Season 5 Episode 4
Nicole
Age: 32
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Addiction: Dysphagia (unable to swallow). Anorexia and pain pills
What’s Memorable: She hasn’t swallowed food or liquid in 14 years! I mean seriously. Not even saliva. That’s disturbing enough, but her inability to swallow is a traumatized response to being forced to perform oral sex on her friend’s father when she was a child. The man who did it admitted to it, got probation, and still lives in her neighborhood, triggering her over and over every freaking day. Her parents did nothing when it happened and now everyone just tells her she should get over it and move on, that she’s just looking for attention. No one in her life seems to have any sense of sympathy for her, they just think she’s disgusting. I mean she clearly needs help, she’s very unhealthy and she’s been resistant to getting that help, but I do believe that if her family could get a grip on WHY she is the way she is, and that she needs their support and not their judgment, she would be more willing to get better.
Official synopsis: After being molested as a child, Nicole developed an unusual eating disorder–she was unable to swallow. By age 16, she weighed just 68 pounds, and doctors inserted a feeding tube into her stomach. The tube was supposed to be temporary, but 16 years later, Nicole still relies on the tube and can’t swallow any food or liquids. She also abuses prescription drugs and neglects her two daughters. Her husband plans to divorce her if she continues to neglect their children.
Original Air Date: December 2008
Interventionist: Ken
Anyone know if Nicole is still alive? If so, is she still using the feeding tube?
i wish we had an update on her, Nicole’s story was very compelling. God bless and thank you for sharing your story with us Nicole!
You know, “Intervention” is a good name for this show, but “Rapists Getting Away With Shit” would be just as correct.
>You know, “Intervention” is a good name
>for this show, but “Rapists Getting
>Away With Shit” would be just as
>correct.
SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU. my blood boils when i watch this show. and “Families Pretending They Made Up The Sexual Abuse Claims To Get Attention And Make Everyone Look Bad” would unfortunately be a great subtitle
I am just appalled that her parents feel “she should get over it already” don’t they understand they created a much bigger problem than the rape itself even?! And her dad is a cop, she must’ve felt so abandoned and alone, I am cringing seeing this. And…how many girls were raped by the same man by not filing a report????
Seriously!!! Ugh they irritated the hell outta me!
For real. If that had happened to me as a kid and I told my dad, he would have hunted them down and rendered them unrecognizable. Her dad’s lack of action or even care only reaffirms ACAB.
I was sexually assaulted at 29 by a man who was supposed to be my friend. I’m almost 34 now and I still have nightmares about the attack. On top of that, I was raped by another man at 30 after he drugged me with pot laced with I don’t know what. I reported the first guy to the police and all he did was lie and said I consented. Since when did yelling, “stop it,” “it hurts,” and “no,” mean yes? I never reported the last guy because I am too scared to. I don’t know whether he has connections to certain people that could harm me or my family and I don’t want to find out. Plus, the statute of limitations has expired on it. Luckily, my parents, boyfriend and friends are very supportive of me and therapy has helped a whole lot. No credit to my ex who accused me of “asking for it” and saying that me being assaulted reminded him of when he claimed he was “falsely accused” of rape.
That’s also just real life, baby 🤪
I just watched this show. So disappointed….really wish we had an update,,,,
Watching her parents was horrific!
Her Father is a cop and he did NOT turn this guy in!??
Her counselor eventually did!
And her husband….I have my own addiction issues and my husband is an AMAZING husband because he refused to even risk impregnating me, until I was in treatment and recovery. I am now sterilized. Because I fear I will never be truly healed. And it is WRONG of me to ever subject an innocent life ( a child) to such issues. This man not once but twice, helped participate in putting a woman with major issues through the psychological rigours of pregnancy!! Who the heck does that to someone on a feeding tube!?
And instead of making treatment a condition of being around her children, he takes her back!??
Could not even be strong for his own children.
Nicole was NOT the only one with issues in this episode.
Sadly, two innocent children are subjected to that.
And before jumping on me, both of her children were born SEVERELY underweight and had to be in the ICU. The fact that they were allowed to be on this show and so graphically interviewed is beyond disgusting!
The husband blames Nicole for how the children were born and a host of other problems.
Yet, last time I checked it takes TWO to make a child!
