Disturbing new details about Smallville actress Allison Mack's alleged involvement in Keith Raniere‬'s sex cult have emerged.

The Hollywood Reporter published an exposé going specifically into how Mack joined Nxivm 12 years ago and allegedly took on a pivotal role in recruiting slaves, monitoring the young women's food intake and threatening them if they refused to have sex with the group's leader.

According to the publication, the then-23-year-old actress attended a weekend seminar in 2006, put on by the female empowerment arm of Nxivm, Jness, and was accosted by a high-ranking member who convinced her to meet with Raniere‬.

After the meeting, she joined the group and became what was described as the “Tom Cruise of Nxivm", a reference to the Mission Impossible actor's extreme dedication to Scientology.

Soon enough she reportedly became the leader of the group’s Dominus Obsequious Sororium (the Latin for Master Over Slave Women) arm, the second-most-senior position after Raniere, and become responsible for recruiting and monitoring slaves, often overseeing them be held down by and branded with a hot cauterizing pen. People who were allegedly used as sex slaves have also claimed that she gained an array of benefits, including financial ones.

People involved in the organisation apparently referred to Mack as "incredibly intimidating, cruel and punitive", claiming that she "threatened to release the collateral she had gathered on them if they didn’t sleep with Raniere."

The new story goes into further detail about how the young women were ordered to make drastic changes in their lives in order to please the cult leader. His penchant for slim women allegedly led to their diets being limited to 900 calories per day, while his own expanding waist line was apparently seen as his "sacrifice for humanity", him not having time to work out.

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Even second-in-command Mack wasn't exempt from these rules, with a former Nxivm member telling The Hollywood Reporter that Mack's extreme weight loss was her clue to knowing the actress and Raniere had become intimate.

"I took one look at Allison and I knew she was involved romantically and sexually with Keith," stated the unidentified woman. "She had a gray pallor that was common to Keith’s women because they all start to get a little sickly. I know I did. They drop weight. Their heads get too big for their bodies so they become bobbleheads. It’s scary-looking."

Frank Parlato, NXIVM's ex-publicist and one of the main whistleblowers, apparently also stated that Mack never had "the ability to be an excellent body servant or valet... But she had the ability to bring women to Raniere’s bed. She procured some startling beauties."

However, a former flatmate spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, saying that they believed the actress had been brainwashed: "I don’t think she was thinking she was actually trafficking girls. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve punishment, but I think she had drunk enough Kool-Aid to really believe that these girls were going to save the world with [Raniere’s] super-sperm."

Both Mack and Raniere are both reportedly facing lengthy prison sentences after being indicted on multiple counts of sex trafficking. The case trial is due to begin on October 1. Both Mack and Raniere‬ have pled not guilty.

Disgraced Smallville star Allison Mack has opened up about her life after prison, and revealed a completely unexpected new career path following her role in the notorious NXIVM sex cult.

The former actress, best known for playing Chloe Sullivan in the hit Superman prequel series, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to manipulating women into becoming sex slaves for cult leader Keith Raniere.

After serving just 21 months of her sentence, Mack was released in July 2023, and is now attempting to rebuild her life, this time, by dedicating herself to helping others, FOX News reports.

From TV Stardom to Social Work Student

Now 43, Mack has traded in the red carpets of Hollywood for a classroom. According to recent reports, she has enrolled in a master’s program in social work, marking a major step away from her acting career and a clear attempt at redemption, according to Vanity Fair.

Her new direction comes six years after pleading guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, crimes that linked her directly to NXIVM’s operations.

Inside the NXIVM Cult’s Disturbing Reality

Founded by Keith Raniere, NXIVM initially presented itself as a self-help and personal empowerment organization. But behind the façade, the group operated as a sex cult and pyramid scheme, complete with rigid hierarchies, abuse, and manipulation.

Women involved in NXIVM were reportedly coerced into obedience through blackmail, starvation diets, and sexual exploitation. One of the cult’s most horrifying rituals was a "branding ceremony", where female members were marked with Raniere’s initials using a cautery pen, the New York Times details.

