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Supermodel Escapes Cult, Finds Love Again
18 Sep
Summary
- Supermodel Hoyt Richards escaped a cult after years of indoctrination.
- His relationship with Donna Flagg was forbidden by the cult leader.
- After decades apart, Richards and Flagg remarried in Nantucket.
Supermodel Hoyt Richards's tumultuous life, marked by his escape from a religious cult, has culminated in a reunion and remarriage with Donna Flagg. Richards was indoctrinated into the doomsday group Eternal Values by leader Frederick von Mierers, who demanded members cut ties with loved ones and surrender their finances. Richards's relationship with Flagg was deemed a threat to his spiritual path and the cult's funding, forcing him into a covert romance.
Richards escaped the cult's compound in the summer of 1999, years after von Mierers's death in 1990. He reconnected with Flagg in 2001, explaining his prolonged absence. The couple attempted to rekindle their relationship multiple times over the years, facing challenges due to Richards's trauma and recovery.
In June 2022, Richards asked Flagg to participate in an HBO Max docuseries about his experiences. Following discussions, they decided to try their relationship again, discarding past pain. Richards proposed in May 2025, and they married on Jetties Beach in Nantucket on September 4, 2026.
Richards now runs Hoyt Richards Consulting, assisting families affected by cults, and plans to share his story widely. Flagg and Richards aim to maintain homes on both coasts but do not anticipate spending much time apart.
