Paramount+ is putting a spotlight on survival and solidarity with Don’t Date Brandon, a new docuseries following Amber Rasmussen and Athena Klingerman — the former partners behind the hit podcast Ex-Wives Undercover: Liars, Cheaters & Love Cons. The series tracks how the two women went from living parallel, painful experiences to joining forces, sharing their stories publicly, and warning others about alleged patterns of abuse tied to their ex, Brandon Johnson.
Speaking recently about why they chose to go public, Rasmussen and Klingerman recalled the fear, grief, and hard-won resolve that ultimately propelled their podcast — and now, a television spotlight — into existence.
From Podcast To Docuseries: Finding A Voice After Alleged Abuse
Klingerman was the first to marry Johnson and remained connected after their split because they share a child. Years later, Rasmussen met Johnson online and entered a whirlwind romance that quickly led to marriage. According to the women, Johnson allegedly pitted them against each other before they realized their stories were distressingly similar.
Klingerman explained that stepping forward felt risky from the start. "We were very nervous to move forward because of his retaliation," she said in a recent interview. "When Amber experienced it, as well, it was so comforting for me… I wasn’t alone. If we could share this to help protect anybody else… just to let them know that they’re not alone."
Rasmussen echoed that finding each other was the first turning point. The second was deciding that speaking out — first on their own terms via podcast — could make a real difference. "We were learning about domestic violence," she said, noting that their understanding grew to include "all the different forms of it, not just the physical part of it. The emotional, the financial, the sexual — all of the abuses."
A Personal Tragedy Became The Catalyst
While Rasmussen and Klingerman had talked in passing about exposing alleged behavior, the plan crystallized in 2020 after a devastating loss. Klingerman’s older sister, Jessica, died due to an act of domestic violence. The tragedy, they say, galvanized them to turn private conversations into a public mission.
"I was so lost," Klingerman recalled. "And [Amber] just said, ‘I think this is the time that we move forward and we do this.’ My sister, Jessica, was almost like this fire under us that gave us strength and made us a little bit more brave."
Rasmussen added that Jessica’s story felt hauntingly familiar. She said Jessica met her abuser online and believed he was "great" — but within six months of marriage, Jessica lost her life. "We felt some parallels of, like, that could have been us, that could have been any woman out there," Rasmussen said. "We kind of went in blind… ‘Let’s just do this. We don’t know how to do a podcast, but we’re going to do it.’"
From Anonymity To Naming Names
Ex-Wives Undercover began cautiously. The co-hosts initially used pseudonyms for fear of retaliation and legal blowback. Over time, though, they say their inbox filled up with similar accounts from other women across different states. As the number of stories grew, so did their conviction to be explicit about names and timelines.
Rasmussen said they feared legal repercussions while discussing alleged misconduct connected to Johnson. "He was embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars," she alleged, adding that they initially held back to avoid being sued. Eventually, the decision shifted. "At a certain point, we did out his real name because he was continuing to abuse women in different states," Rasmussen claimed. As more women came forward, both hosts say they felt "more empowered" to share their accounts.
Don’t Date Brandon captures the evolution of that resolve — from whispered warnings to an on-the-record chronicle designed to reach viewers who may not have encountered the podcast. It examines the pair’s parallel relationships, the manipulation they allege, and the moment they recognized a pattern large enough to demand a broader audience.
The series also underscores a point the hosts repeatedly stress: domestic violence is not limited to bruises. Don’t Date Brandon highlights emotional, financial, and sexual abuse as part of the same continuum, drawing on Rasmussen and Klingerman’s experiences to illustrate how coercive control can escalate and how victims can feel isolated by design.
As for what viewers can expect, Don’t Date Brandon blends first-person testimony with documentation gathered over years of untangling the women’s overlapping timelines. While the series centers their stories, it also places their experiences in a wider context: how digital dating can be exploited, how cycles of abuse repeat, and how community — even one forged from heartbreak — can help interrupt those cycles.
Rasmussen and Klingerman say the Paramount+ platform lets them "scream from the rooftops" to an audience far bigger than their podcast’s. Their aim is both personal and public: healing through telling, and warning through visibility. They also maintain that speaking out is an ongoing effort. "He’s not done, unfortunately," Rasmussen said of Johnson, framing the docuseries as another step in centering alleged victims.
Don’t Date Brandon premieres on Paramount+ on October 28, streaming exclusively for subscribers. For viewers who discovered Ex-Wives Undercover through social media, the docuseries offers a comprehensive entry point — and for those already familiar with the podcast, it functions as a focused, high-profile expansion.
Editor’s note: The allegations described in Don’t Date Brandon reflect the accounts of the participants. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, resources are available through national and local support organizations.
