NEED TO KNOW
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Hoyt Richards unknowingly joined a cult led by Frederick von Mierers while his career was on the rise as a modeling star.
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Von Mirers claimed to be an alien consciousness preparing followers for the apocalypse and demanded complete dedication.
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Richards spoke about his experience in the HBO Max documentary series "« Bring Me the Beauties: The Cult of Role Models» , which details the methods of control and persuasion of this group.
Hoyt Richards led a double life, being one of the world's top male models and a member of a cult he was unaware of.
Richards first met Frederick von Mierers—real name Freddie Mierers—on the beach in the 1970s. Years later, von Mierers helped launch Richards' modeling career, accelerating his rise in the fashion world and opening the doors to a glamorous lifestyle full of high-society parties, exclusive events, and global success.
But behind the scenes, Richards became increasingly involved with the von Mirers cult, known for its "Eternal Values.".
Now Richards is sharing his story in a three-part HBO Max documentary,« Bring Me the Beauties: The Model Cult» , which offers an inside look at the Eternal Values group led by von Mierers from the 1980s until his death in 1990.
In the documentary series, Richards revealed that his mother was one of the first people to warn him about his possible involvement in a cult—an accusation he was quick to deny.
«"I'm not in a cult. I would never join a cult; it's absurd," he recalled his thoughts in the first episode, which premiered on June 1. "I went to Studio 54 and all those cool parties in New York. Cults don't do that.".
In June 2026, Richards told PEOPLE that the realization that Eternal Values was a cult was "absolutely devastating." "I mean, this whole idea that I'd resisted for so long, and now it's so obvious.".
Here's everything you need to know about what happened to Hoyt Richards.
Richards met Frederick when he was 16 years old.
«Bring Me the Beauties: The Cult of Role Models (Source: HBO)
In 1978, 16-year-old Richards was sitting on the beach on Nantucket when he was approached by von Mierers, whom he had previously heard described as a "tough guy" who liked to surround himself with "beauties.".
According to data The Hollywood Reporter , von Mirers was the son of a Brooklyn dry cleaner who built his flamboyant social life on a web of lies.
Von Mierers interested Richards in conversations about Eastern religions and ancient civilizations, and they maintained contact in the following years. Richards later attended Princeton University, where he played American football, and often traveled to New York City on weekends with friends to visit von Mierers.
During these trips, von Mierers introduced him to the city's nightlife, taking him to famous venues like Studio 54. Richards also spent time at von Mierers' apartment, which he described in the documentary as "like stepping through the looking glass into «Alice in Wonderland »».
He joined von Mirers' band after graduating from college.
Von Mirers' group, numbering approximately 20 to 30 people, was united by what Richards described as a "spiritual commitment.".
After an injury that forced Richards to leave football and left him with an "identity crisis," he approached von Mierers, who suggested he "read his biography.".
«"Without football, I was like a ship without a rudder, lost at sea," Richards said in the documentary series.
After the life reading, von Mirers suggested that Richards begin to think about a career in modeling or acting.
Having landed his first modeling job, Richards was soon on the verge of success. After von Mierers introduced him to Ford Models, Richards signed with the agency, adopted the name Hoyt Richards, and soon began landing modeling jobs all over the world.
«"I got a couple of bigger jobs. And then the checks started coming in," he said in the documentary. "I started thinking, 'Oh, this is really going to make money,' and by the time I finished my senior year, I'd already paid my tuition. I felt like a rock star.".
After graduating, Richards decided to fully embrace the group's teachings and moved to von Mierers' New York City residence. Other members of the group also had apartments in the building, but Richards lived in apartment 4N, considered the "pinnacle.".
«"Living in 4N was considered incredibly prestigious," Richards said.
The Eternal Values movement had several beliefs, including that the world would end in 1999.
Hoyt Richards in the HBO Max series "Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" (Photo: HBO)
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter , von Mirers claimed to be an alien consciousness from the star Arcturus that had inhabited a human body. He reportedly told his followers that he was the "enterer," meaning an alien had taken over his body to prepare humanity for the apocalypse and guide the spiritually advanced elite into the next era.
He and his group, "Eternal Values," had a clear belief system, including the conviction that the world would be destroyed in 1999, as depicted in the documentary series. Von Mierers convinced the group that some parts of the United States would be spared, including the Smoky Mountains, where von Mierers purchased a house for the group.
«"He kept saying there would be storms, tsunamis, all sorts of earthquakes and disasters, governments and economies collapsing, and all that kind of stuff," Richards told PEOPLE after the documentary premiered. "So I'm sitting in London or Paris and thinking, 'Well, at least to me, the timeline is wrong because nothing's happening.'".
As his career progressed, Richards gave much of his money to the cult.
Richards, a full-fledged Eternal Values member, stated that he regularly gave money to von Mierers, keeping for himself only what was necessary to pay the bills.
«"The core philosophy of Eternal Values and Frederick's methods was the idea that everyone had to give their all," Richards said in the documentary. "This band could only function with total dedication.".
He added, "If you had money like I do, you'd give it away. If you didn't have money, maybe you'd have more time. You'd give your time.".
While Richards didn't give an exact figure, in 2001 footage shown in the documentary series, he says his contributions "totaled in the millions.".
In the documentary series, Richards also revealed that he tried to keep the Eternal Values part of his life private, but also claimed that his meteoric rise to success was partly due to his "spiritual life" behind the scenes.
Richards left the cult after they forced him to leave his girlfriend.
Hoyt Richards in the HBO Max series "Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult" (Photo: HBO)
Richards began to doubt the group after its members allegedly pressured him to break up with his current fiancée, Donna.
«"I wasn't ready to point fingers and say, 'You're bad and you're doing it wrong,'" he told PEOPLE. However, Richards left the band shortly thereafter.
It was only years later, after reuniting with another former member of the Eternal Values organization, that they realized they had survived a cult.
«It’s just terrifying,» Richards told PEOPLE, adding that reading Steve Hassan’s book «Fighting Cult Mind Control» also helped him realize this.
He added, "And the worst part of it is that I thought I was going to be part of a special version of a cult. I was so convinced that I could never explain to anyone how, reading this book, I realized, 'Oh no, I'm just a typical cult member from a typical cult, nothing special.'".
Eternal Values eventually disbanded in the early 2000s, a decade after von Mierers' death.
Read the original article on People.