Raniere was ultimately sentenced to 120 years in prison for crimes including sex trafficking and forced labor. Mack avoided a longer sentence after cooperating with prosecutors and providing key information that helped convict him.

Allison Mack’s Life Inside NXIVM

In her new podcast, Allison After NXIVM, Mack describes how she fell under Raniere’s psychological control, first as a devoted follower, then as one of his inner-circle leaders.

She recounts being brainwashed and manipulated into believing her actions were part of a noble cause. Over time, Mack became Raniere’s close confidante, engaging in daily sexual activity with him and encouraging other women to do the same under the guise of “spiritual development.”

The actress also ran her own subgroup known as DOS (“Dominus Obsequious Sororium,” meaning “Master Over Slave Women”), where she maintained strict control over other female members, dictating their food intake, sleep schedules, and personal behavior.

Among those she recruited was India Oxenberg, daughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg, who later went public with her harrowing experience.

Acknowledging Her Role and Seeking Redemption

Following her conviction, Mack says she began to "wake up" to the damage she caused, both to others and to her own family.

In emotional moments shared on her podcast, she reflects on the pain her loved ones endured upon learning the truth about her double life. “My poor brother, my poor mom, I’m so sorry,” she said tearfully. “I don’t see myself as innocent, and they were.”

Rebuilding After Scandal

While Mack’s attempt at a new beginning has been met with mixed reactions, her decision to pursue social work suggests a deep desire to understand and prevent the kind of manipulation she once endured, and inflicted.

Once a promising actress with a bright career ahead, Allison Mack’s story has become a cautionary tale of celebrity influence, coercion, and the dangers of blind devotion.

Now, with her focus on helping others instead of performing for audiences, Mack appears determined to transform her troubled past into a meaningful second act.

Featured image credit: Jemal Countess / Getty Images.

Over the past few months, the world has been rocked by endless of claims of sexual harassment, with thousands coming forward to claim that they too were victims of vile and unacceptable behaviour. Each and every case was horrifying in its own way, however news of a sex cult that was reportedly being run by Hollywood TV stars was perhaps one of the most shocking incidents out there.

'Smallville' stars Allison Mack and Kristen Kreuk were accused of helping to recruit female sex slaves to join the New York-based sex slave cult named NXIVM, founded by Keith Raniere about 20 years ago. Allegedly, the two actresses would help lure women into the "self-help" organisation, in which Raniere would brand his slaves with his initials, forcing them to stay in the group with the threat of releasing their nude photos or other potentially damaging information about them.

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Now, Canadian actress Kristen Kreuk has finally broken her silence on her involvement in the cult, angrily denying that she had ever been a part of it. The Beauty & the Beast star took to Twitter on March 29th to claim that she was "deeply disturbed and embarrassed to have been associated with NXIVM". She wrote:

“When I was about 23, I took an Executive Success Programs/NXIVM ‘intensive,’ what I understood to be a self-help/personal growth course that helped me handle my previous shyness, which is why I continued with the program. I left about five years ago and had minimal contact with those who were still involved. The accusations that I was in the ‘inner circle’ or recruited women as ‘sex slaves’ are blatantly false. During my time, I never experienced any illegal or nefarious activity. I am horrified and disgusted by what has come out about DOS. Thank you to all of the brave women who have come forward to share their stories and expose DOS; I can’t imagine how difficult this has been for you. I am deeply disturbed and embarrassed to have been associated with NXIVM. I hope that the investigation leads to justice for all of those affected.”

Her denial has been supported by actress Sarah Edmondson, who was a victim of NXIVM herself and wrote on social media in support of the 'Smallville' star, stating that "she is a lovely person who should not be dragged into this mess."

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However, although Kreuk has strongly denied any involvement, her co-star Allison Mack is said to have been leader Raniere's right-hand woman at NXIVM, in which victims were branded on their pelvic areas using a cauterizing pen with a symbol which, unbeknownst to them, incorporated Raniere's initials. Mack, who starred as Chloe Sullivan in hit series 'Smallville' was considered a high-ranking member of the cult and was believed to have been second in charge to Raniere.

