New York: Former Smallville actress Allison Mack is speaking out for the first time since her release from prison, and her revelations are stirring a wave of attention — largely thanks to a new podcast series that peels back the layers of her controversial involvement with the discredited self-help group NXIVM. In Allison After NXIVM, she offers a deeply personal, candid account of her life before, during, and after the cult.
A New Voice, A New Format
Mack’s story is being told in a seven-part podcast produced by CBC’s Uncover. The first episode was released on November 10, 2025, and marks her first major public statement since she was released from federal prison in 2023.
Host Natalie Robehmed guides the narrative, helping unpack how Mack fell into the cult’s inner circle, and how power, fame, and trauma intertwined in her journey.
According to Mack, she chose the podcast format deliberately — she prefers the intimacy of audio over cameras. It’s a mode that allows her to reflect deeply, acknowledge her dark past, and perhaps find a path toward healing or redemption.
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From “Smallville” to the Inner Circle of NXIVM
Mack was once best known for her role in the popular superhero show Smallville. But beneath the fame lay a growing void. In the podcast, she says she was feeling unsettled in her mid-20s, even while living what appeared to be a glamorous life.
A key turning point, she reveals, came through her friendship with her Smallville co-star Kristin Kreuk, who introduced her to NXIVM. According to Mack, Kreuk described the group’s introductory self-help course as “the science of joy” and extolled its transformative promise.
Soon Mack became deeply involved, eventually rising to a leadership role in NXIVM’s secret subgroup called DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium). Prosecutors later revealed that DOS was not just about self-improvement: it involved coercion, branding of women with Keith Raniere’s initials, and sexual exploitation.
Owning Her Role: Between Victim and Perpetrator
In Allison After NXIVM, Mack does not shy away from painful admission. She says she used her fame as a “power tool” to recruit other women and push forward Raniere’s agenda. She acknowledges being “very effective,” and expresses regret over how she manipulated women under the guise of empowerment.
Her words are not soft: “I was not kind … I was abusive,” she says in the podcast. Mack also admits that she “abused her power,” emotionally and psychologically, while simultaneously believing she was helping people.
But even as she acknowledges the harm she caused, she does not entirely erase her own suffering. She describes being drawn into Raniere’s orbit by what she calls “past trauma,” and being seduced by his charisma, his philosophy, and his portrayal of self-improvement.
Legal Fallout and Redemption
Mack’s involvement with NXIVM led to serious legal consequences. In 2021, she pleaded guilty to racketeering and related charges for recruiting women into DOS, and for her role in maintaining the manipulative structure of the cult.
She was sentenced to three years in prison but released early in 2023. Meanwhile, cult leader Keith Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison for a litany of crimes including sex trafficking.
In the podcast, Mack does not deflect blame. “I don’t see myself as innocent,” she says, reflecting on her sentencing and the number of victims who testified against her. She expresses remorse and acknowledges the gravity of her actions. Her conviction was not just for being a follower — she was a major player.
A New Chapter
Since her release, Mack’s life has taken new directions. She’s pursuing a master’s degree in social work, and exploring expressive arts therapy — signaling a possible turn toward healing, both personally and for others.
There’s also a very public personal shift: she remarried in 2025 to Frank Meeink, a former neo-Nazi who now advocates for diversity and acceptance. According to the podcast, she now goes by Allison Meeink.
Why This Podcast Matters
Allison After NXIVM is more than a confession — it’s a complex exploration of power, manipulation, guilt, and redemption. Her story was previously seen only through court documents, media reports, and other witnesses. Now, she’s telling it herself — on her own terms.
For listeners interested in true crime, cult deprogramming, or the psychology of power, the podcast promises a rare, unfiltered voice. It examines not just how someone like Mack could get deeply entangled in a group like NXIVM, but also how she rationalized her role and why she now seeks to make amends.
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NXIVM’s story has been told before — in documentaries like HBO’s The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult. But Mack’s podcast may be the most personal recount: she lived that part of the story from the inside, and now she’s holding up a mirror.
It’s also timely: as conversations about abuse of power, manipulation, and redemption become more mainstream, her willingness to publicly reckon with her past could be an important moment in understanding how coercion works — and how someone so deeply complicit might try to rebuild a life after.
