Bradley Mitchell, better known by his self-created persona, Bradley Wellington III, isn’t someone you forget. Charismatic, self-assured, and sharp-witted, he had a knack for spinning tales and charming anyone who crossed his path. But in this exclusive interview, Bradley reveals the truth behind the lies, the heartbreak, and the shame that shaped his life—and ultimately led to his downfall.
Q: Bradley, let’s start at the beginning. The first day of college, you meet Liam Murphy and Jack Barrett. What was your first impression of them?
Bradley leans back, a wistful smile crossing his face.
“Liam. He’s the kind of guy you notice right away. Sweet, genuine—too good for the world, honestly. I was smitten the moment he opened his mouth. That awkward laugh of his? Yeah, it got me. But then there was Jack. Jack was… well, Jack was the kind of guy you don’t want someone you’re falling for to meet. Confident but not cocky, ridiculously good-looking, and, worst of all, kind. I saw the way Liam looked at him. And I saw the way Jack’s guard dropped when he looked at Liam. It was this unspoken connection, this thing between them that scared the hell out of me. I knew I didn’t stand a chance, so I did the only thing I could do. I sabotaged it.”
Q: Sabotaged it? How so?
Bradley’s expression darkens, guilt clouding his features.
“I planted doubts. Little comments here and there, things to make them second-guess each other. Jack was easier to rattle—he’d been burned before, so all I had to do was nudge him toward believing Liam wasn’t interested. But Liam… Liam was tougher. He’s so open, so… trusting. I hated myself for it, but I wanted him to look at me the way he looked at Jack. So, one night, I got him drunk. I thought maybe, just maybe, if I could get him to see me in a different light, it would change everything. And for a moment, I thought it did. We kissed. But then…”
He hesitates, his voice breaking.
“Then he called me Jack. That was the end of it. I realized I’d never be more than a placeholder for him. I’d never be what he wanted.”
Q: That’s heartbreaking. Do you think your insecurities played a role in how things unfolded?
“Absolutely. I wasn’t Bradley Wellington III; I was just Bradley Mitchell, the kid who wore hand-me-downs and prayed nobody noticed. The first time I lied about coming from money, I was thirteen. People treated me differently when they thought I was rich. They respected me, wanted to be my friend. By the time I got to college, the lie had grown legs. Bradley Wellington III had a yacht, a summer home in the Hamptons, and a trust fund. I was nobody, but he was somebody. And for a while, I got to be somebody, too.”
Q: Is that why you started dealing drugs? To keep up the façade?
Bradley nods, shame flickering in his eyes.
“Yeah. I’d already taken out every loan I could, maxed out credit cards in Bradley Wellington’s name, and it still wasn’t enough. But I realized rich kids don’t just party—they’ll pay a fortune to make sure the party doesn’t stop. It started small: a little weed here, some pills there. Then it got bigger. Harder stuff. I told myself it was temporary, just until I graduated, but the money… God, the money was addictive. And the power. These kids with their real trust funds and their real yachts were suddenly looking to me. I mattered. For the first time in my life, I mattered.”
Q: But then it all fell apart. Can you talk about your arrest?
Bradley exhales deeply, rubbing his hands together as if trying to shake off the memory.
“It was humiliating. One minute, I’m on top of the world; the next, I’m in handcuffs, and everyone’s watching. The worst part wasn’t losing the money or the status. It was losing Liam and Jack. Jack looked at me like he didn’t even know me anymore. Liam… he looked like I’d broken something in him. And maybe I did. They were my friends, and I… I betrayed them. For what? A persona that wasn’t even real?”
Q: What’s next for you? Do you have a plan for when you get out?
Bradley’s voice drops, his bravado finally stripped away.
“I don’t know. I’ve spent so long pretending to be someone else that I’m not sure who I really am anymore. I’ll have a record now, so the chances of me finishing school or getting a decent job are slim to none. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe it’s time I stop trying to be Bradley Wellington III and figure out who Bradley Mitchell actually is. It’s terrifying, but it’s also… freeing. For the first time in my life, I don’t have to keep up the lie. I just hope it’s not too late to make things right.”
Q: If you could say one thing to Liam and Jack now, what would it be?
Bradley’s eyes glisten, and he takes a moment before answering.
“I’d say I’m sorry. For everything. For the lies, the manipulation, the hurt. You both deserved better from me. I don’t expect forgiveness, but if there’s any way I can make amends, I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to do it. You were the closest thing I ever had to a real family, and I… I threw it all away. I’m sorry.”
As the interview ends, Bradley’s vulnerability lingers in the air. It’s clear that beneath the lies and the bravado is a man desperate to rebuild what he’s lost. Whether he can succeed remains to be seen, but for the first time, he’s ready to try.
Ian O. Lewis and Luke Jameson 