Allison Mack, widely known for her breakout role in “Smallville,” has been courageous enough to open up about her experience in the Nxivm sex cult. You can listen to her shocking revelations in the new podcast series “Allison After Nxivm.” Mack first broke this jaw-dropping news shortly after her release from a federal prison near San Francisco. She has already done her time for her actions inside the cult this past spring, earlier this year.
In April 2018, federal officials arrested Mack for her involvement in Nxivm, an organization operated by Keith Raniere. She was under intense scrutiny, charged with serious crimes for allegedly grooming women to be subservient to Raniere. In early June of 2021, she pled guilty to those charges. Throughout her tenure with the organization, Mack used her celebrity to bring women on board. She was a tireless, outspoken champion for what she felt was personal responsibility, self improvement, empowerment.
Mack’s errors in judgment Ms. Mack’s downfall started when her “Smallville” co-star Kristin Kreuk welcomed her into Nxivm’s orbit. Around that time, she was introduced to Raniere, the leader of Nxivm. One of the organization’s leading members at the time was Mack, who gained a reputation for her militant strategies. She characterized herself as “emotionally abusive” and “callous” in her dealings with other women within Nxivm.
“I capitalized on the things that I had,” – Allison Mack
Mack acknowledged that she leveraged her success as an actor to use her “power tool” to harm peoples’ lives and enhance recruitment efforts. This abuse even further translated to her being a conduit of communications between Raniere and other cult members.
“The success I had as an actor … was a power tool that I had to get people to do what I wanted,” – Allison Mack
Her method, to the extent that you can call it that, was largely about bullying women into submission. Mack provided illustrative examples of how she would address the fears voiced by those they would affect.
“The more she said, ‘I’m scared, I don’t want to do it,’ the more I would say, ‘You need to do it, and the longer you wait, the more consequences there will be,’” – Allison Mack
On June 22, 2021, Mack was sentenced for her criminal actions. She was an active manipulator and enforcer of coercive tactics touted by Nxivm. Raniere ultimately was sentenced to 120 years behind bars for his role as leader of the organization.
Looking back on her actions, Mack said she feels extreme guilt for how she acted while involved with Nxivm. She has since admitted to making decisions she would “always regret.”
“I was not kind, and … I was abusive,” – Allison Mack
During the podcast series, Mack faces her past like never before. She furthermore exposes the psychological manipulation that characterized her time under Nxivm’s influence, giving listeners a better picture of what it was like inside Nxivm.