As reported by ELLE, Kristin Kreuk—famous for her role on Smallville—has issued a response to recent claims linking her to NXIVM, a secretive upstate New York group often described as a cult and accused of branding women.
In a statement provided to ELLE and also posted on Twitter, Kreuk said she first got involved with NXIVM when she was 23 years old. She described it as a self-help and personal development program that helped her overcome shyness, which is why she continued participating. She forcefully denied any suggestion that she was part of an 'inner circle' or that she recruited women as 'sex slaves,' calling those allegations completely false.
On Tuesday, federal law enforcement raided a property in upstate New York connected to the organization, which is accused of coercing female followers into sexual relations with its leader, Keith Raniere, and branding them with his initials.
The search took place at the residence of NXIVM president Nancy Salzman on the same day Raniere appeared in federal court in Texas. He had been arrested earlier that week on U.S. charges of sex trafficking and forced labor in Mexico, where authorities allege he was hiding in a luxury villa accompanied by several female followers.
Raniere left the United States last year after The New York Times reported that women who joined a secret sorority within his Albany-based group were branded with a symbol that included his initials.
Those women told investigators they experienced 'master-slave' dynamics involving emotional and physical torment. NXIVM has dismissed these complaints as 'lies' and maintains it is not a cult.
In her full statement to ELLE, Kreuk elaborated: When she was around 23, she took an Executive Success Programs/NXIVM intensive, which she understood as a self-help or personal growth course that helped her manage previous shyness, prompting her to continue with the program. She left about five years ago and had minimal contact with those still involved. She reiterated that accusations of being in the 'inner circle' or recruiting women as 'sex slaves' are blatantly false. During her time, she never witnessed any illegal or nefarious activity. She expressed horror and disgust at what has emerged about DOS, thanked the brave women who came forward, and said she is deeply disturbed and embarrassed to have been associated with NXIVM. She hopes the investigation leads to justice for everyone affected.
Kreuk, born in Vancouver, portrayed Lana Lang on The CW series Smallville from 2001 to 2009 and also starred in the television series Beauty and the Beast.
This report includes contributions from the Associated Press.
