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Let’s delve into The Anna Delvey Show, a captivating new podcast recorded from the host’s Manhattan apartment where she remains under house arrest. Although this is her first venture as a podcast host, she has previously been the subject of one. In the podcast Fake Heiress, we learned how Anna Sorokin, born in Russia but known as Anna Delvey, deceived New York’s elite into believing she was a multimillionaire, accumulating debts across the city and eventually landing herself in prison for theft and grand larceny. After serving four years, she was released in 2021. Delvey’s story was also adapted into the Netflix series Inventing Anna and chronicled in a book by one of her victims.
Now, Delvey is given the opportunity to share her own perspective in a series of interviews that promise to challenge conventional notions of right and wrong, offering an honest and unfiltered conversation. The first guest on her podcast is the talented comedian, Whitney Cummings. The hour-long episode features Cummings delivering a comedy skit while Delvey occasionally giggles in the background. Interestingly, Delvey’s questions primarily revolve around Cummings’ personal experiences, including her encounters with the law, her opinions on suitable partners for Delvey, and whether she believes Delvey has faced undue harsh treatment due to her gender. Rarely have we seen a podcast host focus so much on themselves rather than their guests.
In the subsequent episodes, Delvey interviews musician Julia Cumming and writer Brontez Purnell, displaying slight improvement as she directs a few questions towards her guests. However, her awkwardness and lack of charm and curiosity remain apparent throughout. The significance of the podcast’s artwork, depicting Delvey reclining in bed, donning a bathrobe, holding a yellow phone, and glaring impudently at the camera, remains a mystery.
Unfortunately, listeners hoping for Delvey to share her side of the story or provide intriguing anecdotes about her time in prison will be disappointed. The law prohibits criminals from profiting from their crimes’ publicity, resulting in Delvey remaining tight-lipped, except for a few feeble jokes about her electronic ankle tag and the potential aversion of prospective boyfriends to her probation officer.
The Anna Delvey Show represents another instance of the audio industry’s misguided fixation on hiring high-profile hosts, often at exorbitant costs, without considering their actual skills or suitability for the role (as exemplified by the ill-fated Spotify series Archetypes, clumsily hosted by the Duchess of Sussex). It is crucial to note that Delvey does not possess these necessary skills. In essence, the entire endeavor feels cynical, purposeless, and somewhat distasteful in its exploitation of Delvey’s fraudulent background. We have surely reached the nadir of celebrity podcasts. Let’s put an end to it.
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