How FX's Dying for Sex perfected the heartbreaking true story of the late Molly Kochan

The FX show Dying for Sex draws from real life, based on interviews, profiles, and Molly Kochan’s own storytelling, as per reports. Kochan was a stage 4 breast cancer patient who died at the age of 45 in 2019. Molly had co-created a podcast based on her end-of-life sexual explorations. She created the podcast titled Dying for Sex with her best friend Nikki Boyer.

The show, which was released on April 4, 2025, is adapted from the same and captures Kochan's journey from a terminal diagnosis to leaving her 13‑year marriage and starting a “sexual bucket list” — grounded in conversations about pleasure as a way to feel alive. Many of the events narrated are actually true to life, while some were dramatised. This is how Dying for Sex perfected the heartbreaking true story of the late Molly Kochan.

Here is how Dying for Sex perfected the heartbreaking story of late Molly Kochan

The FX limited series is based on the podcast Kochan and Boyer made during her final days:

“It bowled me over, I was blubbering,” Michelle Williams, who stars as Molly in the show, told Vanity Fair in March 2025 about Kochan and Boyer’s podcast. “I couldn’t explain why it had moved me so much.”

The series took some creative liberty to dramatise scenes, but has also kept the essence of the story intact. The show has some Kink and humorous scenes like men into “cock cages” or puppy roleplay, which reflect actual podcast stories. Moreover, some moments from the show are composites of multiple people from Molly’s life (e.g., Rob Delaney’s “Neighbour Guy”).

Molly never broke a femur from a kinky encounter, but that was included for some dramatisation and impact. While some timelines, like Nikki's relationship and medical record, were mixed up for a better narrative flow.

The show ensured to carry the tone right — empowerment and self-discovery, not shame, from the podcast to the series, the way it is. Jenny Slate, as Nikki, and Michelle Williams, as Molly, honour the real bond and emotional honesty at the heart of their friendship.

Therefore, Dying for Sex remains rooted in Molly’s real experiences — her humour, bravery, and need for intimacy — while embracing dramatic embellishments to suit an eight-episode TV arc.

Molly's story happened in LA, but Dying for Sex is set in New York for visual purposes

Molly was born and raised in New York and then moved to LA to pursue acting. She met her husband in LA while making her career, and finally, in 2005 the first time, cancer knocked at the door. At age 33, Molly visited her OB‑GYN complaining of painful s*x and a small breast lump, but was dismissed as too young for cancer.

The incident is recorded in her blog, and then in 2011, the lump had grown and spread to her lymph nodes. That is when she underwent chemotherapy and radiation. In 2015, her tumour was at stage 4, and the biopsy suggested metastasis to her bones, liver, and brain, making it terminal.

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Due to the hormone therapy, Molly’s libido surged, leading her to explore online dating, kink, and intimate encounters as a form of self-reclamation. In 2018, she launched the podcast alongside Nikki.

Nikki's interview with The Times revealed that, in reality, all of these incidents happened in LA, while in the FX show, it is set in New York for visual storytelling reasons. But the heart of the story remained the same. Dying for Sex has preserved some funny, irreverent, and touching details to reflect the unique, deeply connected friendship the two women shared through joy, grief, sex, and mortality.

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