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In addition, the actress was reportedly present at Raniere's arrest in Mexico in March 2018, after which he was extradited to Fort Worth, Texas. Following his arrest, Raniere appeared in front of a Fort Worth federal judge in the State of Texas where he faced charges of sex trafficking and as well as forced labour in New York State. If convicted, he could reportedly be sentenced to life in prison.

We can only hope that justice is served, and that the victims involved are able to overcome their trauma.

Keith Raniere is said to be a charismatic yet dangerous man. He gained experience at Amway - a multilevel marketing company with links to US education secretary Betsy DeVos - before founding Nxivm. Ostensibly, this too was a multilevel marketing company. However, it has since been revealed as an oppressive, demoralising and violent cult.

Nxivm (pronounced nexium) was based in Albany, New York, and described itself as a "community guided by humanitarian principles that seek to empower people". It claimed to have 16,000 members across the US, Canada, Mexico and Central America. According to prosecutors, Raniere compared himself to Gandhi and Einstein, describing himself as the "smartest, most ethical person in the world".

However, in a setup somewhere between a pyramid scheme and a sex cult, the organisation housed a secret society called "DOS" or “the Vow". The purpose of this society was reportedly to recruit women to have sex with Raniere, otherwise known as Vanguard. The DOS “first line slaves" included Smallville actor Allison Mack, who is currently facing legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, 58-year-old Raniere is facing charges including sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and conspiracy to commit forced labour. With his trial underway, some truly disturbing details have come to light.

Female DOS members are said to have been branded with a cauterising pen on their hips. The women stood naked during a process which was filmed by other members. The mark, they were told, represented the four elements, the process itself constituting the element of fire. FBI documents show that the mark is, in fact, a symbol formed of Raniere’s initials.

Mark Agnifilo, one of Raniere’s lawyers, warned jurors that they may be shown a video of this ceremony. According to the New York Times, he stated: “See if the women seemed forced or if they are doing it because they want to do it.”

Women close to Raniere and Nxivm are known to have died or disappeared. When Raniere was 24, he was romantically involved with 16-year-old Gina Hutchinson, who subsequently committed suicide in 2002. One year later, student Kristin Marie Snyder disappeared, having last been seen walking out of a Nxivm building in Alaska.

Police recovered a note which stated: "I attended a course called Executive Success Programs . . . based out of Anchorage, AK, and Albany, NY. I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off. I still have feeling in my external skin . . . but my internal organs are rotting. . . . I am sorry life, I didn’t know I was already dead. May we persist into the future.” Snyder's parents reported that she was delusional and they believed she held herself responsible for the Columbia shuttle disaster.

This appears to typify the organisation's approach to members’ wellbeing. Raniere orchestrated a punishing “slave and master” system and was about to engage in a “Recommitment Ceremony”, expected to contain group oral sex, when he was arrested at his home in Mexico.

In an especially upsetting testimony, a victim identified as Daniela explained that she was “groomed” for weeks before she turned 18 for Mr Raniere to take her virginity. Her family had fallen prey to Nxivm when she was just 16.

"I had never been kissed and I didn't have any prior sexual contact," Daniela said in court, according to the Daily Beast. "I didn't see Keith that way but I could see in subtle ways that he was flirting with me. Now, I believe he was grooming me."

After meeting Raniere during his Vanguard Week celebrations - where members would pay $2,000 each to celebrate him - she said their relationship "escalated in a sexual way". However, she was made to lose weight before she turned 18. "He said he could not share his sexual energy with somebody overweight," Daniela explained.

When she did turn 18, they had sex in the storage room of an office building. She was then expected to perform oral sex on him, often multiple times per day. "We cried the whole time," Daniela said in court, speaking of the other victims.

Lauren Salzman, 42, testified that the same young woman identified as Daniela was confined to a bedroom for two years because she gained weight and asked to see a man other than Raniere. While this seems an extreme measure, Raniere was said to have a preference for "exceptionally thin" women.

