Allison Mack, the former Smallville actor convicted for her role in the notorious Nxivm cult, has revealed what she’s doing with her life following her early release from prison.
The former TV star, who played Chloe Sullivan on the hit series, is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work as part of her efforts to rebuild her life after serving time, according to magazine Variety.
Mack, 42, pleaded guilty in 2019 to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for her involvement in Nxivm, the self-help organisation that prosecutors later described as a pyramid scheme and sex cult led by 65-year-old founder Keith Raniere.
She was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021, but was released early in 2023 after roughly 21 months, reported the New York Post.
Her surprising new chapter comes alongside the launch of a seven-episode podcast series titled “Allison After Nxivm,” in which she reportedly revisits her rise in Hollywood, her years with Nxivm and her eventual downfall.
The series, which is hosted by Natalie Robehmed and premiered Monday with two episodes, is said to explore whether Mack “is a victim or someone who victimised others”.
In one emotional moment on the podcast, Mack broke down crying while recounting how her crimes affected her loved ones.
“Oh, my God, my poor brother behind me, having to hear this about his sister,” she said through tears regarding her June 2021 sentencing. “My poor mum! I’m so sorry, you guys. I can take it, but like f**k, you guys, I’m so sorry”.
“I don’t see myself as innocent,” she added, “and they were”.
Mack had joined Nxivm in 2006 after attending one of the group’s personal-development seminars.
The organisation, based in Albany, north of New York, attracted thousands of followers and several other celebrities with its promises of empowerment and self-improvement.
But behind the scenes, prosecutors argued, Raniere created a secret subgroup within Nxivm known as DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium or “master over slave”) where women were branded with his initials, starved, blackmailed with “collateral,” such as nude photos or embarrassing personal information, and coerced into sex.
Mack, who served as a high-ranking “master” in DOS, was accused of recruiting, overseeing and brainwashing women in the group. In her 2019 plea deal, she admitted to manipulating victims on Raniere’s behalf.
Looking back, she acknowledged using her celebrity status to draw people into the organisation.
“I think that I capitalised on the things I had,” she said in the new podcast series, reported magazine Entertainment Weekly. “And so the success I had as an actor, I think I did capitalise on that, yeah.”
“And it was a power tool that I had to get people to do what I wanted,” the former actor added. “I think that I was very effective in moving Keith’s vision forward”.
During her sentencing, Mack apologised to the women she helped recruit, calling her involvement “the biggest mistake and greatest regret of my life”.
“I am sorry to those of you that I brought into Nxvim,” she wrote in a filing at the time, per NBC News. “I am sorry I ever exposed you to the nefarious and emotionally abusive schemes of a twisted man.”
“I am sorry that I encouraged you to use your resources to participate in something that was ultimately so ugly,” she added.
More recently, the Wilfred star has married a man identified only as Frank. The couple tied the knot in Los Angeles in June after meeting at a dog park six months earlier.
As for Raniere, he is serving 120 years in prison following his 2020 sentencing for sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labour conspiracy, racketeering, racketeering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.
