Celebrity Podcast Host Richard Rierson Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

Dose of Leadership podcast host Richard Rierson was arrested on child pornography charges in Kansas on May 26. Rierson's podcast included interviews with actor Matthew McConaughey, director Oliver Stone, former NFL coach Bill Cowher, Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran, and many other celebrities about leadership. Rierson's podcast remains available on Apple Podcasts, although the Twitter page promoting the show no longer exists.

Rierson was arrested during a traffic stop in Witchita in connection with an investigation by the Exploited and Missing Child Unit, Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Matthew Lynch told Kansas.com. Rierson, 53, was booked on suspicion of 23 counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Charges have not been filed against Rierson in county district court or Kansas federal court as of Friday yet. Rierson has not publicly commented on his arrest.

The podcast host was arrested under a statute that reads, "possessing any visual depiction of a child under 18 years of age shown or heard engaging in sexually explicit conduct with intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires or appeal to the prurient interest of the offender or any other person." Before launching his podcast, Rierson was a pilot and served in the U.S. Marine Corps, according to his LinkedIn profile. He made the Witchita Business Journal's 40 under 40 list in 2007, when he was a hotel executive.

Rierson's podcast is described as "the ultimate leadership resource of inspiring and educational interviews with relevant and motivating leaders; real-life leadership & influence experts who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of the truth, common sense, and courageous leadership." The most recent podcast was published on May 23. He interviewed Stone in January. Rierson spoke with McConaughey in December 2020, when the actor was promoting his memoir Greenlights.

Another, unrelated high-profile case involving child sexual abuse material came to a close late last month. Josh Duggar was sentenced to over 12 years in prison after he was convicted on federal receiving and possessing child pornography. Duggar was arrested in April 2021 in Arkansas and tried in December. He starred in TLC's 19 Kids and Counting, and his family continued to appear on TLC in Counting On.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.