Earlier this year, Allison Mack – the actor best known for her role on Smallville – opened up about her experiences with the NXIVM cult. She did this by taking part in a multi-part limited podcast series called Allison After NXIVM, which was produced by CBC. Since the seven episodes were released, the podcast has received backlash, with many arguing that the producers are simply giving Mack a platform. Now, the creators of the series are speaking out and explaining why they “take issue” on some level with that criticism.
The minds behind Allison After NXIVM are Vanessa Grigoriadis – a Vanity Fair correspondent – and Natalie Robehmed, Grigoriadis’ podcasting partner. During the series’ seven episodes, Grigoriadis takes part in conversations with Mack as well as a number of other people who have tangential ties to the aforementioned cult. The two producers recently partook in an interview with Variety and were asked about the notion of "platforming" Mack and, while Robehmed understands the critique, she has a counterpoint:
I take issue a little bit with the verb ‘platforming’ — because yes, I see how what we were doing could be perceived as that. But I felt that I was questioning her, and interrogating her story. You hear my ambivalence within the podcast. This was not a chat show. As Vanessa pointed out, there could have been much cushier platforms for this. This was not a ‘Call Her Daddy’ or an Oprah interview, or a cozy sort of sit down where it’s just no hard questions. Not at all. So while I hear that concern, I personally ultimately felt that interrogating why she did what she did was more important so that we could learn and understand it, and hopefully not repeat it.
As explained on the podcast, Allison Mack’s first encounter with NXIVM was in 2006, when it was introduced to her by Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk (who thought it was a self-help group). Mack’s eventual involvement surpassed Kreuk’s, as she became a leader within the organization, overseeing a group of female “slaves” and reportedly developing a way to brand them. She also became romantically involved with the cult’s founder, Keith Raniere, who ordered Mack and others to fast and engage in sexual acts.
It goes without saying that Mack’s story is at the center of the podcast, and further comments Natalie Robehmed shared suggest she’s cognizant of that. However, during her recent interview, Grigoriadis also argued that the show goes beyond the Wilfred alum. The podcast producer also pondered questions regarding how the public at large views celebrities who’ve been embroiled in scandals and faced trouble with the law:
Ultimately, there’s bigger questions here than just Alison Mack. She went to prison. She served the time that she was sentenced to — she served two years of her three-year sentence. In the eyes of the law, she’s done her time. She’s back in society. So what do we do with people like her? What do we do with people who’ve done wrong? What do we do with convicted felons? Alison Mack is somebody that already had a platform before she went into NXIVM. You know, she was famous! Like, let’s not get it confused. She was famous, and that’s why so much of this case has centered around her — because she’s a famous person, you know?
Mack was eventually arrested by federal agents in 2018 and charged with sex-trafficking, sex-trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. She eventually pled guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, after which she was sentenced to three years in prison. Mack – who issued a formal apology for her actions – was released earlier than expected in 2023. On that note, Vanessa Grigoriadis went on to say that Mack had taken accountability for her actions and lay out what she’s been doing since her prison stint:
All the ex-NXIVM members have many different points of view. Clearly. But she’s renounced Keith. She’s taken responsibility for what she did. She’s volunteering in prison. She’s trying to become a social worker. There’s, I think, a feeling that everybody wants to heal from this. These people were, a long time ago, very close, right? We have no idea if they’ll all ever speak again, or if they would want to — time will tell what happens with all of them. To go back to the platforming thing for a second, I do feel the way that Natalie feels — she’s done her time. She was not paid for this.
Both producers also asserted that Allison Mack did “not get editorial oversight” for the series and that “nothing was off the table” when it came to the questions they asked her. Now that she’s opened up about her experiences with the sex cult, it remains to be seen what lies ahead for Mack and whether she’ll discuss her past any further.
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