A chance beach encounter in 1978 led supermodel Hoyt Richards into one of the most bizarre cults of the 1980s—and he spent decades under its spell. As detailed in Rolling Stone's investigation, Richards was just 16 when Frederick von Mierers approached him on Nantucket, promising enlightenment and spiritual growth through ancient religions and astrology.
What started as friendship quickly became something sinister. Von Mierers recruited Richards and dozens of other beautiful people—mostly models—into his controlling sect called Eternal Values. The group lured followers with talk of self-realization and mental clarity through diet, exercise, and celibacy. But once they moved into his Manhattan apartment, the real agenda emerged: von Mierers claimed he was a "walk-in," an alien who had possessed a human body.
"I thought they were a family," Richards recalls. "Now I call it something else: a cult."
The story unfolds in HBO's new three-part docuseries Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, directed by Chris Smith (100 Foot Wave, WHAM!). The title references von Mierers' chilling catchphrase—he would literally command followers to "bring me the beauties" so he could surround himself with the most attractive people possible.
Smith tells Rolling Stone the investigation went deeper than expected. "The hope and promise for the group was a very altruistic exploration into self-realization," he explains. "Once we started digging, it just started to unfold and sprawl in a way that I don't think we were fully prepared for."
Von Mierers, who died in 1990, taught that his spiritual homeland was a star called Arcturus. Richards' willingness to finally speak out reveals how deeply the charismatic cult leader manipulated his followers—and how long it took them to break free.
Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult drops June 1 on HBO.
