The Shrink Next Door with Joe Nocera

Joe Nocera’s move to The Hamptons a decade ago had a most unexpected twist. The New York journalist’s quiet Long Island neighborhood became the center of one of the most bizarre and jaw-dropping stories in the podcast world. 

In this episode, Mary Payne speaks with Joe about his experience creating The Shrink Next Door, which follows the doctor-patient relationship of Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf and Martin “Marty” Markowitz.

Something Strange in The Hamptons

Joe is a long-time journalist who has worked for several esteemed publications, including Esquire, GQ, Newsweek, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, and now Bloomberg News. In 2010, while Joe was working for The New York Times, he bought a summer home in The Hamptons. In a strange series of events, Joe met his next-door neighbor’s groundskeeper, named Marty. Soon after, however, Joe learned that Marty actually owned the house, but had his life taken over by Dr. Ike Herschkopf, his therapist of 30 years. Joe later learned that Ike had assumed control of Marty’s business, had ruined his family relationships, and had even become the head of his household.

Over the next few months in 2010-2011, Marty’s sister, Phyllis, returned to the house to rescue Marty from his homemade prison. Marty eventually kicked Ike out and subsequently filed legal complaints about Ike’s abusive psychiatric practices. 

La Familia

Joe’s curiosity about the drama next door prompted him to begin a nearly two-year effort to write an investigative story about Dr. Ike Herschkopf. Over the course of his research, Joe found that Marty was not Ike’s sole victim -- Ike had taken over the lives of several other patients. 

During Ike’s career, he convinced patients to cut ties with their families, bring him into their business operations, and to put aside millions of dollars in their inheritance for Ike and his family. Ike created a cult-like group of patients, isolating them from their loved ones, making them dependent upon him, and pressuring them to join his social circle. 

Around 2012, after nearly two years of investigative work, The New York Times decided against running Joe’s story. Years later, Joe collaborated with Bloomberg’s podcast team and Wondery to produce the story in podcast format. The show debuted in May 2019.

Where Are They Now?

Today, Joe still lives next door to Marty and his sister, Phyllis, in The Hamptons. Marty is now free from Ike’s grip and is enjoying several new hobbies, such as looking over his chicken coup and raising honeybees.

In 2019, the New York Department of Health took up Marty’s complaint about Dr. Ike’s ethical behavior. It is now reviewing whether or not to remove Ike’s psychiatric license. However, throughout the entirety of Joe's investigation and during the current legal proceedings, Ike has denied all allegations of ethical wrongdoing. He remains a practicing therapist today.

The Shrink Next Door to Hit the Big (Apple) Screen

In April 2020, Apple TV announced that it would create an 8-10 episode series based on The Shrink Next Door podcast. The lead show writer for the series is Georgia Pritchett, with Will Ferrell playing Marty and Paul Rudd playing Ike. Mary Payne will give listeners more details about this new series as they come available! 

You can catch up on all of the Payne in the Pod episodes, h