Peacock's "The Anatomy of Lies": When Cancer Fakery Hits Too Close to Home

It's not every day you get a flurry of texts from old friends, colleagues, and acquaintances you haven't spoken to in years.

"Hey, I'm watching this Peacock documentary. They're using clips from your old podcast." "Matthew, is that your voice on the "Anatomy of Lies" documentary?!" "Dude, you're in this doc on Peacock."

This was my reality a few days ago, and, yeah, it's a lot to process. It turns out that brief clips from my interview with Elizabeth Finch on The Stupid Cancer Show in 2017 were featured in Peacock's new docuseries, Anatomy of Lies.

For those unfamiliar, Elizabeth Finch was a Hollywood writer who claimed to be a cancer survivor—a claim that has since been exposed as a complete fabrication. And somehow, some way, I'm now a supporting character in this bonkers documentary that unravels her decades-long web of deceit.

She also pulled off a whole lot of other mind-blowingly insane psychotic shit (which you can learn about in the 3-episode Peacock documentary), but for the purposes of this piece, I am going to focus on cancer.

So, let's rewind.

The Sacred Space of the Stupid Cancer Show

Back in 2017, Elizabeth Finch was a guest on The Stupid Cancer Show, episode #377 titled "My Breast Choice." She was introduced as a survivor, an essayist, and a TV writer with credits on Grey's Anatomy, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries. During our chat, she spoke about her battle with chondrosarcoma—a rare cancer—and the Herculean efforts she undertook to be her own advocate.

It was, by all appearances, the quintessential "young adult cancer warrior" story: misdiagnosis, doctor gaslighting, perseverance, and eventual triumph. Over the past two decades, I've heard versions of this narrative hundreds of times from real survivors. It's what drew me to her, and it's what drew everyone to her.

But here's the thing—she was lying.

As I'm now learning, Elizabeth Finch's "cancer" story was an elaborate fraud. She co-opted the narrative—our narrative—of perseverance, trauma, and advocacy. She sold it to Hollywood. She leveraged it to build a name for herself, landing gigs in writers' rooms where "lived experience" is currency.

Meanwhile, real cancer patients—young adults living through the agony of diagnosis and treatment—were overlooked, unheard, and unsupported. And she got paid for it.

She used my platform—our platform—The Stupid Cancer Show—as part of her PR strategy to authenticate herself as a "real" cancer survivor. The Stupid Cancer Show isn't just any podcast.

Launched in May of 2007, it's the world's first radio show and podcast for the global cancer community. We're not fluff.

We're not here to grant you the glow of performative empathy. We're a lifeline for millions of people in their teens, 20s, and 30s living through hell. And Finch used us.

I'm furious.

Anatomy of Betrayal

When you're in the cancer community, you're bound by something sacred. It's not spoken aloud, but it's understood. If you're a survivor, caregiver, or advocate, you're part of a tribe. You're entitled to share space in this house. You've paid your dues in blood, pain, and trauma. You're family.

We protect each other.

So when someone pretends to be one of us, it's personal. It's like letting a wolf into the fold. Finch's lies sullied not just her name—they contaminated the credibility of every genuine patient story. It's why we're so damn protective of this community.

When I first heard my own voice in the Peacock documentary, I'll admit—I laughed. It's wild hearing yourself on TV without any warning. There's an almost surreal absurdity to it.

But then it hit me.

I'm in this documentary because I'm one of the people she lied to. I'm one of the people she used to validate her fiction. This wasn't just some random crime doc about a con artist. This was my show. My voice. My community. The layers of betrayal just kept stacking up.

Thanks, I guess?

But I'm not just here to rage against Elizabeth Finch. I'm grateful to the producers, directors, and journalists who blew the lid off this whole thing. Credit where it's due—Evgenia Peretz and David Schisgall did an incredible job on Anatomy of Lies.

They pieced together her convoluted house of cards, highlighted the trauma she inflicted on real people, and gave survivors—real survivors—a platform to be seen and heard. FWIW, if they'd reached out to me without hesitation, I'd have been on a plane to help them put this together. The world needs to know what's at stake when someone like Elizabeth Finch exploits our community.

And, hey—hearing my voice on national television?

That's not nothing. It's cool. I'll admit it.

The fact that it's in a takedown piece about a pathological liar who infiltrated the cancer community? Less cool, but I'll take it.

So, What Now?

There's something to be said about finding silver linings.

Anatomy of Lies doesn't erase the damage Finch did, but it's a start. It's justice by exposure. It's a loudspeaker for the values we've always championed at Stupid Cancer: authenticity, honesty, and self-advocacy

The documentary included my interview with Elizabeth Finch on The Stupid Cancer Show, which means that, in a weird, roundabout way, Stupid Cancer is still part of the story. Six years after I stepped down as CEO, under the leadership of Alison Silberman, the organization is thriving and uplifting patient voices around the world, even if one of those voices from the past turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

But I'll be damned if I let Elizabeth Finch's lies diminish what we've built. The Stupid Cancer Show spent 12 years and 500 episodes telling stories, elevating voices, and protecting young adults in the cancer space.

Our legacy isn't defined by her deceit—it's defined by the millions of listeners who found hope, humor, and connection through our show.

She's a blip on our radar.

People who fake their cancer stories are nothing new. Charlatan scammers are as old as society itself. These are deeply troubled individuals who make me struggle to balance antipathy with empathy.

But Elizabeth Finch's deception went beyond the pale.

She violated the sacred trust I—and millions of listeners—had in The Stupid Cancer Show. It was the ultimate betrayal at the highest level of malevolence, broadcast to millions of people.

But in moments like these, we're reminded of our collective strength. Advocacy unites us. It's a warm blanket and a motivational beacon, propelling us to get up each morning, put two proverbial feet on the ground, and keep moving forward.

So, to Evgenia, David, and the Peacock team, thank you for doing the hard work to expose the liars, fakes, and exploiters. Thank you for shining a light on the harm they cause and the ripple effects on real people, real survivors, and real patients.

And to all of my listeners (from The Stupid Cancer Show, The Cancer Mavericks, and Out of Patients), my community, friends, fans, cohorts, and fellow cancer advocates: Stay vigilant. We need each other more than ever.

Trust is earned.

So, if you're out there lying about your cancer story to get a seat at our table—know this: We see you. And you're not welcome here.