Sherri Papini's Ex-Husband Keith Breaks Silence 7 Years After Kidnapping Hoax

Keith Papini is finally speaking out. 

Seven years after his ex-wife Sherri Papini's kidnapping was revealed to be a hoax, the father of two shared his perspective on why his former partner faked her abduction, saying that he believes it was born out of a desire for him to be her "knight in shining armor."

"I think she wanted to plan a fake kidnapping," Keith explained during a June 17 appearance on Good Morning America, "but in her version, I was supposed to find her."

Sherri—who shares son Tyler, 14, and daughter Violet, 12, with Keith—vanished during a jog near her home in Redding, Calif., in 2016 before reappearing in Yolo County 22 days later. The then-34-year-old was found with various injuries on her body and told law enforcement officials at the time that she had been abducted by two Hispanic women who held her captive and abused her. Four years later, investigators said in a court filing that they matched DNA on her clothing from an unknown male to an ex-boyfriend, who eventually co-operated with officials and admitted to helping Sherri "run away." 

Keith stood by her side until 2022, when she was charged for lying to federal agents about being kidnapped and defrauding the state's victim compensation board of $30,000. Shortly after Sherri pled guilty to the charges, he filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage and requested temporary sole custody of their children. 

Now, Keith hopes to "get the truth out there" through the forthcoming Hulu documentary Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, in which he recounts the saga in hopes of detailing how "convincing Sherri was all those years."

"She made us believe that her story was true," he continued. "Every single day she committed to the lie." 

Keith went on to recall installing security precautions all over their house, such as new doors, locks and cameras, while her "kidnappers" were still presumed at large. As he put it, "The amount of fear that our family lived in that was fake was excruciating."

And while the patriarch noted that Sherri—who was released from prison in 2023 after being sentenced to 18 months behind bars in September 2022—has never apologized to her family and seems to show "no remorse" for her actions, his main goal is to "move past" that chapter in their story.  

"I do want to provide my children an amazing childhood," Keith shared, "but I think it will always be there."

Sherri's lawyer declined to comment when reached by E!. 

Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini premieres June 20 on Hulu.

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