Convicted fraud Billy McFarland was recently released from prison following a nearly four-year term for his role in the Fyre Festival disaster. Out now on supervised release with $26 million in restitution to repay investors, vendors, and attendees, McFarland sat down for his first post-incarceration interview with Good Morning America.
Speaking to anchor and former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, McFarland put up no struggle when confronted with his past mistakes.
“I was wrong,” he stated. “I messed up, and I was so driven by this desperate desire to prove people right. I had these early investors, backers, employees, and I think I was just so insecure that I thought the only way to prove myself to them was to succeed, and that led me down just this terrible path of bad decisions.”
Throughout the interview, McFarland says everything he is supposed to as he apologizes profusely to those affected by his crimes. Strahan plays the role of armchair psychologist, challenging McFarland’s at-times simplistic reconciliation of “I screwed up.” The former NFL player probed, “But was it more to prove yourself, or was it more for money?”
“I put every dollar I had or could find to make this festival happen and I literally came back to New York after with $100 in my pocket,” McFarland insisted.
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With tens of millions of dollars to repay, McFarland is already on to the next venture. Following all of the vigorous regrets, the entrepreneur got a chance to plug his next concept, PYRT, which is a treasure hunt he has been teasing on TikTok, according to Deadline. Details of the new project are scarce, but Billy was adamant he learned his lesson from the Fyre Festival fiasco.
“I went way too fast before,” McFarland said. “So I need to do everything now in a manageable way that I can actually make work,” he said, adding, “I hope I continue to change for the next 40 years. So I’m certainly not done changing yet.”
McFarland made headlines in 2017 when he partnered with rapper JaRule to present Fyre Festival, the ultimate luxury boutique concert experience in The Bahamas. A slick social media campaign that employed various Instagram influencers pedaled a fantasy that was a far cry from what thousands of attendees experienced when they were greeted by cold cheese sandwiches and a tent city. The aftermath landed McFarland in prison with a six-year sentence that included two stays in solitary confinement (one of which came down after he started a podcast from prison).
Fyre Festival’s Billy McFarland gives 1st TV interview since prison release l GMA