OUR RATING:
A Masterclass in Digital Delusion
“Sweet Bobby” is a podcast that answers the age-old question: “What happens when catfishing meets a soap opera writer’s fever dream?” This delightful journey into human gullibility follows Kirat Assi, a woman who managed to maintain an eight-year relationship with a man she never met, never video-called, and who had more medical emergencies than a season of The Pitt.This story will make you seriously wonder how natural selection hasn’t weeded out people who fall for “I can’t meet you because I’m in a witness protection program for the third time this year.”
Hosted by Alexi Mostrous, “Sweet Bobby” presents this tale of digital deception with the gravitas typically reserved for war crimes tribunals, which is both admirable and hilarious given that we’re essentially listening to someone explain how they got emotionally invested in what amounts to an elaborate game of telephone played by a particularly creative sociopath. Mostrous deserves credit for treating Kirat’s story with respect while maintaining enough journalistic integrity to not burst out laughing when describing Bobby’s latest excuse for why he can’t FaceTime: this week featuring a rare throat condition that prevents him from speaking but somehow doesn’t affect his ability to send voice messages.
The podcast walks us through eight years of red flags so numerous and obvious that they practically form their own parade, complete with marching bands playing “Fool Me Once” on repeat. Between Bobby’s convenient comas, his mysterious job that requires constant relocation, and his apparent inability to exist in the same physical space as any form of technology more advanced than a Nokia 3310 (I had one of those and it was great… snake game anybody? Bueller?), you’d think someone might have gotten suspicious around year two, or three, or maybe by year seven when he claimed to be in a medically induced coma but was still somehow responding to text messages.
The real villain of this story isn’t even Bobby, but rather Simran, Kirat’s own cousin who orchestrated this elaborate deception with the dedication of someone preparing for a PhD in psychological warfare. The podcast reveals how Simran created an entire universe of fake personas, complete with backstories, social media profiles, and interconnected relationships that would make Marvel’s MCU look like amateur hour. It’s almost impressive in its scope and ambition.
Mostrous does an excellent job of peeling back the layers of this digital onion, interviewing family members, friends, and presumably a therapist or two who must have had a field day with this case. The pacing keeps you engaged, even when you want to reach through your headphones and shake some sense into everyone involved.
What’s fascinating is how this show explores the psychology behind both the perpetrator and the victim, exploring questions about loneliness, trust, and the human capacity for self-deception. It raises uncomfortable questions about how far we’ll go to maintain a relationship that exists primarily in our imagination, and whether love really is blind or if some people just refuse to invest in decent emotional prescription glasses. The story becomes a cautionary tale about the digital age, where anyone can be anyone, and apparently, some people will believe anyone can be anyone for nearly a decade.
The podcast also serves as an unintentional comedy goldmine, featuring moments that would be hilarious if they weren’t so genuinely heartbreaking. There’s something darkly amusing about listening to Kirat describe how she never found it suspicious that Bobby’s entire extended family seemed to have the same writing style in their text messages, or how his medical conditions always seemed to flare up right before important meetings or family gatherings. It’s like watching someone explain how they didn’t notice their “boyfriend” was actually three raccoons in a trench coat because they were really focused on his personality.
Somehow, “Sweet Bobby” manages to be both a gripping true crime story and an inadvertent PSA about internet safety, It’s a testament to both the host’s skill and the bizarre nature of the story itself that you can finish all six episodes feeling educated, entertained, and deeply concerned about humanity’s future in the digital age. In the end, “Sweet Bobby” proves that truth really is stranger than fiction – and sometimes significantly more ridiculous than anything a screenwriter would dare put on paper, because at least fictional characters have the decency to show up occasionally.
Where to listen to Sweet Bobby
Episodes.fm | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Castro
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