Miranda Derrick, one of the subjects of Netflix’s “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult,” has broken her silence about the documentary series.
“I wanted to add my side of the story a little bit,” she said in an Instagram story posted late June 4. The video message was followed by two slides of lengthy commentary, touching on some points that were seen in the documentary and some that weren’t.
The documentary features voices from former members of 7M Films, a TikTok talent management company, and Shekinah Church,allegingthat both — whichare run by Robert Shinn— arecults.Many of the participants are plaintiffs in a 2023 civil lawsuit calling Shekinah“a cult operating under the disguise of a religious institution.”
Shinn did not speak out in the documentary nor has he publicly spoken about the lawsuit.He and the other defendants have denied the allegations in court papers.The case is ongoing.No criminal charges have been brought against Shinn.TODAY.comhas reached out to Shinn for comment and did not hear a response
Derrick’s sister, Melanie Wilking, and their parents Kelly and Dean Wilking, in early 2022, released an Instagram video saying 7M was exerting control over dancers’ lives.
After the Wilking family spoke out in 2022, a representative for Miranda Derrick and her husband James Derrick, 7M, and Shinn issued a statement to theDaily Beast.
“Miranda Derrick is a successful businesswoman and a loving wife and daughter who cares very much about her family,” the representative said in a statement provided to theDaily Beast. “While the recent portrayals of Dr. Robert Shinn and 7M Films have been wildly offensive and riddled with inaccuracies, those false claims will not deter 7M from supporting Miranda in whichever endeavors she chooses to pursue next.”
In October 2022, Shinn filed a lawsuit against former dancers and people with social media accounts devoted to, as they say,exposing Shekinah, who in turn filed a countersuit against Shinn, his enterprises and others associated with the church. The countersuit allege Shinn and other defendants subjected people “to brainwashing, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, manipulation, and exploitation.”
Proceedings are still ongoing.
What does Miranda Derrick say in her statement?
Derrick opens by saying she “appreciates” the concern “expressed for (her) well-being.”
She goes on to reference a few points, some of which are mentioned in the documentary and some which are not.
She says being a named plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit — which is not featured in the documentary — makes it “not appropriate” to “comment on specific allegations. Derrick, along with her husband James Derrick, Shinn and 7M films are plaintiffs in an April 2022 lawsuit against YouTuber Katherine Paulson, who goes by Katie Joy on her channel Without a Crystal Ball.
Paulson had shared messages about 7M Films and Shekinah across her social media pages, which the lawsuit classifies as “false statements of fact, malicious and misleading statements (and) defamatory.” Paulson responded to Derrick’s June 4]statement with a YouTube video, sayingher statement is “full of lies.”
Derrick also gives an update on her relationship with her family, who are featured in the documentary. “I love my Mom, Dad and Melanie and they will forever be a part of my life. The truth is, we just don’t see eye to eye at this time,” she said.
After an extended period of not speaking, they began to speak again, she said, in an effort to “make amends, move on and work things out as a family.” Calling the documentary a “public attack’ she said it has “created a further challenge” between them.
While not dwelling on specific allegations due to the lawsuit, Derrick does speak about a plot point in the documentary: A trip to Michigan for her grandfather’s funeral. In the documentary,Derrick’s family said 7M did not permit her to go to the funeral,since they were under the impression 7M was controlling her movement.
In the statement, she says it was her choice not to go, since she felt “harassed” by her family: “To keep it simple, I did not want to be around them at that time because I felt threatened by them.”
In her statement, Derrick also references the social media accounts she ran with her sister, called the Wilking Sisters, and claims her sister locked her out of the account.
She concluded by saying she’s “not a victim,” but “just a woman trying to live my life.”
Read Miranda Derrick's response in full
Miranda Derrick posted two slides of text to her Instagram story. They read as follows.
"I want to start by saying that I appreciate the concern that has been expressed for my well-being. Due to pending litigation, in which I am a plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit, it’s not appropriate for me to comment on specific allegations. Though I will state that I do not condone abuse in any way.
"I cannot speak for anyone else, but myself.
"I love my Mom, Dad and Melanie and they will forever be a part of my life. The truth is, we just don’t see eye to eye at this time. I believe that this documentary is a one-sided story. I gave my life to Jesus Christ in 2020 and asked my family for some space in the very beginning to collect my thoughts and process. my new walk I wanted to take with God. I also told my sister that I wanted to continue our wilkingsisters social media page. She logged me out of our account and when I asked for access back she denied my request. So I had no other choice but to start my own account and pursue my own career. I still have yet to receive access into our account. My family didn’t honor the space I asked for and I saw a different side to them I’ve never seen before. Honestly, it made me mad, frustrated and annoyed that they were being so overbearing and chaotic.
"In 2020 I went to Michigan to visit my family for Christmas. My Papa was taken to the hospital due to medical issues. We got a phone call saying that he had a short time before he would pass. Melanie and I drove to the hospital to say our last goodbyes. Before we went to the hospital to do so, I started to pray for our Papa in the car and Melanie got offended, angry with me and told me to stop and to never pray around her. Our Papa passed away that day.
"Fast forward about a month and a half, Melanie and I are in LA and we’re about to head back to Michigan for our Papa’s funeral. I was at a place with my family where I felt like I was being harassed. My parents and sister are not religious. They immediately called me going to a church twice a week a “cult.” I felt that if I went back to the funeral they would keep me there and not let me come back to LA. So I told my family I would not be going to Michigan and that I wanted to move in and begin my life with James. To keep it simple, I did not want to be around them at that time because I felt threatened by them.
"I have been getting together with them over the past couple years to make amends, move on and work things out as a family. The documentary has created a further challenge between us as I work to overcome this public attack. No one likes to be portrayed as their brainwashed/not in control of her own life/shell of herself/human trafficked daughter/sister when that just isn’t the truth.
"I will add that I would have preferred for my family’s circ*mstances to remain private. I’m forced and feel like I have no other choice but to defend myself because of all of this. I can’t convince anyone to believe anything. I am just a woman trying to live my life. I am not a victim, I am not in any harm, I am not being abused. I’ve never asked my family or anyone else to “help” me in any way. Respectfully, what I choose to do with my life is up to me.
"As I take time to process and reflect on this situation, I would appreciate your continued support."
TODAY.comhas reached out to Melanie, Kelly and Dean Wilking for comment.They have “nothing to add” at this point, per Netflix.
Elena Nicolaou
Elena Nicolaou is a senior entertainment editor at Today.com, where she covers the latest in TV, pop culture, movies and all things streaming. Previously, she covered culture at Refinery29 and Oprah Daily. Her superpower is matching people up with the perfect book, which she does on her podcast, Blind Date With a Book.