One of Daniela's sisters is the victim in an allegation of child pornography against Raniere while another had a child with him. Both were allegedly forced to have group sex with Raniere on multiple occasions.

In an interview which was conducted this year, Raniere's former partner shared stories about his childhood which she states she was told by his father. According to Barbara Bouchey, his father James had said: "What we did is we told Keith about how gifted and how intelligent he was. And he said it was almost like a switch went off. And suddenly overnight he turned into like Jesus Christ. And that he was superior and better than everybody like he was a deity. He said it was that dramatic and that profound he said it went right to his head."

Raniere was indeed a gifted child and his intelligence even earned him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. He was a keen computer programmer, a former colleague describing his fascination with Scientology and neuro-linguistic programming.

Tempting though it may be to jump to conclusions, the trial is ongoing. Fittingly, perhaps, Raniere’s adoption of the name “Vanguard” was inspired by one of his favourite video games which centred on the destruction of one's enemies to increase one's own power.

Allison Mack, the 36-year-old actress best known for playing Chloe Sullivan in the CW superhero series Smallville, has pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges for her involvement in the secret sex trafficking cult NXIVM.

"I have come to the conclusion that I must take full responsibility for my conduct and that’s why I am pleading guilty today," Mack said in court, according to the New York Post. "I’m very sorry for the victims of this case. I’m very sorry for who I’ve hurt though my misguided adherence to Keith Raniere’s teachings."

Self-help guru Keith Raniere supposedly created NXIVM as a multi-media marketing company "to raise human awareness, foster an ethical humanitarian civilization, and celebrate what it means to be human." However authorities allege that Raniere and Mack, who rose to be his second-in command, manipulated the women into "master-slave relationships" and exploited them for sex and labor.

The women were allegedly forced to perform services under the threat of serious harm, adhere to strict diets of only 900 calories a day, and endure a ceremony in which Raniere's initials were branded into their skin with a hot cauterizing pen.

In an expose by The Hollywood Reporter, people involved with the New York-based organization described Mack "as incredibly intimidating, cruel and punitive," and claimed she "threatened to release the collateral she had gathered on them if they didn’t sleep with Raniere."

In April 2018, Mack and Raniere were arrested and charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. The minimum sentence is 15 years in prison, with the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Raniere and others from his inner circle pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing. Initially, Mack pleaded not guilty as well, but reversed her decision hours before jury selection was scheduled to begin.

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Mack's unfortunate journey began by attending with a 2006 women's empower seminar thrown by NXIVM. After meeting Raniere, she joined the group, and reportedly rose to lead the arm Dominus Obsequious Sororium, which is Latin for 'Master Over Slave Women.' As the second most senior member, Mack became responsible for recruiting and monitoring slaves - and even she wasn't exempt from some rules.

"I took one look at Allison and I knew she was involved romantically and sexually with Keith," an unidentified former NXIVM member told THR. "She had a gray pallor that was common to Keith’s women because they all start to get a little sickly. I know I did. They drop weight. Their heads get too big for their bodies so they become bobbleheads. It’s scary-looking."

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One whistle blower, Frank Parlato, NXIVM's ex-publicist said Mack never had "the ability to be an excellent body servant or valet... But she had the ability to bring women to Raniere’s bed. She procured some startling beauties." Meanwhile, a former flatmate told THR she believed Mack was brainwashed: "I don’t think she was thinking she was actually trafficking girls. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve punishment, but I think she had drunk enough Kool-Aid to really believe that these girls were going to save the world with [Raniere’s] super-sperm."

On Monday, Mack confessed to her involvement with Dominus Obsequious Sororium, owning a sex slave, and instructing women "to perform services for me," the New York Post reports. She said the system was "designed to make them think they could suffer serious harm" if they did not comply, since they handed over damaging collateral like nude photos and financial details.

“Through it all, I believed that Raniere’s intention was to help people. I was wrong," Mack said Monday, according to the New York Daily News. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11.