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It was a scandal ripped straight from the headlines (and tabloids). The history of the NXIVM cult has it all: intrigue, money, sex, betrayal and celebrity. The hit HBO series The vow explores the dark inner workings of this well-behaved cult and its leaders, and with the release of the series’ second season, all eyes are on NXIVM. While the cult’s inner mission may seem too shocking to believe, it has actually managed to attract some very big names to its ranks.
For many members, one of the biggest draws surrounding the NXIVM cult was all of the high-profile celebrities associated with it. Initially, the group preached self-improvement, community, and a sense of connectedness. Gradually, however, it became the realization of a dark reality born in the imagination of founder Keith Raniere. Yet somehow the cult managed to attract some well-funded players who not only helped support it financially but also helped recruit new members and spread its dark mission. Here are some of its elite members.
Allison Mack
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Actress Allison Mack was one of the group’s best-known and most active members. The sassy actress made her claim to fame with the hit show Smallville, in which viewers fell in love with the young girl’s bubbly nature and innocent demeanor. She seemed to be the all American girl, with short blonde hair, big innocent blue eyes and a completely unassuming personality. That’s why fans were shocked when the truth behind the NXIVM cult came out. Not only was she revealed to be a member, but it turned out she was a leader who had taken part in some very unsavory acts.
Soon, as more and more defectors emerged, the true inner workings of the cult came to light. NXIVM has been accused of forcing women to become founder Raniere’s sex slaves. Women were forced on starvation diets to meet his impossible standards and were even branded with his and Allison Mack’s initials. It has been alleged that women were coerced into sexual activity at Raniere’s discretion and punished if they refused him. The cult had a culture of “masters” and “slaves,” with masters serving as leaders, teaching others the dark ways of the cult, including inflicting harsh penalties for disobedience. Shockingly, bubbly little Allison Mack was revealed as one of the “masters.” Mack pleaded guilty to the “extortion conspiracy” charge during the trial following these allegations.
But as shocking as the information about Mack was, she wasn’t the only high-profile celebrity to have been taken down or linked to the cult’s wreckage.
Kristin Kreuk
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Allison Mack’s Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk was also once associated with NXIVM. Kreuk played the character Lana Lang on the hit series and was once friends with her costar Mack. When the scandal broke, she took to Twitter to clear her name, claiming she’d only attended a few self-help seminars on NXIVM but hadn’t attended in many years and had never been part of the inner circle. She also denied having seen or participated in any “illegal or shameful activity.”
Sarah Edmondson
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Actress Sarah Edmondson is best known for her starring role in Stargate SG-1 and was a follower of the cult from 2005 to 2017. Edmondson got into it as deep as it gets, bringing over 2,000 new members to NXIVM and even starting their own Vancouver branch. She was also inducted into the innermost circle called “DOS”, an acronym for “Domen Over Ssubmissive.”
DOS was the department responsible for branding, and she received one herself. In order to join the group, Edmondson revealed that the women involved had to provide discriminatory “collateral” of themselves, which could include illegal photos, videos, etc. These safeguards were in place to ensure loyalty and obedience under threat of exposure. Edmondson is very vocal in The Vow as she regrets her actions and bemoans her involvement with the group and her recruitment of others.
Bonnie Piesse
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Bonnie Piesse is known for her role as Beru Lars in Star Wars: Episode II, and even has her own action figure. She and her partner Mark Vincente were associated with NXIVM for many years, with Vincente even serving on the board. Bonnie left in 2017, Vincente followed as the couple began to reconcile their lives. Both were very active in bringing Raniere to justice and their story is told in The Vow.
The couple revealed some of the organization’s dark workings, including Piesse being forced to sleep on the floor for several days to serve as “punishment” for her husband for an alleged offense against him. She revealed there were also discussions about her weight and weird “tests” she was asked to perform, like licking a puddle.
Vincente discussed the male experience of the group in the SOP or the “Svinegars Of Protectors,” which encouraged men to do the exact opposite. It seems that while Raniere’s motives were clearly insidious, nowhere were his wounds and personal agenda more present than in his view of women and how the men in the group should deal with them.
Clare Bronfman
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Clare Bronfman – the heiress to the Seagram empire – was also revealed to be very close in league with the cult and was named chief executive in the NXIVM court case. While pleading guilty, she denied any involvement with DOS, claiming she acted primarily as a “law enforcement agent” for the group. She pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to conceal and harbor illegal aliens for financial gain” and “fraudulent use of identity cards.”
The heiress and her sister Sara – who was also involved with the group – are worth a whopping $500 million and have reportedly donated a large amount, including a $69 million loan, to Keith Raniere and his group.
Nicky Cline
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Nicki Clyne is another actress known for her role in Battlestar Galactica. She and Allison Mack were actually once married – which emerged during the trial – and were both known for their connection to the NXIVM cult before its true reputation was revealed. Clyne was so involved that she remained a member for over 10 years, even quitting her job to join Raniere full-time. She was a member of DOS and the innermost circles of the group.
Clyne was not part of the criminal activity charge against the cult – although many have questioned how that was possible given her close ties and long association with the cult and its leaders. According to recent episodes of The Vow, she continues to support the group and Rainere.
Catherine Oxenberg
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Catherine Oxenberg is a well-known actress from her dynasty Days and her mother – Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia. Catherine had heard about NXIVM from a friend who introduced her to NXIVM as a women’s empowerment and leadership organization. Catherine had decided to attend seminary with her teenage daughter India. While Catherine herself wasn’t particularly impressed, her daughter had been. So much so that she kept walking even after Catherine lost interest. India then dove headfirst into the organization and its bizarre practices. Catherine became concerned and soon she knew her daughter was in real trouble. She teamed up with former members of the group and the team at The Vow, and her tireless efforts were instrumental in unmasking Raniere.
Catherine was eventually able to pull her daughter away from the cult, but the details of her and daughter’s ordeal are unreal. The story is told in two successful productions, Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult and Escaping The NXIVM Cult: A Mother’s Fight To Save Her Daughter. Catherine also wrote a successful book about the story, Captive: A Mother’s Crusade to Save Her Daughter From a Terrifying Cult, in hopes that others might be helped through the ordeal of her and her daughter.
Grace Park
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Grace Park is known for her starring role in Battle Star Galactica and Hawaii Five-O. Her exact involvement with NXIVM is unclear, although she appeared in several promotional videos for the group and attended at least one of the sect’s weddings. Park only revealed that she had only limited involvement with the group and claimed to be unaware of the organization’s dark underbelly.
Watching The Vow and hearing the stories of the women and men who have been involved in NXIVM is unsettling to say the least. The most disturbing part of the story, however, is how the cult was able to incorporate so many household names and garner so much star support.
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