda and her then husband had two boys calling them miracle babies and claiming one of the pregnancies reversed the cancer. nancy contacted local law enforcement, providing information on what had become a personal case to her. >> and on top of it, i had lost my sister, who had two young kids to cancer. so the fact that somebody was doing that for financial gain was just nauseating. i couldn't sit by and let the destruction of a family and a community continue. it's just how i felt, whether i ever got the story or not. it didn't matter at that point. it really it really was about just getting her to stop. and i gave her so many opportunities to

stop and make it right. and she didn't. >> then the irs got involved in the investigation, i. >> would imagine for the irs, >> they're used to dealing with much bigger sums of fraud. right. how, how and why did the irs get involved? >> i think they felt it was the right thing to do. and they and they ran with it. my understanding is it's the first case for the irs in which the person that participated in the wire fraud did so with faking cancer. so now they have something on the books to move forward with. if other cases come up. >> in july 2020, amanda was charged with wire fraud. charlie was in the courtroom as it played out. >> you could hear a pin drop, and then amanda spoke and she was kind of, like, hunched over and like, said that she was sorry for what she'd done, but didn't really kind of admit what she'd done. and then the judge just said, i can see why people

were convinced by you. you're a good actress. >> over a year later, amanda pleaded guilty, and in may 2022, the judge sentenced her to five years behind bars. did you feel as though when you were sitting and speaking with her, when she was in prison, that it had any effect on her? >> oh, absolutely. yeah, absolutely. i think the reality of what she's done her absolutely did hit her. she has told me that she is deeply regretful and wanted to serve her time. and, you know, she deserves the punishment. that's what she's told me. it's up to everyone else whether they want to believe it. >> today, amanda is out of prison but still in federal custody. remains under supervision. what do you make of the fact that the judge says that she's likely to scam again? do you think she's likely to scam again? >> i do, and i think having amanda out there has really solidified that for the victims,

that it won't be as easy for her again if she chooses to do so. >> our thanks to austin. for more on this story, watch the next episode of amanda on abc thursday night and then streaming on hulu the next day. when we return, we're one on one with actress julia stiles now taking a turn behind the camera, which she says it was like to direct someone she looks up to.

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i saw a nice hotel down the road. little less pungent. (wife) yeah. (burke) shall we? ♪ been saved. >> welcome back. our next guest has an acting career that transcends mediums and genres, from mona lisa smile to the jason bourne series and even

broadway. now she's behind the camera for her debut as a film director, julia stiles. welcome to nightline. it is great to have you. >> thank you so much. it's a pleasure to be here. it's just so exciting. >> it's i've been a big fan of yours for so many years. i've watched your acting career for so long and save the last dance. >> we have an audience. >> films like ten things i hate about you. >> pick you up on friday, then. >> oh, right. >> hustlers with jennifer lopez. now you've kind of switched gears. you're in the director's chair. how does that compare to your 25 years of acting? >> it was amazing. i'm totally hooked. i loved every minute of it. it's a ton of work, but i've never felt more energized, and it felt like a natural progression from being on so many film sets. as an actress. >> we miss seeing you in a good rom com, but now you've produced one, you've directed one. wish you were here. tell us about the film. >> it's a love story based on a book by renee carlino. i read it

five years ago during the pandemic, and i was totally in love with it. i had a visceral response. i laughed, i cried, i laughed through my tears. but like that good cry that makes you feel good at the end. and i just could totally visualize it as a movie. >> you've got a lot of great folks in this film. we've got isabelle fuhrman, mena massoud, jennifer gray, and kelsey grammer. we've also got a clip. let's take a look. >> i ordered pizza. >> don't judge me. >> why would i judge you? >> well, it's vegan. >> anyway. >> if that's even possible. i just figured your brother's out on a date, and we. we should make it like a girl's night. treat ourselves, you know, so you don't feel like a fomo. >> what? >> charlotte, i know what a fomo is. i learned about it on reddit. >> i'll be right down. >> hello? >> i'm looking for charlotte. >> sure. >> hang on a second. >> is it. >> a boy? >> yes. >> for you?

>> yes. >> why didn't you tell me? >> so there we see jennifer gray playing charlotte's mother. jennifer gray is also an actor that found early success. >> i. >> is that something that you two were able to connect on? is that something that you two discussed? >> i was a fan of hers from dirty dancing and ferris bueller's day off, and she's a remarkable actress. she was very open about her, her life experience as an actress who became very successful, very young. even though this is kind of a tragic love story, there are lots of moments of levity and humor in the film, kind of like life. she as as the main character's mother, is pressuring her daughter to go on a dating app and get her life together, and thinks that, you know, it's time to settle down and find a mate. >> and you're a mom of three boys? yes, boy moms here. you took your son to the set a couple of times, right? to wish you were here. and i understand that he at times he didn't want to leave. so what was that like to have your your son there, seeing you work, seeing mom in

