Carl Marino faces backlash from Trainwreck: P.I. Moms cast after alleged sting operation disrupts the reality show’s production

Actor-PI Carl Marino, who was a major subject in Netflix's Trainwreck: P.I. Moms documentary, is facing sharp criticism from former cast members and producers. Several female members of the P.I. Moms team are accusing Marino of derailing the show with a well-planned sting operation, which ended the female-centric reality show.

According to Trainwreck: P.I. Moms, Marino foiled the sting by providing information to a suspect involved in a fake case, which exposed agency owner Chris Butler for criminal activity. Critics allege that Marino used the opportunity to promote himself, which changed the original purpose of the show and eventually led to its cancellation.

The third season of Netflix's Trainwreck: P.I. Moms, released on July 22, 2025, features the P.I. Moms episode. This documentary revives the story of a Lifetime project slated to be made in 2010 that was later ruined when the truths about fake cases, illegal surveillance, drugs, and police corruption came to light.

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Trainwreck: P.I. Moms: Carl Marino backlash explored in detail

As per People magazine, Carl Marino was cast as the only male PI in P.I. Moms, while the rest of the team was primarily female. He was hired by agency owner Chris Butler in 2008. According to showrunner Lucas Platt, Marino later requested that he make him the main face of the show, despite the show's original theme focusing on women. Platt declined Marino's request.

During production, Diablo magazine reporter Pete Crooks got a ride-along with the surveillance team. During that time, he learned that the case he was following was scripted by Butler. In another case where a fake sting operation was planned, the targeted suspect did not show up. Upon investigation, Marino was found to have briefed the suspect beforehand and contacted authorities.

Later, Platt said that Marino then took the lead in a missing-teenager case, even though the case was assigned to the women on the team. He said that although Marino was initially asked to pursue the case, he was later taken off it but continued to investigate independently. Marino's increasing presence and alleged attempts to grab the limelight led to growing discontent among the team.

As per NBC, the sting operation led to Chris Butler being convicted of several serious charges, including drug distribution, wiretapping, running a massage parlor that offered s*xual services, and "dirty DUI" schemes. Butler was sentenced to eight years in prison. However, critics claim that Marino's interference cost the women a major platform.

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Trainwreck: P.I. Moms: Cast statements & Marino's response explored

As per People magazine, several cast members, including Michelle Allen, Charmagne Peters, Denise Antoon, and Ami Wiltz, have criticized Marino. Antoon said the show could have been a vehicle for empowering women, but Marino's interference ruined it. Wiltz said Marino was presented as a "hero" while the women faced backlash.

Lucas Platt also criticized Marino, saying that he was the kind of person who had "some type of emotional hole in the center of their psyche," hoping that recognition would "fill that hole." Platt alleged Marino was after screen time from the beginning. He blamed Marino for taking the main credit in the missing-teenager case.

"Before we started shooting, I went to Butler's office, and there was a guy at the front desk, this guy Carl Marino. I think he was manning the phones while everybody was at lunch. And he just kind of grabbed me and told me he really felt strongly he should be one of the main characters in the series. It felt like egotism ran amok," Platt said.

Marino refused to participate in the documentary, but he denied the allegations. He said Butler was already planning a spin-off for him and his wife. Marino said he did what he did "for the right reasons, at extreme risk to [his] life," and that Butler was the real culprit in a statement to People magazine.

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The confrontation between Carl Marino and the P.I. Moms team showed how one truth-telling move can backfire. The women on the team alleged that Marino usurped their rights to promote himself and ruined a potential reality show.

Trainwreck: P.I. Moms documentary recreates the events without drawing any conclusions. Trainwreck: P.I. Moms is now available to watch on Netflix.

Read more: Who is the private investigator mom in Netflix’s Trainwreck: P.I. Moms? Everything you need to know about her real identity

Edited by Ankita Barat