HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

Where is Hoyt Richards now? HBO's 'Bring Me the Beauties' recounts how '80s male supermodel survived a cult

The three-part docuseries explores the fascinating story of doomsday cult Eternal Values and its leader, Frederick von Mierers

Following the release of the 'Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult' documentary on HBO Max, there's only one question left on everyone's mind. The three-part documentary is directed by Chris Smith, of 'Tiger King' fame, who also serves as its executive producer. The first episode, titled 'The Promise,' premiered on June 1, with the remaining two installments set to follow on June 8 and 15, respectively. The series delves into the fascinating story of the doomsday cult Eternal Values and its cult leader, Frederick von Mierers. He fancied himself an alien sent to earth to preach about a 'pole shift' apocalypse that would arrive in 1999. He managed to convince many people from the high-fashion modeling industry to join his doomsday cult.

The docuseries spoke to several survivors, who recounted their experience living with Eternal Values in the 80s. However, the story of the former model and actor Hoyt Richards stood out in the first episode. Richards rose to international fame in the 1980s and is touted as the world's first male supermodel. His life took a drastic turn after a chance encounter with von Mierers at the age of 16 in 1978. The charismatic New York socialite impressed Richards with his knowledge of "Eastern philosophy and zen-speak," the former model disclosed during his 2018 interview with BBC's 'Outlook' podcast. As he was climbing the ladder of success, Richards was becoming increasingly ingratiated with von Mierers's cult. He poured most of his earnings from his lucrative modeling career into the cult. 

After signing with the renowned Ford Models agency, Richards quickly became the biggest name in the modeling industry and was the face of advertising campaigns for renowned brands like Ralph Lauren, Cartier, Gianni Versace, Donna Karan, Burberry, Valentino, and several others. The Princeton graduate was firmly under von Mierers' control and kept his involvement in the cult a secret from his friends and colleagues. Things only changed following the cult leader's death from AIDS in 1990. The group floundered without a leader, and its members eventually split off. Richards spent the next few decades trying to undo the psychological damage and worked on mending relationships with his loved ones, whom he had distanced during his time with Eternal Values.   

Throughout the harrowing ordeal, Richards continued his modeling career and even started acting in the late 90s. His first prominent role was in the 1998 romantic-comedy 'Six Days, Seven Nights,' opposite starlets like Harrison Ford and Anne Heche. He expanded into screenwriting and producing, and also made guest appearances in shows like 'CSI: Miami' and the sitcom 'Three Sisters.' Richards, now 64, continues to work in independent movies and short films and was recently seen in the sci-fi film 'Censor Addiction,' which was released in March.