Watch Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story

Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story is a two-hour documentary special produced by ABC News that dives deep into the infamous figure skating scandal of the 1990s involving Olympic athlete Tonya Harding. The special originally aired on January 11, 2018, and offers interviews with key figures involved in the scandal, including Harding herself, to provide a nuanced and compelling look at what happened.

The events surrounding Tonya Harding's rise and fall in the figure skating world are well-known. She was the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition and won the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. However, her personal life was tumultuous, and her rivalry with fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan came to a head in 1994 when Kerrigan was attacked with a baton before a practice session leading up to the Olympics. Harding went on to compete in the Olympics but ultimately finished in eighth place and was later banned from the sport for life.

The Truth and Lies documentary revisits these events and provides a fresh perspective on what happened behind the scenes. Harding speaks candidly about her upbringing, her relationships, and her experiences in the figure skating world, offering insight into what motivated her to pursue the sport and how she dealt with the pressures that came with it. The documentary also includes interviews with her mother LaVona Golden, who provides a complex and sometimes disturbing portrait of her daughter's childhood.

Other key figures in the documentary include Jeff Gillooly, Harding's ex-husband who was implicated in the attack on Kerrigan, and Shawn Eckardt, the self-proclaimed bodyguard who helped organize the attack. Both men offer their own versions of events and provide new details about how the plan to injure Kerrigan came together.

In addition to the interviews, the documentary includes archival footage of Harding and Kerrigan, as well as news coverage from the time. There are also reenactments of some of the key moments in the story, adding to the drama and tension of the overall narrative.

One of the strengths of Truth and Lies is how it examines the larger cultural significance of the Tonya Harding story. The documentary explores how Harding was portrayed in the media at the time, often as a villain and a punchline, while Kerrigan was positioned as the victim. The special also highlights how Harding's story intersects with larger issues of class, gender, and race in America, as she was often vilified for her working-class background and her unpolished demeanor.

Overall, Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story is a well-crafted and thoughtful exploration of one of the most fascinating chapters in sports and pop culture history. By providing a platform for Harding and other key figures to tell their sides of the story, the documentary offers a nuanced and complex look at a story that has often been oversimplified and distorted. Whether you're a die-hard figure skating fan or simply interested in the intersection of sports and culture, this special is worth checking out.