Hannah Parrett and Christian Showalter had no idea Jared Fogle was “a bad guy” until his arrest.
The women are the stepdaughters of Russell Taylor, the former executive director of the disgraced Subway Sandwich announcer’s charity. Both men were convicted of sex crimes against the sisters.
“I think it was after the arrest that I started to open up more about sexual abuse, child pornography and pedophilia,” Parrett told Fox News Digital. “That’s when I started to see Jared as a monster — he’s a monster. We have been manipulated into believing that things are normal. Even up to the point when they were arrested, we didn’t understand what happened.”
Christian Showalter (right) and Hannah Parrett have commented on ID’s new true-crime docuseries, Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster. (ID)
For the first time, the siblings talk about Fogle in a three-part documentary titled Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster, which premieres Monday night.
A former family friend, Fogle was a pitchman for the fast-food franchise after losing more than 200 pounds as a college student, in part from eating the chain’s sandwiches. Fogle, now 45, was sentenced in 2015 to more than 15 years in federal prison for possessing or distributing child pornography and for traveling across state lines to have sex with a minor.
The docuseries features never-before-seen interviews with investigators and whistleblowers detailing how they brought down the child kidnapper lurking behind a charming personality. Fogle declined to be interviewed for the series.
“Our thoughts remain with all those who have been sacrificed by Mr. Fogle,” a Subway spokesman said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “His conduct and behavior were reprehensible. When we learned of Mr. Fogle’s behavior we acted immediately and he has not been associated with the company in any way since his arrest.”
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Jared Fogle was known as a charismatic sandwich speaker. However, the Indiana resident had a dark side. (David Lodge/FilmMagic/File)
“For a long time, Christian and I were silenced not only by our mother, but also by other family members who cared too much about what other people would think,” Parrett said. “We wanted to shed light on a situation like this. A big motivation for me to speak out was to bring all of this to the surface and give other survivors trying to find their own voice the strength and courage to speak up. And helping others People help me heal. The more I tell my story, the more healed I become.”
The siblings met Fogle sometime in 2011 through Taylor, who was married to her mother, Angela Baldwin. Back then, women were in their early teens.
“My first impression of Jared was that he was a cool person,” Showalter recalled. “He was a celebrity. I’m from a very small town so it was just really cool to meet someone like him who was also Russell’s best friend – that’s the only way I could put it. It was just really nice to know someone’s popularity.”
Jared Fogle rose to stardom after losing more than 200 pounds, in part by eating Subway sandwiches regularly. (David Lodge / FilmMagic)
“Jared was the puppeteer,” Parrett said. “And Russell was the puppet. And of course, to get to the point, Christian and I also became puppets. They had the puppet master controlling this puppet who also controlled two other small puppets. Jared was the head honcho of this whole situation.”
Taylor was the executive director of the Jared Foundation, a nonprofit organization Fogle started to raise awareness and money to fight childhood obesity. According to the siblings, Taylor and Fogle would write to each other about them and their friends.
“Russell sent Jared a photo of one of my best friends,” Showalter said. “Jared asked, ‘Who is that? What’s her name?’ They started making comments about their bodies – sexual comments. Russell showed me these texts and said, “Jared is interested in your girlfriend.” Jokes. When I heard and saw those text messages, I had a moment where I realized, ‘Maybe this is serious. Maybe they’re not joking.'”
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Showalter said she reached out to her mother. However, she said the matriarch scoffed at her concerns and insisted the men were only joking.
“She would say, ‘That’s just her humor,'” Showalter said. “She downplayed the situation. Russell wanted me to tell my girlfriend about it and I did. And her reaction – she was just amazed. She said, ‘What do you mean? And honestly, it really struck me to see her reaction. That’s not normal.
It was 2014 when an investigation was launched into Fogle, Taylor and Baldwin. An acquaintance contacted the Indiana State Police and said that Taylor had offered to send child pornography. In 2015, federal authorities searched the homes of Fogle, Taylor and Baldwin in Indiana.
