Justice System’s Epic Fail on Daniels: Shocking Revelations by ‘Stormy’ Filmmakers!

Stormy Daniels has consistently been open and candid about her alleged relationship with former President Donald Trump. But do you really know her as well as you think?

This is the question that the new Peacock documentary, “Stormy,” currently available for streaming, seeks to answer. The film delves into Daniels’ personal life and the transformation it underwent after Michael Cohen confessed to arranging a payment to Daniels and another woman, Karen McDougal, on the brink of the 2016 election to prevent them from revealing their affairs with Trump. Cohen’s guilty plea to federal charges related to the hush money led to Trump being indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in 2023.

Director Sarah Gibson and producer Erin Lee Carr, who previously collaborated on the film “Britney vs Spears,” teamed up once more for “Stormy.” They aim to provide viewers with a more comprehensive understanding of Daniels. They discuss how the men in Daniels’ life have let her down, as well as the failures of the justice system. They delve into her strategies for dealing with online harassment and legal battles, the dissolution of her family, and the media’s tendency to pigeonhole her.

“The media often referred to her as porn star Stormy Daniels, seldom acknowledging her role as a director in the industry,” Carr points out. “She was an immensely talented director and continues to be so.”

Gibson and Carr began their project a year before Trump’s indictment regarding the hush-money payment was given by a Manhattan grand jury. They managed to convince Daniels to not only participate but also grant them editorial control, thanks in part to Judd Apatow, with whom Daniels had worked before, making appearances in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” Apatow is an executive producer on “Stormy,” along with Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers from Imagine Documentaries. Initially, the film was supposed to document how Daniels was reinventing herself, but Trump’s indictment drastically changed the narrative. Gibson mentions that they initially attempted to finance the documentary privately as no one was willing to back it until Peacock stepped in.

“There was a lot of fear around Trump and potential legal action,” Gibson says. “Before the indictment, people were hesitant to get involved with this project because they didn’t want to be caught up in protracted litigation.”

The timing of the documentary’s release is significant. Trump’s hush-money trial was originally slated to start on March 25. However, a judge agreed to a 30-day delay after Trump’s lawyers requested more time to review new evidence from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan.

The documentary explores not only the relationship between Daniels and Trump but also the legal battles she has faced with her former lawyer Michael Avenatti. Avenatti was found guilty of stealing book proceeds from Daniels and filing a defamation lawsuit against Trump without her consent, which she lost. She appealed the decision, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Trump’s favor, leaving Daniels owing over $600,000 in legal fees to the former president.

“We often referred to this as the tale of the two Michaels,” Gibson says, referring to Avenatti and Cohen. “Michael Cohen started as an enemy and ended up as a friend. Avenatti, on the other hand, wouldn’t even let us record his phone call from prison.”

Gibson and Carr shared their experience of documenting Daniels’ life, their inspiration from the Fox News-related movie “Bombshell,” and what they hope viewers will take away from the film in a Zoom interview. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The documentary premiered at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. How was the experience and what was the audience’s reaction?

Sarah Gibson: It was our first time showing it to such a large audience. Stormy was in the audience watching it; she had seen it prior with me and Erin over Zoom — that was an intense experience. We were so moved by her presence, considering her apprehensions about attending. She joined us on stage after the screening, visibly emotional, and expressed her gratitude for us telling her story. She said, “You warned me this wasn’t going to be a fluff piece, and it was a piece of truth, and I feel like you really did justice to my story.” That was the best feedback we could have hoped for, especially coming from a woman who has been through so much. We didn’t want this film to exacerbate her trauma.

Erin Lee Carr: As filmmakers, we strive to portray our subjects accurately, to convey what it’s like to be them, to show their heart, and to establish intimacy. Stormy is one of many people that we’ve tried to portray authentically.

What motivated you to make a documentary about Daniels? How did you initially connect with her?

Gibson: I got to know Stormy while working on a comedy project in 2019. … We kept in touch after she left the set. That same day, she was stopped at the Canadian border due to 17 false charges on her FBI record (as shown in the documentary). She kept me updated via text from the airport. It sounded like a conspiracy theory. We stayed connected after she got home… She was going through a very tough time at that point.

When she was in court against Michael Avenatti in 2022, I was listening to a report about it on NPR. I was so moved that I pulled over on the freeway and called her. I said, “Stormy, Erin and I just made a film about Britney Spears and how the justice system failed her. If you’re interested in sharing your story about how the justice system has failed you, we’re here for you.” She said, “I just saw your Britney film. Let’s do it.”

Daniels has been very vocal on both traditional and social media about her encounter with Trump. What made it different for her to speak to you and participate in this documentary?

