BREAKING IDOL

A new documentary from CBC based in part on the Canadian True Crime series The Trial of Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard.


WATCH NOW

Available in Canada on CBC Gem and YouTube

 

J.B. (Jessica Baker) and Kristi Lee in Breaking Idol

On November 19, 2025, J.B. shared her identity and her story for the first time in the documentary BREAKING IDOL, produced by Frantic Films and which premiered on CBC’s The Passionate Eye documentary series. 

BREAKING IDOL urgently highlights one woman’s fight to reclaim her identity after nearly a decade of anonymity, flipping the ‘shame narrative’ from survivor to perpetrator in a system where over 80% of sexual assaults are never reported.

In the documentary, survivor Jessica Baker, known during the trial as J.B., steps out from behind her pseudonym, revealing not only the trauma she endured but the cost of speaking out: relentless harassment, re-traumatization in the courtroom, and years of her life on hold.

Her decision to confront both her abuser and the culture that enabled him becomes a powerful testament to resilience and self-determination. Urgent and unwavering, BREAKING IDOL asks what happens when we finally see the human being behind the headlines and confront the cost of loving our idols more than the truth.

BREAKING IDOL was written and directed by Tiffany Hsiung and produced by Jamie Brown, Sally Karam and Stephanie Fast at Frantic Films. Cinematography is by Ann Tipper, with music by Tom Third and editing by Navin Harrilal, and was made with the support of Kristi Lee and the Canadian True Crime podcast. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager of Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, The Passionate Eye and CBC Docs.

 


Previous
Previous

200 EPISODE MILESTONE!

Next
Next

What really happened when Hedley played The Embassy Hotel in 2005?