Karen Read’s Reaction to Elizabeth Banks’ Prime Video Series: Not Authorized By Me

Two days after the announcement of a limited series on Prime Video about the Karen Read trial, featuring Elizabeth Banks, Read shared her thoughts on the project during her first interview since being acquitted. She made it clear that she has no involvement with the series and did not authorize it in any way. Her attorney, Alan Jackson, emphasized that it is Karen Read’s story to tell.

The series will be executive produced by Elizabeth Banks through her Brownstone Productions, with Banks portraying Read. Justin Noble will be the writer-showrunner, and David E. Kelley will also serve as an executive producer. According to the logline, the series will explore society’s fascination with true crime, the appeal of conspiracy theories, and the growing crisis of trust in institutions.

Karen Read gained public attention when she was accused of murdering her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in 2022. His cause of death was determined to be blunt-force trauma and hypothermia. Prosecutors in the case argued that Read hit him with her SUV while intoxicated, while the defense claimed that she was framed after he was allegedly injured inside the house.

The first trial in 2024 ended in a mistrial, but Read was acquitted by a Massachusetts jury in her second trial in June 2025. She was found not guilty, bringing an end to a highly publicized legal battle.