Carr: We make it a point to show that she was often portrayed as a one-note character by the media. As a journalist, I tried to see things from her perspective, which was an intense experience. She has been let down by many men in her life, and by agreeing to work with us, she trusted that we would be there for her, and we were.

Some of your footage was captured by journalist Denver Nicks, who profiled Daniels in 2018 for Rolling Stone. How did you come into possession of this footage and why did you decide to use it?

Carr: Having contemporaneous footage in a film is an absolute treasure. Stormy Daniels had formed a friendly relationship with Denver Nicks. When we first started the project, we asked, “Is there footage of you from this time?” Denver was one of four people who gave us footage. We included it because it provided a real-time glimpse into what was happening.

Gibson: The most crucial thing is that Stormy gave us her consent to use it. We are grateful that we were able to capture her emotional reactions as events were unfolding, which is a unique aspect of this film.

Daniels’ account of the night she met Trump differs from the “60 Minutes” interview. She claims she felt cornered by Trump. She maintains that the encounter was consensual, but it seems like she is reevaluating that night. Do you think that is the case? What was it like to hear her reflect on that moment?

Gibson: It was incredibly moving. She noted in the interview that when she saw the movie “Bombshell” — which was a significant inspiration for this film for me — she realized, years later, what had happened to her. She said, “When I saw the movie ‘Bombshell,’ I realized it was a casting-couch situation. I felt powerless. And because of my past trauma, I dissociated.” It is true that trauma survivors process things over time, they become more aware of what happens in their life. I think this happened for Stormy.

You spoke with numerous people — Apatow, Jimmy Kimmel, Daniels’ former and current husband, her childhood friend Travis Partin, and others. How do Daniels’ family and friends feel about everything that has happened? How do they think it has personally affected her?

Gibson: She has experienced some of the darkest times in her life since the news broke. She is constantly on edge, worried about her daughter being seen with her in public — her daughter is in college. She is a woman living in fear but strives to remain unbroken. Her friends are concerned… she might lose her home due to the legal fees she owes Trump’s attorneys. This is a woman who worked tirelessly to build a career that disappeared in an instant. She continues to be the primary provider for her former husband and child.

Carr: In the film, we see Joy [King], a former executive of Wicked [Pictures, the adult-film studio], who wasn’t really worried about Stormy until now. We discuss the death threats in the film, but something that’s really important to us is to show that this is someone who was let down by the justice system, owes Trump over $600,000 and has to testify in a court case, where the system has failed her.

Our film doesn’t have a neat ending. The takeaway from Stormy’s comments at the end of the film is simply: I’m tired. Her friends are tired, she’s tired. It took a lot for her to stand up. Her life has suffered substantial consequences as a result.

It’s alarming how brutal the attacks on her have become, such as the comments on her social media feed and the footage of her being pursued in her car. How is she dealing with that, especially with the hush-money trial looming?

Gibson: I spoke with her recently. She was talking to me about the anxiety she feels about being in New York for the launch of the film and the questions she will be asked. Her voice was shaking. She understands the historical significance of her role in this saga and is prepared to face it. She is showing the same fighting spirit that we see in the film.

Despite everything, some people still harbor divided opinions about Daniels, even those who are generally more liberal-minded about her and her profession. Why do you think that is?

Carr: We live in a society that is largely sex-negative. If you’ve done sex work, many people view you as tainted in some way… It’s absurd that someone in a profession as old as time is seen as less than human by some people and dismissed as seeking attention or trying to capitalize on her relations with Trump. We hope that when people impulsively react to a woman seeking attention and think, “Oh, she did it for attention” — they should look at the tweets.

What do you hope viewers will take away from this documentary?

Gibson: Our aim was to humanize her and take the audience on this wild journey through her life with her. We might not agree with many of the choices she made, but we feel immense empathy for her and recognize that she should not be living in fear with her daughter in this country. She has a right to feel safe and to a fair legal process. We wanted to highlight how the legal system has failed her.

Carr: We tried to create a compassionate, intimate portrait of Stormy while shedding light on the predators in her life. These include people and the men in her life who have taken advantage of her and exploited her. She says, “The only thing I’m addicted to is wanting people to love me back” … that’s what she wanted. She wanted to be loved. She wanted to be protected after a challenging, impoverished childhood. We believe there is a universality to that.

Do you plan to continue documenting her journey through the legal process?

Gibson: We talked today about how she’s currently documenting herself… Being a filmmaker herself, she’s very savvy. She was filming herself back in 2018 — a lot of the film is her setting up a GoPro or her phone and filming herself. She is doing that again right now.

Carr: As for our future plans, we’re keeping that under wraps for now.