This is the one episode where the adults (at least the supposedly sober ones) should be left to their own downfall because their heads are so far up their own asses….DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT THE INNOCENT CHILDREN INVOLVED!??
I hope those children have some saving grace…person in their lives.
This one was a cluster*k.
Thank god someone who thinks exactly like me
I thought all the things you did! Well said. I hope no one “jumps” on you. My thoughts were even more graphic, as in how does one have intercourse with someone who is that sick? Not to say she is disgusting, but to say why not nurture & care for her, ensure she gets help, be friend, then begin a relationship when she’s in a healthy headspace…if that’s what she wants. On the hand I think to myself, welp…that’s truer love than I’ve experienced outside of my kids. I get the side eye from being a few pounds overweight.
DING DING DING
Seriously, I was *stunned* by her husband. Who in their right mind impregnates a woman who needs a feeding tube to live? Not once, but TWICE?
This woman is too traumatized to EAT FOOD NORMALLY. Clearly she is in no state to be pregnant, much less raising children.
Totally baffling. Sure, you can say that she is also responsible, but he is the “normal” one, supposedly.
This is perhaps one of the most mature comments I’ve ever seen on this board. Bravo to you for realizing that a child wasn’t going to solve anything, and that you understood that you could be setting them up for a miserable life. I think it makes you a good parent because your not a parent, if that makes sense.
There many women out there that are/were in the same situation as Nicole. The only difference is that these woman followed doctor’s orders and delivered healthy normal weight babies. Nicole obviously didn’t follow the rules or perhaps didn’t care. This is why in one scene Bob mentions something about not caring or did her job during the pregnancy.
I agree as well…there are no “winners” here.
Beautifully said, I’ve searched everywhere and can not find this episode nor can I find any kind of update on her. I want to see this episode so very bad. I pray her life has turned around, if nothing else simply for the sake of the children she should have never had to carry to begin with. As a recovering addict myself I refuse to have anymore children just because I finally found an amazing man when I divorced my abuser, and even tho he has no children he backs me 100% in my decision even with the confidence he has in my sobriety after 3 years. I will never again carry a child after watching what my almost grown (15 and older) children suffered when I went to rehab. I truly pray this girl has gotten a decent way through the healing process.
It’s on Hulu now
I know your post is old but here’s a link http://www.aetv.com/shows/intervention/season-5/episode-2
I know Nicole. I grew up with her sister. She is still alive although I don’t know much more than that.
Very sad that that happened to her and the “cop” didn’t turn the guy in?! He shouldn’t be a COP…cops are suppose to serve and protect and he did neither..poor woman had to be subjected to such a disgusting act…they need to execute pedophiles and child predators… You can’t rehabilitate them…it’s funny drug addicts get more time then child molestors… What’s wrong with this society we live in?!
I think it’s because, sadly, he knew more than anyone that the system is broken and no real justice would be served.
from experience I can tell you that the he is very aware of pitfalls of the justice system. Victims have no rights the founding fathers were very careful to add language protecting criminal defendants, literally not a single word about crime Victims. I understand why this was done but the constitution is a living document it’s meant to reflect the sentiment of the times. We have changed it to outlaw slavery, limit presidential terms and ban booze and give women the right to vote. we have been in dire need of Victims rights amendment since the end of the 19th century. It’s a disgrace.
I cannot believe the responses to these comments- made by people 5+ years later!!! Who cares if the justice system is unreliable- he’s a fucking cop!! Advocate for your daughter!!!! How can you take a devils advocate position on this? She was violently horrifically sexually assaulted as a child and subject to living in the same neighborhood with her assaulter- all while her parents, her protectors did nothing. I am disgusted. Caring about victims will NEVER involve disregarding their issues- it involves FIGHTING FOR THEM. AGAINST ALL ODDS. Acting as if cops are some enlightened allies to female sexual assault victims- I recommend you look up their domestic violence rates. He probably made excuses for sex pests within his own precinct.
My family is friends with her family. I just returned from her memorial. Her feeding tube hole got infected and it wouldn’t stop oozing. Rip Nicole
Thank you for the update. Very sad. Do you know of any way that I can confirm this? What is her last name? Is there an obituary online somewhere? Thanks again.
Has Nicole really passed away? If true, so sad.