Hannah Parrett struggled with her addiction after the arrests of Jared Fogle and her stepfather, Russell Taylor. (ID)
At the time, the restaurant chain expressed shock and concern over the raid.
According to prosecutors, the Fogle couple shared videos and photos of minors captured by hidden cameras that Taylor had installed in their home. Police also found child sexual abuse material at the property. The victims were between 9 and 16 years old at the time of the crime. Parrett and Showalter identified themselves as two of those minors. Taylor and Baldwin had also distributed pictures to others.
“When Russell was arrested, I was really confused,” Parrett said. “I didn’t understand what was going on. Our mother told me Russell was arrested but wouldn’t tell me why. She let me look it up on the internet. I was so confused because I was so young and couldn’t understand what child pornography was.”
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Christian Showalter and her sister were in their early teens when their stepfather, Russell Taylor, became friends with Jared Fogle. (ID)
Showalter said she had trouble realizing she was secretly taped at home.
“We didn’t know about the cameras,” she said.
Parrett said the revelation eventually led her down a dark path.
“I’m a recovering drug addict,” she said. “I have engaged in risky sexual behavior for a very long time. I have abused and abused drugs and alcohol. The whole situation had a negative impact on me. I started getting into nowhere trouble very quickly until I lost my dad [in 2021] that I wanted to change something. I wanted to get better, not only for myself but also for my family. … I have attended many recovery meetings and self-help meetings in my town. And it has helped me so much. Every time I talk about it, another chain from my past is broken.”
In 2015, Jared Fogle was part of a federal investigation that included a raid on his Indiana home. (Joey Foley/Getty Images/File)
“I think the only way we dealt with it was by not letting go of each other,” Showalter said. “I leaned in [my sister] … I wish I had been more aware of what’s happening, where I might have been able to save us. I know it’s not our fault, but it’s been really difficult to deal with… there’s only so much we can protect ourselves. We [were] completely exposed. Our wound was open. People poured salt, vinegar and alcohol on it and it burns, it burns. But I knew that the healing process would take place and the wound would eventually heal. I think it’s starting to get there.”
In 2021, Taylor pleaded guilty to 24 counts of producing child sexual abuse material. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2022. Baldwin was convicted of two counts of producing child sexual abuse material, one count of conspiracy to produce child sexual abuse material and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material. She was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
The sisters have not spoken to their mother.
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Russell Taylor pleaded guilty to 24 counts of producing child sexual abuse material in 2021. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2022. (Indiana State Police)
“My mother never admitted that she was at fault in the situation,” Parrett said. “To this day she still acts like she’s a victim and tries to paint the picture that she was forced to do the things she did. However, the evidence shows that she initiated some, if not most, of the events that took place. I think she’s extremely manipulative. She silenced us for a long time because I think she knew her role deep down. … She’s just sorry she got caught.
“If she really loved her kids, if she really loved us, if she had any apologetic bone in her body…she wouldn’t have put us through it.” [that] Try,” Parrett added.
Today, women say they “love life” and no longer feel like “living in the dark”.
Rochelle Herman, a Florida radio host who helped bring down Jared Fogle, released shocking footage of the former pitchman discussing his interest in minors. (ID)
“I let my trauma define who I was,” Parrett said. “And that’s no way to live. I let it dictate my decisions and it completely changed my behavior, my personality, everything in between. I didn’t want to live like this anymore. I am sober. i am clean now And it’s liberating. “
The women said their story was a warning to others – that this could happen to anyone.
Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks during a news conference August 19, 2015 at the United States Attorney’s Office in Indianapolis on the investigation of Jared Fogle. (Ron Hoskins/Getty Images)
“This isn’t just about celebrities,” Showalter said. “It’s not just Jared Fogle. It’s not just Jeffrey Epstein. These aren’t just people in Hollywood. These are your aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, siblings, friends, neighbors. These are ordinary people who… exploit small children. And if you’d asked me then, I wouldn’t have known this was happening. I’ve just been sleepwalking through life. But today I’m awake and aware.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Jared from Subway: Catching a Monster premieres Monday, March 6 at 9 p.m. on ID. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com.