Miranda Derrick said she is grappling with a wave of death threats following the recent release of the Netflix docuseries Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult.
In a June 10 video posted on Instagram, the popular TikToker claimed she and her husband, James “BDash” Derrick, have been afraid for their lives since the release of the three-episode series, which features allegations about the couple being members of a cult.
The dancer-performer couple have been stalked, threatened, and followed in their cars in the aftermath of the docuseries’ release, the 27-year-old content curator said.
Miranda Derrick said she and her husband, James “BDash” Derrick, have been receiving dangerous threats following the release of Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
“I know I don’t normally make this kind of content,” she said in the clip. “But I just wanted to be transparent and a little vulnerable with you. Before this documentary, my husband and I, we felt safe.”
“Now that this documentary is out, we feel like our lives have been put in danger,” she added. “We have both been followed in our cars, we have received hate mail, death threats, people have been sending us messages to commit su–ide, and we’ve been stalked.”
The couple is known for sharing dance videos that garner millions of views
The social media star included screenshots of the messages people sent her in the last few days and the threats she has been “receiving behind the scenes.”
“Someone said that, ‘If I see you on the street, I’m going to come and gut you so you better get security,'” she claimed. “Someone also said that, ‘If I see you walking on the sidewalk, I’m going to come and shove you in the trunk of my car.’ So these are just some of the messages I’ve been receiving behind the scenes.”
In the new Netflix docuseries, Miranda’s parents and her TikTok-famous sister, Melanie, claimed she was part of a cult and under the influence of pastor Robert Shinn
Dancing for the Devil focuses on the journey of Miranda, who rose to fame alongside her sister, Melanie, on their TikTok channel called the Wilking Sisters. Their dynamic dance videos garnered millions of followers and attractive brand deals. However, Miranda’s relationship with her family went downhill after she met her now-husband, James, and signed with the management company called 7M Films.
The Los Angeles-based company is owned by pastor Robert Shinn, who is also the leader of the nondenominational Shekinah Church. Dancers who later cut ties with 7M Films said Robert would be excessively controlling and also expected them to cough up a hefty portion of their earnings for the church.
Miranda’s family alleged in the docuseries that she grew distant from them following Robert’s entry into her life. However, in the June 10 video, the dance video-maker said she has been privately trying to mend her relationship with her parents and her sister. She also said she didn’t understand why her family would agree to be part of the documentary, which she previously called “one-sided.”
The TikToker included screenshots of haters asking her to end her life after the release of Netflix’s three-episode series
“I don’t understand how my parents and my sister thought that this documentary would help me or would help our relationship in any way. I just don’t understand that,” she said in the recent video.
“I have been getting together with my family for the past couple of years, privately, to work on our relationship, to make things right, to mend what has been broken,” she went on to say. “I’ve been loving it. I’ve been loving getting together, laughing, just enjoying each other’s company. And this documentary has made it very difficult to continue doing that.”
“Honestly I think that my parents and my sister have focused so much on this documentary that they’ve forgotten about working on any relationship with me,” she added.
“I don’t understand how my parents and my sister thought that this documentary would help me or would help our relationship in any way,” Miranda said
The TikTok sensation expressed gratitude to her fans for showing support through this time and apologized for not being able to put out content as usual. Nevertheless, she said, “I see the light at the end of the tunnel,” and she assured fans that she would get back to making dance videos soon.
It was back in 2022 when Melanie and the Wilking sisters’ parents, Kelly and Dean, sat down for an emotional video to tell the world how the church was separating Miranda from the family.
25-year-old Melanie also said she attended some of the church’s gatherings in the past and saw “red flags” that she said her sister could not see.
The Wilking sisters’ parents, Kelly and Dean, opened up in a 2022 video about Miranda growing distant from the family after signing with 7M Films and joining the Shekinah Church
“I went to two of their private dinners and two of the services that you have to be invited to, and I picked up on all these red flags,” she said in an interview with Access Hollywood this month.
“So when she’s saying that we weren’t supportive, it was because I was seeing what she wasn’t seeing. I was seeing that they wanted to, because I wasn’t going anymore, they wanted to rip us apart. And sure enough look where we are,” she added.
Miranda said she has been privately trying to mend her relationship with her family, whom she described as “not religious”
Miranda addressed her family’s allegations of being part of a cult in a message she shared on her Instagram Stories on June 4.
“I love my Mom, Dad and Melanie and they will forever be a part of my life,” she wrote. “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.”
“My parents and sister are not religious. They immediately called me going to church twice a week a ‘cult,'” she continued.
The makers behind Dancing for the Devil maintained that pastor Robert Shinn used his influence to control the dancers
Derek Doneen, the director of the new docuseries, maintained that the Shekinah Church pastor was sucking “regular people” into the cult-like group.
“I think audiences will be surprised by how easily regular people can get sucked into cult-like groups and how devastating the impact can be on families, friends, and communities,” he told Netflix. “I’m in awe of the families who let us in as they worked tirelessly to rescue their loved ones.”
“This series is about exposing the wrongdoers and setting the story straight,” added Executive Producer Jessica Acevedo. “All with the hope of helping those still under the control of the church.”
Following Miranda’s latest clip about receiving threats, many showed support, while others felt it might be the cult working behind the scenes