R.I.P. Nicole…very sad…and f**k the asshole who sexual abused her and caused her eating disorder…he should have died…NOT her. I don’t even know Nicole and my heart breaks for her and her family…may her family find peace through this difficult time in their lives. May Nicole finally find peace and happiness on the other side. :'(
are you nuts or what? she’s not dead why are you writing comments like that?
No proof of her death
I think there would be some evidence if she passed. I hope not
Yes she is still alive and on a feeding tube and was in a treatment facility
Nicole has not passed away. I will not go into details but I will say she is fighting so hard for recovery and is the strongest most amazing person I have ever met.
Yes Nicole is definitely alive. She got her feeding tube removed and is starting to eat more food, she’s awesome! I was just in treatment with her.
Very True! I was in treatment with her too and she is doing great!
Really? That’s good to hear. How are her daughters? I know her older daughter (at the time of the show) wanted nothing to do with Nicole… I felt so bad for those girls (being a mother) … I really hope Nicole is okay and getting better.
That’s great news
Where can I watch this episode online? I’m from the UK so can’t stream it straight from A&E.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7v32b6
I don’t think Nicole is dead, but I at least know for sure that ravensravens comment is false because I met her in eating disorder treatment in November. She is such a sweet, and incredibly brave person. I honestly don’t like how the show portrayed her but I guess that’s reality television for ya.
Anyone know how last name? So glad she’s doing well
Sorry its a little late but on her facebook it looks like shes doing really well. Even posted food she made/ate.
https://www.facebook.com/nicole.kagle.5
This is her most active/current fb account.
Her status says single…..don’t know about the feeding tube but she looks the same to me except an older version. From what I can tell, she seems to have a current relationship with her daughter Maison but I don’t see anything about Morgan on there (she was the one who basically wrote out her mother from her life when they were filming her Intervention episode). If we were to “assume” or “judge” about anything of her life now (which is only human nature and not a fact at all) then my opinion would be that certain things didn’t change except perhaps the feeding tube being removed (which would only be a guess).
Just looked at it – she looks wonderful!
Her 5’10 180 lb boyfriend Charlie Baugher, charged her with assault and she just got out of jail after 7 months in the slammer. She had a major drinking problem when she could no longer get opioids and klonapins. Verify at Md Judiciary case search . May the time will help her though, she was going down the drain last I heard.
Do you have a link?
Ok this is ridiculous. You do not “walk off” trauma. An unsupportive network that feels victimized by the person who they should have helped and then blaming the victim for it is freaking stupid. She’s mentally ill and it’s known why. Should have paid for a therapist like normal people instead of this weird stuck in the dark ages family where the person to blame for everything is the victim.
The intervention and family was not professionally directed to do the correct language and work needed… the Father really needed to articulate and say he had done the immoral and wrong thing to not report the paedofile, he needed to take a straw man vs steel man approach and take responsibility for letting her get abused on his watch… he did fail and then he dismissed and protected the pseudo file to protect the perpetrators wife and children?
No your priority was to protect your own child?!
The father and mother failed their child. This whole family seems sick… the sister seems to be angry, the mother enabled the father’s lack of empathy and stubbornness… their are layers of dysfunction in this passive aggressive and covertly toxic family that are swept under the carpet. The father seems to be very blaming shaming and desensitised.
I hope this family is taking some responsibility and seeking help themselves the mother really has enabled the Narc father to scapegoat his own daughter and blame her for their failures.
Dysphagia Is the disorder of not being able to swallow. Dysphasia is a communication disorder. Please correct .
Done
It’s crazy how long that went unnoticed lol
I was just going to say the same thing! Great catch!
Nicole looks as if she has gained some weight and in my opinion looks WONDERFUL! I just did a Facebook search, and although there are like 4 different profiles for her, the most recent one has a selfie I’m assuming from earlier this year (or maybe like the end of 2019), and I swear she looked so good in the photo!
I sure hope she did get her life back and in order.
I noticed that this family seemed particularly harsh, especially the father and sister. At the birthday party, Nicole’s sister was quite openly glaring at her and talking behind her back. I realize it must be a difficult thing for her sister to live with; however, in my eyes this kind of behavior is not only unfair to Nicole, but also not a great example to anyone’s children as they may learn to do the same thing in reaction to anyone who is different, ill, or struggling in some way.
I just watched Nicole’s episode again and something dawned on me about her father. He was a police officer at the time and did nothing about Nicole’s molestation (legally), as we all know. For whatever the reasons he gave, they weren’t good enough for me to accept.
