Aahana Swrup
In 2015, Molly Kochan received a tragic terminal cancer diagnosis. However, instead of letting it put her life on hold, she decided to go on an unconventional but ultimately fulfilling journey of exploring her sexuality for all its quirks and kinks. Eventually, after her death in 2019, her best friend, Nikki Boyer, posthumously released episodes of the duo’s podcast, ‘Dying For Sex,’ in which they discussed Molly’s journey as a cancer thriver as well as the details of her exciting sexcapades.
The podcast, which deals with a spectrum of human emotions from grief and trauma to joy and pleasure, garnered a widespread and passionate following. Creators Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock base their FX show ‘Dying for Sex,’ on its namesake podcast and explore Kochan’s unique experiences through a dramatized narrative. As such, the on-screen depiction of her life’s story and profound friendship with Nikki Boyer is bound to spark an interest in the latter and her real life.
Nikki Boyer is Thriving as a Critically Acclaimed Podcaster
Nikki Boyer has experienced an impressively diverse professional life as an artist. After breaking into the art world as a singer and a reality TV show host, she released original music with her band, The Spirit Theory. She was also an aspiring actress in the 2000s to early 2010s. However, the artist found her ideal medium to connect with her audience in podcasting. In 2020, she hosted and co-created Wondery’s ‘Dying for Sex’ podcast, which launched her career to newer heights. As it became one of the top podcasts of its time, it earned her the Podcast of the Year Ambie Award in 2021.
Since then, Boyer has continued to release exciting new projects as a podcaster. In 2020, she hosted another hit podcast, ‘Daily Smile,’ in which she reported on the more feel-good news as an alternative to the hard-hitting news cycle that the year brought. Some of her other projects include an ongoing weekly podcast, ‘Call Me Curious,’ in which she explores questions and mysteries about everything from pop culture trends to the newest internet mysteries. On the other hand, she also Yahoo’s ‘Daytime in No Time’ show until its recent end. In 2023, Boyer also became the founder and CEO of Dying For Media, a company that strives to tell thrilling stories about real people.
More recently, Boyer helmed two new podcasts, ‘Near Death’ and ‘HOW DARE YOU: A Safe Space To Confess,’ both with her friends. The latter show, co-hosted with Ross Mathews and Malone, is her most recent personal undertaking. Meanwhile, she has also recently forayed into voice acting with the romcom story-driven ‘Baggage’ podcast. Thus, her prominent standing in the world of podcasting has cemented her as a successful name in the industry. As a result, in the 2023 Podcast Movement in Denver, Boyer found herself on two discussion panels, sharing her expert advice alongside her fellow creatives.
Nikki Boyer and Her Husband are Enjoying a Blissful Marriage
In 2022, Nikki Boyer married her long-time partner, Tommy Fields. The couple has been together for around 15 years, loving and supporting each other through the thick and thin that life has to offer. She’s a huge cheerleader for Fields’ career as a musician and always offers her unconditional support in his creative endeavors. In fact, the couple even often perform together in a band named The Cardboard Cutouts. In July 2024, when the musician was nominated for an award at the Hollywood Independent Music Awards, his wife was right there by his side to share in his success. The duo also seem to enjoy traveling the world with each other, undertaking new and exciting adventures, be it kayak rides in Guerneville, California’s Russian River, or attending actress/comedian Jenny Slate’s 2024 tour.
The 2024 holiday season brought particularly riveting trips for the couple around their home state of California. For Thanksgiving, Boyer and Fields found themselves in the city of La Quinta—where they enjoyed a hearty meal at Morgan’s in the Desert restaurant. On the other hand, Christmas was spent at Hotel del Coronado. Most recently, Boyer and Fields welcomed the new year through a getaway trip to New Mexico, where they enjoyed each other’s pleasant company, entertaining drag shows, and delicious chocolate martinis.
Nikki Boyer Continues to Hold Molly’s Memories Close to Her Heart
During Molly Kochan’s last few days in the hospital, Nikki Boyer remained a steady rock of support by her side, just as she had been throughout her various journeys in life. Alongside working on their popular ‘Dying For Sex’ podcast, Kochan also utilized this time to work on her memoir, ‘Screw Cancer: Becoming Whole.’ In a conversation with The Post in 2020, Boyer shared, “She (Kochan) was healing wounds on her death bed. Her lifelong dream was to write a book and be a published author. She waited until the last few months of her life to do it. She was thinking the clearest she ever had in her life.”
As such, in the aftermath of Kochan’s untimely death and the success of the podcast created by the pair of best friends, Boyer decided to fulfill the former’s lifelong dream. Although she had many offers from publishing houses, they were eager to add new chapters to the book that Boyer would be expected to write herself. However, she wanted to keep Kochan’s words and thoughts as they were and subsequently chose to self-publish the memoir. Still, she wrote a brief foreword for the book, published in 2020.
Even today, Boyer continues to keep Kochan’s memory alive in various ways. She has a tattoo of a ladybug, inked for her best friend. As she went into producing the FX show ‘Dyring For Sex,’ she got the tattoo re-touched to keep Kochan’s memory with her on the set and beyond. Furthermore, she served as a producer on the show, infusing the partially dramatized on-screen narrative with as much authenticity and realism as possible. She also sports a brief cameo in the film as the distant cousin of on-screen Molly. Ultimately, while Nikki Boyer continues climbing the ladders of success, she keeps her best friend with her in her memory.
Read More: Where is Hulu’s Dying for Sex Filmed?
