Inside the Night Lamar Odom Nearly Died: Former Brothel Manager Recounts Every Harrowing Minute

Netflix has a new Untold doc out about Lamar Odom, and it is not shy about digging into the worst night of his life. The episode premiered Tuesday, March 31, and one of the most revealing voices in it is Richard Hunter, a former manager at the Love Ranch brothel near Las Vegas. Hunter walks through, in startling detail, how Odom’s 2015 visit unraveled into a near-fatal overdose that he says led to six heart attacks and 12 strokes. It is grim, specific, and yes, there are some jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes bits about what happened afterward.

The setup

Back in 2015, while Odom was in the middle of divorcing Khloe Kardashian, Hunter says someone from Odom’s camp reached out to the Love Ranch to arrange a pick-up. A car was sent, Odom was brought in, and because he was spending big, he was placed in a separate house behind the main brothel. Hunter knew he was there and says Odom had already been on the property two days when everything went south.

The night turns

Hunter remembers it being a slow early morning — Monday or Tuesday, he is not even sure anymore — when one of the women staying with Odom sprinted into his office, screaming. He rushed into a room that was completely blacked out and immediately clocked that Odom was snoring heavily in a way that felt wrong. While he was on with 911, Hunter rolled Odom onto his side and says fluid started coming out of Odom’s mouth.

According to Hunter, Odom had told one of the women he used cocaine before arriving at the brothel — two days earlier — and had also taken a stash of over-the-counter sex enhancement pills while he was there. The woman showed Hunter the packet; she estimated Odom had taken around 12. The label, Hunter says, warned to take no more than one every 24 hours.

Getting him out of there

When three EMTs arrived, they could not easily get the 6-foot-10 Odom onto a stretcher inside the room. Hunter says they improvised: they pulled up the fitted sheet on the bed and each grabbed a corner to carry him out. When the sun hit Odom’s face outside, Hunter had a flash of panic that the worst might have already happened.

Aftermath and recovery

Odom was left comatose after the overdose at the legal brothel in Crystal, Nevada. In the months that followed, he had to fight to regain basic abilities like walking and talking. Odom, now 46, has been open about his long battle with substance abuse. Meanwhile, Hunter says the Love Ranch’s owner, Dennis Hof, treated the crisis as a publicity engine. Hof died at the property in 2018 at age 72.

The receipts — literally

One of the weirder parts of the doc is what Hunter describes happening next: a media scramble over Odom-related materials. He says outlets were chasing down the receipt Odom allegedly signed showing a $75,000 up-front tab and any video footage from inside. A bidding war broke out. Hunter says Hof ultimately handed the goods to the Today show, and the quid pro quo was not subtle. On air, then-host Matt Lauer delivered this intro:

"Joining us now is the owner of the Love Ranch and the author of The Art of the Pimp, available in bookstores everywhere."

Hunter’s takeaway: there did not seem to be a line the business would not cross for attention.

What Hunter says happened, in brief

• 2015: During his divorce from Khloe Kardashian, Odom’s team allegedly arranges a Love Ranch pick-up near Las Vegas.
• Odom is placed in a separate house behind the brothel due to high spend and stays there for two days.
• Early one morning, a woman alerts Hunter; the room is blacked out, Odom is snoring abnormally, and 911 is called.
• When Odom is turned on his side, fluid comes from his mouth.
• Hunter says Odom told a woman he used cocaine before arriving — two days earlier — and had taken about 12 sex enhancement pills on site, despite packaging that warned one per 24 hours.
• EMTs and Hunter carry the 6-foot-10 Odom out on a fitted sheet because a stretcher will not work in the space.
• Odom is left comatose after the overdose at the legal brothel in Crystal, Nevada, and later has to relearn how to walk and talk.
• The doc says the overdose triggered six heart attacks and 12 strokes.
• Hunter recalls a media bidding war for a $75,000 receipt and footage; Dennis Hof gives Today the material, complete with an on-air book plug.
• Hof dies in 2018 at age 72.

Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom is streaming now on Netflix.