Question: As a police officer (not as a father), isn’t it his legal duty to report something like this whether or not the victim will be believed? Isn’t that in some way “illegal” of him as an officer not to report it? I don’t understand how he was not held accountable since it was the therapist who reported it and not him. This bothers me a lot and I can sympathize with Nicole when she said her father could have done a little more for her after the pedo got off on probation.
No it is unfortunately not required for police officers to report abuse.
The only way it is required is if it happened in the last 48 hours
That’s bs. All police officers are mandated reporters.
wtf are you on about? police are absolutely required to report abuse just like nurses, doctors and teachers.
Even though Nicole and her husband both said it’s not a eating disorder, I think part of her issue was just that. I believe she had both issues going on at the same time. Reason I say this is because it said she had a heart attack a year ago. It’s common to have one when you have an eating disorder (usually it will kill you) but I’m not just basing it on that alone. Right after it was mentioned, Nicole does say she wasn’t feeding the way she should have which is why she had the heart attack. Since the only feeding she gets is through a tube, how and why would you stop feeding yourself when you can’t eat to begin with? It was also mentioned that one of the places she had gone to in the past labeled her as anorexic. It’s why she kept saying she’s not going to any eating disorder clinic now. Doctors also told the mother that it was a mental issue and not a physical one as to why she c an’t swallow. Eating Disorders are mental issues.
Also, why the hell did the doctor who inserted that tube for her (or any doctor for that matter) take out the feeding tube instead of letting her waste away and not getting down to the core of the problem?
While there may have been some disordered eating issues, I think the main problem was the body isn’t supposed to live off liquids for that long. I can’t imagine feeling hungry with a tube in my stomach and having protein shakes pushed through it. Then adding all the pain pills. That’s really hard on the body.
This episode really made me HATE Ken. I dont know what went through his mind during this, not making the family take responsibility and the joining the family in BLAMING HER WTFFF. Shameful amd disgusting. He should not be a doctor or interventionist of any kind.
Well keep in mind their main job is to get the individual into treatment, and Nicole had a very complex set of problems which Ken on his own was not qualified to address. But I do agree that everyone seemed to be blaming her for something that she had no control over. This was one of the least sympathetic families I have ever seen, except for the mother who did actually seem to care about Nicole.
All very true. It all was very off to me. Sister and father were so awful to her, on and off camera.
They should have brought Seth in as an interventionist. He has this GREAT way of being firm and having folks “own up” to their shortcomings when they are part of the trauma and let the addict down before he/she became an addict in the first place.
Stay strong nicole! You are a wonderful and beautiful lady and i am so sad and mad that your father didn’t do more when u was little. But we all know u can get over this and live strong and healthy!
Her most recent fb : https://www.facebook.com/nicole.kagle.7?comment_id=Y29tbWVudDo1MDkxNDgyNzcwOTIyNjU2XzUwOTE1MzYxMTQyNTA2NTU%3D
She looks great.
This is the only episode that I watched once and could not bring myself to rewatch. I honestly think this is the most disturbing episode of the show. The background to how her disorder developed and the way her family treated her with absolutely no sympathy and utter contempt, plus the unhappy ending, is just too much to bear. This poor woman.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more disgusted with an intervention family than this one. I watched with my jaw dropped because I just could not believe they were responding to her issues that way. Quite often (no not always) a molester goes after the kids whose families are absent in some way as these are the kids that tell the least and may be most receptive to grooming. I sat there wondering if he went after her because he knew her family was emotionally unavailable.
They had zero sympathy and seemed to want her to pretend nothing happened so THEY didn’t have to think about it and could move on with their lives. Her father saying get over it – I know a lot of fathers who wouldn’t be able to get over it, much less see the pervert all the time in their own neighborhood. Something was severely wrong with this family and I think she seemed to enjoy spitting in the cup just to make themselves mad. So that they could feel even a tiny bit of what she has to feel.
The disgust they looked at her with was the cherry on top since victims of sexual abuse are often disgusted by themselves. They seemed to be blaming her which is also something abuse survivors do. When she said why she can’t swallow I cried but her own family says get over it. I doubt she will be able to maintain any sort of mental healthfulness if these people are in her life. The basically retraumatize her daily and I was extremely disappointed in Ken for not making them apologize profusely to her and promise that they would all get help.
