Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli

3.9 (169)
SOCIETY & CULTURE
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When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power. So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power. From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales. Binge all episodes of Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/blame-it-on-the-fame/ now.

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3.9

out of 5

169 Ratings

Agree w the other reviews

Mar 14

Bluvthompson

Great pod until it turned into a racial commentary. This story could’ve been about two people of any other race and the result would’ve been the exact same. And that‘s really the point, the story isn’t about cultural appropriation - it’s about PEOPLE.
Narrator is irritating

06/16/2024

goodboi47

Interesting story but narrator is extremely irritating. Her inflections are over the top. Would have been a much easier listen without such a try hard.
Good vibes, wild story

Feb 4

Vejossiraptor

Amanda Seales is a great host! Love her commentary and storytelling. You can’t tell the Milli Vanilli story in NPR voice - she brings the necessary flavor to this well-researched and balanced story that most of us only know a part of. Cheers and kudos!
Impossible listen

Jan 19

Katkayfj

The narrator is awful and the way the show is produced and put together is unbearable. I could not listen anymore by the middle of episode 2. What a bummer they didn’t realize this narrator would ruin this podcast story.

When Frank Farian first laid eyes on Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, he saw everything he wasn’t. They were handsome, young, and Black. But Frank had something they didn’t. He had power. So, Frank offered them a devil’s bargain. Almost overnight, Milli Vanilli’s debut album went five times platinum and scored a Grammy nomination. But when the lie at the center of their success started to unravel, Rob and Fab would discover the hard way the difference between star power and real power. From Wondery, Blame It on the Fame is a story about the lie that shot to #1 and what it cost to tell the truth. Hosted by Amanda Seales. Binge all episodes of Blame it on the Fame: Milli Vanilli exclusively and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/blame-it-on-the-fame/ now.