the lead and be the director. >> it was amazing for me. i honestly thought that he was going to be bored to tears. he's very young and he was riveted. he watched the monitor. he followed me around and held my hand in rehearsals and he didn't want to leave. it's so exciting because i feel like as an actress, when he would come and visit me on set, it makes more sense to have him in the hair and makeup trailer. so it was nice that i could he could see me in a leadership role, you know, being the boss or the person with ideas. and people were interested in my ideas as opposed to like just getting my hair done. >> many of your films are based on shakespeare. we love so many of them. oh, based on othello. hamlet opposite ethan hawke, 12th night and even ten things i hate about you based on the taming of the shrew. how did all of those films influence you as a co-writer, producer, and director on this film? >> i thought, this is a classic love story. it has all the essential elements that go into shakespeare, in that you have a couple who are the star crossed lovers, and they have to have

some obstacle that's going to tear them apart and make it impossible for them to be together, which is ultimately what's heartbreaking about it. so i knew that it had all the elements that the nerdy english major in me wanted to see. >> what's next for you after this? are you planning to act anymore or just stay on this directorial path? >> i mean, i'm hooked. i would love to direct another movie. i joked with my editor in post-production. i was like, i'll never get in front of a camera again because the camera sees everything. but that's not true. i love acting, too. >> juliet, thank you so much for being here. so nice to meet you. >> thanks. nice to meet you too. >> wish you were here is now streaming on digital. and when we come back, our countdown to the big game continues. the man behind the helmet, the philadelphia eagles star running back saquon barkley. what he says is even more nerve wracking for him than the super bowl. for him than the super bowl. stayu take for chest congestion only mask the symptoms. hey... how you doing? this mucus won't move out. you're gonna love this property. the guy's congestion remedy?

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been saved. >> finally, tonight, with five days left till the big game, saquon barkley says the eagles will go all the way. here again, nightline's ocean singh. >> third and four. >> eagles star. >> running back. saquon barkley from. >> his 62 yard touchdown against the rams. >> touchdown philadelphia. >> to his backward hurdle seen around the world against jacksonville. his first year in philly ends at the pinnacle with his first ever super bowl appearance this coming sunday. >> when you get to this stage and get to the playoffs, you know it's win or go home. so that's kind of the mindset right there. and you just try to stay locked in and get into your flow. >> a record holder in college at penn state. >> the new york giants select saquon barkley.

>> selected second overall by philly's rival, the new york giants in the 2018 nfl draft. but this past summer, he and his former team had a highly publicized split documented on hbo's hard knocks offseason with the new york giants. >> i have a. >> tough time sleeping. if saquon goes to philadelphia, i'll tell you that. >> the eagles snatching him in free agency. >> i'm super grateful and thankful for my time there. had a lot of ups and downs. i feel like everything happens for a reason. >> the city of brotherly love has rallied around barkley, who also grew up in pennsylvania. >> my favorite part of playing in front of the eagles fans is that every single home game, they always take it to another level. it's special. >> off the gridiron. the 27 year old revealing the one thing that could make him more nervous than the super bowl, proposing to his fiancée, anna congdon. >> in reality, i'm just not good with stuff like that. i'm not a i'm a lover boy, but i'm not like a clever lover boy when it comes to, you know, i'm kind of

simple and basic, i guess. i definitely can improve in that. so i definitely, probably would be nervous doing doing that more than playing something i've been doing for a very long time. >> the couple met in 2017 and now share two children, daughter jada and son saquon junior. >> i take pride in my children and take pride in my last name. i want to be a player that a lot of people remember. when it's all said and done. what i want to show this fan base kind of what i want to show my kids is daddy comes to work. he's passionate about something. he's competitive, he works hard. he tries his best to be the to be the best he can be his best version of every single day. that's what i want to steal to my kids. >> barkley, who is just 30 yards from the nfl rushing record come sunday, is also nominated for league mvp and offensive player of the year. and if being in the big game wasn't special enough, he'll also be celebrating his 28th birthday with a chance to make history. >> i feel like this moment is my moment. now i'm here where i'm supposed to be. i'm exactly where i'm supposed to be, and i

have the chance to capitalize on my moment and all the things that i've wanted to accomplish before and be a hall of fame player and be one of the best running backs to ever play is still on the table. and it's up to me to go take it. >> we will see him on the field here real soon. our thanks to austin, that's nightline. you can watch all of our full episodes on hulu. we will see you right back here at the same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good night. america. >> she's an a-lister. he's a costar, and he's the director. it seemed to me there was a match made in heaven. promotional wise, that didn't occur. >> rumors were swirling. >> this is feeling like a reality tv show. it's giving shade, it's giving petty. >> and then the whole thing just went off the rails in every way possible. >> for blake to file a sexual harassment claim. i don't think anyone saw that coming. >> he clearly feels, rightly or wrongly, that his movie was somewhat stolen from him. >> it is a fight for power. >> this actually could go either way. who's right, who's.

>> wrong. >> and what happened here? >> it did not end with it ends with us. >> is there more to the story here, >> blake. >> versus justin now streaming on hulu. isabella strahan. >> it's been rough. it's been challenging and it's been very hard. but i know we'll get through it. >> life interrupted. >> the first thing that went through my mind was this must be a mistake. >> you don't really. >> think the worst until you get told the worst. >> i'm not. >> home. >> loving that support really helped her pull through. i'm very proud of her. >> the powerful special wednesday night on abc. >> it was a kidnaping torture case. >> a crime of. greed and cruelty. >> the guy was cutting off my roommate's. this was a story braised beef barbacoa might be our best kept secret. slow cooked responsibly raised beef. seasoned with garlic and cumin.hand-shredded