Hope in Darkness: The Josh Holt Story

If you could call a number and say you’re sorry, and no one would know…what would you apologize for? For fifteen years, you could call a number in Manhattan and do just that. This is the story of the line, and the man at the other end who became consumed by his own creation. He was known as “Mr. Apology.” As thousands of callers flooded the line, confessing to everything from shoplifting to infidelity, drug dealing to murder, Mr. Apology realized he couldn’t just listen. He had to do something, even if it meant risking everything. From Wondery the makers of Dr. Death and The Shrink Next Door, comes a story about empathy, deception and obsession. Marissa Bridge, who knew Mr. Apology better than anyone, hosts this six episode series. Listen today at wondery.fm/AL_HopeinDarkness.

The Holts arrive on US soil. Josh and Thamy meet the president and make the rounds on morning television. Adjusting to life on the outside requires more faith and hope than expected. 

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A riot erupts inside El Helicoide as tensions mount in Venezuela. Barricaded in his cell, Josh Holt sends a series of fearful videos begging for help from the United States. We go in-depth for the first time on exactly what set it off – and how it resolved. 

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

We go in-depth on all the work behind the scenes to secure Josh and Thamy Holt's freedom – including never-before-heard details about the strange interplay of faith, legal, political and human rights activists.   

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

After realizing his life and safety may well be in danger, Josh Holt negotiates a transfer "up the hallway" to a cell among the political prisoners. Health and prison conditions combine to sink Josh into his lowest point as a hostage of the Venezuelan government.   

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

The Holts work to get Thamy's daughters to the US. Josh and Thamy finally start getting regular "visits" from the outside world – but also become frustrated to their breaking point over their lost human rights.  

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

Josh and Thamy Holt continue to learn how to navigate life in a corrupt dictatorship – from which guards to bribe and how, to how to get along with their fellow inmates. New connections with cellmates provide new opportunities.    

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

Back home in the US, Josh's mom, Laurie Holt, is busily making her voice heard from West Jordan to Washington, D.C. A smuggled cell phone becomes Josh's lifeline to his family.  

 On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

We take a closer look at El Helicoide itself and how it serves as a metaphor for the chaos in Venezuela. The first of several health crises to strike Josh Holt leaves him struggling, helpless and alone. A fellow inmate offers more context and perspective.   

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

Court date after court date comes and goes without any resolution for the Holt family. Thamy and Josh find themselves stripped of both dignity and basic human rights. At home, July 4th festivities are tinged with news of the Holts’ arrest. 

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

Josh and Thamy Holt are forced to wait four days with no answers about what is going on or why they were arrested. What are the political and economic conditions in Venezuela that exacerbated the situation? We bring in two well-known experts on Latin American politics to sort through what is happening. 

On social: @HopeDarknessPod Facebook, Twitter, Instagram 

Thamara Holt searches for answers after her husband of just two weeks is arrested. Armed men continue to round people up. After one of the longest days of their lives, Josh and Thamy wind up under interrogation at El Helicoide, an infamous Venezuelan prison. 

Josh Holt, a young man from Utah, finds himself on the wrong side of the law in Venezuela, where he's just arrived to get married and spend his honeymoon. How did this happen to an American citizen?