This struck a chord with me. This happened to me, not from molestation, but from a tramatic event. At age 10 my dad died and I guess I felt unstable or depressed. I took was afraid I would choke if I ate solid food. For close to a year I only drank liquids. I never told my mom, I never could talk to her about anything. She was in her own world and never bothered to ask why I was getting so thin. But one day, I remember thinking to myself, I am going to eat something and if I choke to death, so what. I was tired of watching everyone at school eating and having fun and hiding this shameful secret. So I ate something, but kept a glass of water to push down the food and it worked. To this day, I still will not eat unless I have a glass of water with me. I thought I was the only one in the world with this problem. I hope she is doing ok. Anyone know what her last name is?
I’m the same exact way with liquids.
Her last name is Kagle. There’s a link a few comments above yours to her most recent fb page.
Just 6 days ago she posted on her fb that November would’ve been 4 years sober but she has slipped up multiple times and possibly lost the relationship with the oldest daughter. She talks of being back in an IOP program and needs to attend AA meetings and is currently not working. In the most previous pic on her fb she looks so much more healthier than before. So she must’ve been doing really good. Would love to know if she had started eating normally.
Where can I watch this episode? I really want to watch this episode. I watch only episodes on the A&E app but not all of them are on the app.
I found out I can watch it on the A&E app on my phone! Just not on the A&E app on my TV but that’s OK at least I can watch it!
I feel SO bad for her kids. I have friends who went through horrific sexual assaults (too many people have, it’s disgusting), but none of them treat their children like this. Think about this for a second: almost everyone who is on intervention who has children have children who love them dearly, openly cry, or talk about how they miss their parents. At the worst they just sort of ignore their parents to avoid the pain. Morgan openly DISLIKED her mother at such a young age…SO YOUNG. That means something. I get it, she went through a terrible ordeal and her family sucks, but this just felt different to me. Something about this one made me have less sympathy for her. She treated her children like they were her husband’s annoying dogs or something. I just hope things got better for everyone.
this is a very ironic opinion considering the content of the show. The whole point is to show what happens when addiction and past trauma collide. Part of treatment is learning appropriate coping mechanisms because their current methods are not good. this is why their families also need treatment, to understand why they can function normally with their trauma still in their minds, while the same cannot be said of an addict. They are addicts because they cannot cope normally, they cannot drink normally, eat normally or Date normally. 8
There are quite a few episodes that children (young/old) who showed their hatred towards their parent.
I’m confused as to why/how her addiction is being labeled as “dysphagia” on this page. It was determined by doctors that she doesn’t have anything medically preventing her from swallowing. It just sounds like she’s anorexic and is psychologically unable/refusing to swallow.
How is having a panic disorder reaction when swallowing not a medical prevention?
dysphagia is a specific medical term for your esophagus or your nerves are literally unable to function. None of the causes include anorexia or anything psychological. dysphagia is a physical medical diagnosis, not a psychological one.
because there she goes into panic when she has to swallow anything because of the sexual assault. It is psychological with a physiological reaction.
See my response to Kail. Causes of dysphagia do not include psychological reasons. She has a psychological problem, NOT dysphagia.
Ok thanks I changed it. I wasn’t aware dysphagia only referred to a specific medical condition and not a behavior.
I wonder if the old neighborhood friend was a judge, a DA, or another cop. Something really telling about Nicole’s family immediately thinking nothing would happen to the guy and then it didn’t.
Looks like she’s still struggling, but thankfully back in treatment! https://www.facebook.com/nicole.kagle
I am watching the episodes in order, and this episode is the first one that compelled me to come here and comment. I have such compassion for Nicole. She did not really have a single person in her corner totally on her side, except for maybe the therapist that reported the molesting pig. Everyone else treated her as if she was an annoyance, with her behaviors that made them uncomfortable.
The way they always talked to her was to tell her how much they USED to like her, with the implication that she was no longer lovable or worthy of their love after a grown man did something unspeakable to her.
The parents made it sounds like they rushed to help her by putting her in all kinds of therapy, but it was probably the wrong kind of therapy or the the therapist wasn’t a good fit, since the parents never really understood what she needed.
Her face at the intervention was pure pain and stunned shock.The way she endured the reading of the letters made it look like each letter was a knife that she was being stabbed with. There was really no love in that room, just judgement.