All the celebrities you never realised were in 'cults' as Allison Mack opens up about 'slave master' cult

Alison Mack, one of the stars of Smallville, has broken her silence on her part in a 'slave and master' cult which would horrifically 'brand' some of its members.

Mack, who spent two years in prison before her release in 2023, was one of the leaders within the NXIVM cult and spoke out in a new controversial podcast by CBC.

The cult was predominantly centred around the teachings of Keith Raniere, a man who was sentenced to 120 years in prison in 2020 and would use Mack's status as a celebrity to draw people in.

It should come as no surprise to many to find out that Mack is not the only familiar face that has been involved or linked to a 'cult', with a Stranger Things star, an actor who played the Joker, and even a multi-time Oscar nominee opening up about their experiences.

Glenn Close

Glenn Close was in a 'cult' as a child (Leon Bennett via Getty Images)

Glenn Close, who is known by many for playing Cruella De Vil, holds the record for the equal most Oscar nominations without winning at eight, and was raised in a 'cult'.

Speaking on Oprah Winfrey’s The Me You Can’t See, she said: “From when I was seven to when I was 22, I was in this group called MRA [Moral Re-Armament]. And, it was basically a cult.

“Everybody spouted the same things and there's a lot of rules, a lot of control.

“Because of how we were raised, anything that you thought you would do for yourself, was considered selfish.”

Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder grew up in a commune that many would consider to be a 'cult' (Art Zelin via Getty Images)

Winona Ryder may now be best a household name for her numerous roles in Stranger Things, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but a lesser known fact is that the star grew up in what many considered to be a 'cult'.

Ryder lived in what was known as a 'Rainbow commune' until she was 11, moving to Petaluma, California, where she would begin acting professionally at 15.

Ryder spoke positively of the experience growing up in an interview with Far Out Magazine, saying: “We shared 300 acres of land with other families, but it wasn’t a commune. We had our own house and we went to school and it was normal."

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix alongside his sister, Rain (Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images)

Joaquin Phoenix was raised in the ‘Children of God’ religious group - which has widely been described as a 'cult' - alongside his four siblings, with his parents taking on the ‘Phoenix’ family name after they left.

The Joker actor was just four when they left the group, telling Playboy: “My parents had a religious experience and felt strongly about it. They wanted to share that with other people who wanted to talk about their experience with religion.

“I think my parents thought they’d found a community that shared their ideals. Cults rarely advertise themselves as such. It’s usually someone saying, 'We’re like-minded people. This is a community,' but I think the moment my parents realised there was something more to it, they got out.”

He's not the only famous name to have been involved in this group, with actress Rose McGowan having accused the religious sect of sexual misconduct and child molestation.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Michelle Pfeiffer said she was in a dangerous cult without even realising it (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images)

Michelle Pfeiffer moved to Los Angeles at the young age of just 20 and, shortly after she arrived, fell in with the wrong crowd.

She told The Telegraph the group was ‘very controlling’, adding: “I wasn’t living with them, but I was there a lot, and they were always telling me I needed to come more.”

Pfeiffer stated that she had come across a couple she’d been told were like personal trainers, only to later down the line realise they were part of the ‘Breatharian cult’.

This was a group that believed that food and water were not essential and that people could survive on sunlight and air alone.

She stated that, while her first husband, Peter Horton, was researching the Moonies cult for a film, she realised that she herself had been in one without knowing.

David and Patricia Arquette

The siblings were brought up in a cult by their parents, who formed the commune (Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images)

The brother and sister acting duo are the children of the founders of a commune in Virginia centred around ‘Subud’, a spiritual practice that originates in Indonesia.

While the movement claims to be focused on providing ‘inner guidance’, they would often do this by denying access to bathrooms, electricity, or running water.

Patricia spoke about this with Oprah, stating that there was ‘a lot of drama in the house’.

She went on to state that David was born on the commune, saying: “They started it with a bunch of their friends, and they wanted to kind of build this utopian society.”

Allison Mack

Allison Mack was a major leader within the NXIVM cult (Drew Angerer via Getty Images)

Former Smallville star Allison Mack was involved in the NXIVM cult, playing a major role in a sub-group populated by women who were expected to have sex with the group's leader Keith Raniere.

While Mack has come forward to accept responsibility for her place in the cult, stating that she was 'abusive' but did so with the genuine belief she was helping people, her attempt to regain control of her image has sparked controversy.

One victim of the cult called her the 'most charismatic leader' Raniere could have asked for in promoting the cult, while others called her 'cruel'.

Mack has also spoken about how she became involved in the cult, initially attending what she thought were self help classes supposedly recommended to her by her Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk.