Phoebe Tonks
Disgraced actor Allison Mack has officially revealed her new career after being released early from prison.
The Smallville star was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to charges that she'd manipulated women into becoming sex slaves for Nxivm cult leader Keith Raniere.
She was released back in July 2023 after serving just 21 months of her sentence – but despite her criminal past, Mack is now looking to make amends for her actions by pursuing a new career.
The former TV star, who played Chloe Sullivan in the hit show based on Superman’s early life, has swapped her acting roots to study a masters degree in social work.
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The move comes just six years after Mack, 43, pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy for Nxivm.
Founded by Keith Raniere, the organization marketed itself as a self-help group, but was soon unmasked as a dangerous pyramid scheme and sex cult.
Among some of its more disturbing features were reports of abuse and coercion, as well as a ‘branding ceremony’ in which women were permanently marked with Raniere’s initials using a cautery pen.
Cult leader Raniere was sentenced to 120 years behind bars for sex trafficking, but Mack avoided a longer stretch behind bars after co-operating with the investigation that helped to bring him to justice.
Recounting her experience with the cult in a new podcast series Allison After NXIVM, Mack disclosed how she fell under the spell of Raniere, before becoming his right-hand woman and complicit to his many crimes.
Carrying both the label of victim and victimizer, Mack was completely brainwashed by Raniere and engaged in daily coercive sex with him while also sacrificing her life and career to move closer to the cult’s headquarters.
While catering for his every need, Mack encouraged other women to go to him for the same kind of sexual 'help' Raniere was giving her – a move which effectively meant she was sending them to be raped.
Mack herself also reportedly had her own set of ‘slaves’ among the Nxivm women’s group DOS, which allowed her complete control over every aspect of their lives, from what activities they were allowed to complete through to the minimal amounts of food they were given.
She also went on to recruit several women to Nxivm, including some of the more high-profile members such as India Oxenberg.
It was only following her conviction that Mack began to ‘wake up’ to what she had done, with the podcast revealing the extent of her rehabilitation and attempts to get her life back on track.
This included apologising to her family, who had been oblivious to her crimes.
“Oh, my God, my poor brother behind me, having to hear this about his sister,” she recalled in the podcast. “My poor mom! I’m so sorry, you guys. I can take it, but like fuck, you guys, I’m so sorry. I don’t see myself as innocent, and they were.”