The second episode of HBO’s revealing three-part docuseries Telemarketers ends with a concerning detail – “telemarketing legend” Pat Pespas has disappeared.
Where has he gone? Thankfully, the series doesn’t intend to leave audiences on the fence for long as all is revealed in the finale, which airs August 27 at 10PM on HBO and Max. Until then, here’s everything you need to know about where Pespas is now – and whether he’s dead or alive.
Directed by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern, the series takes a close look into the Civic Development Group (CDG), a New Jersey call center that falsely acted “on behalf of local police and fire departments” to scam people into donating money.
The company was shut down in 2009 by the Federal Trade Commission, which is a government agency that enforces federal consumer protection laws to prevent fraud. In 2010, a lawsuit banned CDG from soliciting donations, and owners Scott Pasch and David Keezer were made to pay $18.8 million for violating a previous FTC order, which involved giving up a $2 million mansion and artwork by Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh.
In the series, co-produced by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, Lipman-Stern takes a firsthand role in exposing the behind-the-scenes corruption as he is a former CDG employee who documented his daily work life with the help of his all-star colleague and friend Pespas.
The second episode, which aired August 20, follows the two as they continue their investigation following the shutdown of CDG and the rise of copycat companies. But, ahead of a breakthrough interview, Pespas suddenly disappears and Lipman-Stern has no luck tracking him down. Eerily, following the search, a voiceover segment featuring an interview subject who lives a similar lifestyle to Pespas begins to play. The person suspects that one day he’ll die of a drug overdose.
Curious about the whereabouts of Pespas? Continue reading for everything you need to know about this telemarketer-turned-journalist. Light spoilers for Telemarketers Episode 3 beyond this point.
Did your morbid mind jump to the worst-case scenario? Is Pespas dead? We’re here to calm your nerves and tell you: No, Pat Pespas is not dead. In fact, Pespas makes a reappearance at the top of the final episode as teased in HBO’s description of the hour.
The synopsis for Episode 3 reads, “Years later, Sam and Pat reunite in present day to continue their investigation only to learn that telemarketing schemes are now even more brazen and opportunistic with the advent of robocalling, political action committees (PACs), and new technologies such as AI.” Together, the two travel from New Jersey to Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. to meet with a senator about their findings.
The first two episodes primarily take place during CDG’s years of operation and the fallout from their lawsuit. However, the third episode takes place in 2020. At the top of the episode, Lipman-Stern reveals that he has loosely stayed in touch with Pespas over the years, but they often go long periods of time without talking.
As the episode plays on, Pespas says he has undergone drug treatment and credits his “lord and savior Jesus Christ” for saving his life. He tells Lipman-Stern that there’s “never been a better time” in his life to finish the project, even though Lipman-Stern has given up on the project and moved to Los Angeles. After Lipman-Stern connects with his cousin, co-director Adam Bhala Lough, the two travel to New Jersey to reunite with Pespas and continue their investigation.
In the episode, Pespas says his wife Sue had undergone treatment for cancer and was now in remission.
Now, Pespas describes himself as a freelance journalist, as shown on his Instagram page, which has been tagged in HBO promotional posts for the series. While recently speaking with Vulture, Pespas revealed he is currently advocating to reform the fundraising industry and wants to testify before Congress with “a proposal for a unionized, transparent telemarketing industry that provides good local jobs and sends money to the people who actually deserve it.”
Pespas also told the outlet that watching footage of himself at CDG makes him “cringe” and he doesn’t “act like that anymore.”
But given Pespas’s erratic behavior in the first episode, which involved heavy drug usage, many feared that the telemarketing legend had passed away. Their fears were only heightened after the second episode ended on a cliffhanger and an obituary for a person with the same name went live on August 21. However, the obituary does not line up with Pespas’s shown experience, so it’s fair to say that it’s for another person. Additionally, the obituary was published on an unfamiliar website and is unspecific, leading an AI Content Detector to deem is 78% likely to have been written by AI.
There you go! Pespas is alive and well — and honest to god, thriving! Who knows, maybe he’ll be making headlines soon for reforming the fundraising industry.
The first two episodes of Telemarketers are currently streaming on Max. Episode 3 premieres August 27 at 10 p.m. on HBO and Max.