Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Actor Allison Mack appears to be taking her career in a new direction after being released from prison for her part in the sex cult NXIVM.
Mack, who appeared on the Superman TV show Smallville, was arrested in 2018 on charges of sex trafficking, and in 2021, she was sentenced to three years behind bars.
Released in 2023, she has since spoken out on her time in the cult run by Keith Raniere, who was sentenced to 120 years in prison for sex trafficking, racketeering, and conspiracy for forced labour.
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Since her release from prison, Mack has been sharing her side of the story on the seven-part podcast series Allison after NVIXM, in which she revealed that she is pursuing a different career path.
According to Variety, she told the podcast series: "I don’t see myself as innocent."
What was NVIXM?
The cult called itself a wellness group and self-help organisation that was 'working to build a better world', but in 2017, an investigation by the New York Times and former members revealed what it really was: a sex trafficking scheme.
Details emerged of a group within the cult called DOS ('Dominus Obsequious Sororium' or 'Master Over Slave Women'), which Mack was said to be second-in-command of behind Raniere.
Women brought into the cult would be allegedly branded and forced to hand over compromising information or explicit images, which would be used as 'collateral' against them should they try to leave the group.
Founded in 1998, at its height, NVIXM had around 700 members, which has been described as a 'pyramid scheme'.
Court documents alleged that women trafficked by the cult through DOS were encouraged to starve themselves and have sex with Raniere to avoid blackmail material being published on them.
Prosecutors believe that at least 50 women were trafficked through DOS, and some of the victims said that their hair fell out and they were unable to menstruate because of the stress they were subjected to.
Allison Mack's role in the cult
Mack said she joined NVIXM while filming Smallville after her co-star, Kristin Kreuk, encouraged her to try a course and was then invited to meet Raniere.
The actor said he asked her if she had a question for him, and after she told him she hadn't prepared one, he said: “Is that how you do life?”
She would go on to take more courses in the following months until she moved in with him in Albany, New York.
Court documents indicate that she became one of the 'masters' of DOS, claiming that she recruited other women as her own 'slaves' by describing the cult as a women's empowerment group.
Victims of the cult described Mack as 'the most charismatic co-leader anyone could ask for' and accused her of being 'inhumane'.
Of her involvement, Mack said: "I was harsh, and I was callous, and I was aggressive and forceful in ways that were painful for people and did make people feel like they had no choice and was incredibly abusive to people, traumatic for people."
During the podcast, she revealed that she has since gotten married and is studying a master's degree in social work.
Mack said allegations that she'd 'helped' Raniere were true, adding: "I definitely recognise and admit that I was abusing my power.
"But I also can’t negate the fact that there was a part of me that was altruistic and was desperate to help people. I wanted to be better, and I was willing to do anything to be better in myself and to help other people be better."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Celebrity, Crime, US News, Allison Mack
Joe Harker