Where is Hoyt Richards now? How the model lost millions in an ‘80s New York cult

Supermodel by day, cult personnel by night. 

It sounds excessively unusual to beryllium true, but that was life for Hoyt Richards, nan taxable of nan caller three-episode HBO documentary, “Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult.” 

“If I hadn’t lived it, I wouldn’t person believed [my life story] myself,” Richards exclusively told Page Six. 

Richards, now 64, was 1 of nan first antheral supermodels – rubbing elbows pinch nan likes of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Fabio successful nan ‘80s and ‘90s. 

By day, Richards was jet-setting disconnected to Europe for manner shows and mag spreads. Little did nan nationalist cognize – erstwhile he returned location to New York City, he wasn’t surviving successful a lavish penthouse. Instead, he was sleeping connected nan level of a Midtown flat pinch a fistful of different Yuppies. He was besides giving each his money distant to Eternal Values, nan cult he was a personnel of. 

“I wasn’t awesome astatine accounting backmost successful those days, but I would put it betwixt 4 and 5 million,” he told Page Six, referring to really overmuch money he gave to cult leader Frederick von Mierers, who told everyone that he was an alien. 

During his glamorous life successful nan modeling world, Richards said, “I evidently could not [my peers] what I was progressive with.” 

The cult besides discouraged friendships pinch outsiders.

“So I conscionable felt for illustration I was not being transparent and lying to everyone astatine each times…I conscionable kept telling myself, ‘oh, yet you’re going to fig it out.’”

Richards grew up successful an mean Pennsylvania family. He met von Mierers successful 1978, connected a picnic to Nantucket erstwhile he was sixteen.

Born Fred Meyers successful Brooklyn, Frederick von Mierers reinvented himself arsenic an precocious crust Manhattan socialite, who reeled successful insecure young group pinch his connections — he partied astatine Studio 54 — and his “wisdom” astir New Age topics. 

When Richards attended Princeton University, he stayed successful touch pinch von Mierers. After graduating successful 1985, arsenic his modeling profession took off, he became a personnel of von Mierers’ cult, called Eternal Values.

“I would return capable money to salary my bills, and everything other I would manus complete to Freddy,” Richards told Page Six, referring to von Mierers. 

He didn’t deliberation it was overseas astatine nan time, since it was nan “policy wrong nan group, you gave immoderate you could give.” 

Richards was successful Eternal Values for 15 years, and he didn’t admit to himself that it was a cult until years aft he left. He has since relocated to LA.

As his modeling profession took off, he said, he believed astatine nan time, “it’s because of this belief life I’ve chosen…that’s what I thought was my concealed sauce.” 

Richards said that benignant of “magical thinking” is communal “in nan cult subsister space.” 

Von Mierers died of AIDS successful 1990 astatine 43. In nan ‘80s and ‘90s, he recruited models and charismatic Yuppies to Eternal Values, and told them he was helping them hole for a last day arena to yet lead a caller society.

At first, he preached celibacy, but later he changed his tune, and “there was a batch of intersexual abuse” successful nan cult, Richards recalled. 

When von Mierers talked astir his kookier beliefs – for illustration aliens – Richards told Page Six, “even erstwhile I was dense successful nan group,” his captious reasoning was “diminished” but “still operating” capable to hint him in.

“I conscionable knew what was happening was wrong… perchance vulnerable and bad.” 

But, he added, he was “determined” to clasp onto nan “narrative” that Eternal Values was spiritual.

“I would self-censor that accusation out,” he explained. “As overmuch arsenic I was influenced and brainwashed…. I still knew astatine definite times. And, I chose to debar those thoughts.” 

He added that portion of his “healing” process has been to return “ownership.”

“Bring Me The Beauties: A Model Cult” is streaming connected HBO Max and airs Mondays astatine 9 p.m. connected HBO.