Dr. Laura Schlessinger has spent decades telling the world how to live, how to parent, and how to stay married. But when the spotlight turned toward her own home—specifically toward her son, Deryk Schlessinger—the narrative got messy. Fast. Honestly, if you grew up listening to her radio show, you probably remember her "warrior" talk. She didn't just raise a son; she raised a soldier.
Deryk was born in November 1985. He was the only child of Laura and her late husband, Lewis Bishop. Growing up as the son of the "Queen of Moral Health" couldn't have been easy. While Dr. Laura was on the airwaves preaching about "proper" upbringing, Deryk was living it. He even followed her into the world of martial arts, earning a black belt in Hapkido by the time he was a kid.
But the real story—the one people still search for—started when he traded his martial arts uniform for Army fatigues.
The Military Path and the MySpace Meltdown
Deryk didn't just join the Army; he went for the Special Forces track. He matriculated at Hillsdale College in 2002 but didn't stay long. He wanted to be where the action was. By 2005, he was on stage with his mother at a military event, talking about his desire to serve. Dr. Laura was famously quoted saying she "brought her son up to be a warrior."
Then came 2007. This is the part that almost tanked Dr. Laura’s reputation with her conservative base.
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While Deryk was serving in Afghanistan, a journalist named Matthew LaPlante dropped a bombshell. He discovered a MySpace page allegedly belonging to Deryk that was... dark. We’re not talking about a few cuss words. The page featured cartoons depicting rape, torture, and child molestation. There were photos of soldiers with guns in their mouths and a picture of a bound detainee captioned "My Sweet Little Habib."
One blog entry on the site really stung:
"I LOVE MY JOB, it takes everything reckless and deviant and heathenistic and just overall bad about me and hyper focuses these traits into my job of running around this horrid place doing nasty things to people that deserve it... and some that don't."
The Army launched an investigation. Dr. Laura, usually the first to condemn "deviant" behavior on her show, went into full protection mode. She deflected. She referred questions to the Army. She blamed the media for "whining."
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What Really Happened with the Investigation?
People always ask: Did he get kicked out?
The short answer is no. Or at least, not officially for that. In late 2007, the Army confirmed the investigation was complete. They stated that "appropriate action" was taken by his commander, but because of privacy laws, they never went public with what that action was.
Lt. Col. David Accetta did confirm one thing, though: it wasn't a hack. There was no evidence that "enemies" had set him up. It was his page. Deryk stayed in the service for a while after that, but he largely vanished from the public eye.
It’s a classic case of the "preacher’s kid" syndrome, just on a much more intense, international scale. Dr. Laura’s brand was built on the idea that if you parent correctly, your children will turn out as moral paragons. Deryk’s MySpace page suggested a much more complicated, perhaps fractured, reality.
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Where is Deryk Schlessinger Now?
Finding Deryk today is like trying to find a needle in a haystack—if the needle really didn't want to be found.
He’s roughly 40 years old now. Unlike other celebrity kids, he doesn't have a public Instagram or a "tell-all" book. He’s stayed away from the radio business. There have been snippets over the years of him being estranged from his mother, or at least having a rocky relationship. In a 2022 podcast episode titled "My Son's Not Talking To Me," Dr. Laura spoke with a caller about estrangement, and while she didn't explicitly name Deryk as being currently out of her life, the irony wasn't lost on long-time listeners.
Honestly, he seems to have chosen the path of a private citizen. After the 2007 scandal, staying quiet was probably the smartest move he could make.
Key Takeaways from the Deryk Schlessinger Story
If you’re looking for a "moral of the story," it’s probably simpler than Dr. Laura would make it on her show:
- Public personas are masks. Dr. Laura’s "warrior" rhetoric was a brand, but the human reality of a son in combat was much more graphic and disturbing than the radio show let on.
- The MySpace scandal was a turning point. It showed a massive disconnect between Dr. Laura’s public advice and her private family life.
- Privacy is his new priority. Deryk has successfully scrubbed himself from the limelight, likely to distance himself from both his past mistakes and his mother's controversial shadow.
If you’re dealing with family estrangement or the pressure of living up to a "perfect" parental image, Deryk’s story is a reminder that even the most famous "experts" don't have it all figured out. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your mental health is to step away from the microphone and live your life off-grid.
Check out your own digital footprint—Deryk’s story is a permanent reminder that what you post at 21 can follow you for decades.