Miranda Derrick has broken her silence after her life was the focus of Netflix’s docuseries Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult.
The three-part series, released on May 29, explores Miranda’s family’s claims that the 7M dancer is allegedly stuck in a cult run by Robert Shinn, the pastor at Shekinah Church in Los Angeles and the founder of 7M Films, which manages Miranda’s dance career.
Miranda, 27, released a statement via Instagram on Tuesday, June 4, that detailed her take on the docuseries, including the fact she is “not a victim,” “not in any harm,” and “not being abused.”
“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,” Miranda, who has, in the past, denied she is in a cult, wrote via an Instagram Story.
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In the show, Shinn is accused of sexual assault by multiple women.
Miranda explained that while the series has captured her parents’ and sister Melanie Ekeler’s views on 7M, Miranda believes that what has been aired “is a one-sided story.”
“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,” Miranda wrote. “I gave my life to Jesus Christ in 20202 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.”
Miranda continued, “My family didn’t honor the space I asked for and I saw a different side of them I’ve never seen before. Honestly, it made me mad, frustrated and annoyed that they were being so overbearing and chaotic.”
The dance star, who is married to fellow 7M dancer, James Derrick, and was first linked to him in April 2021 after she allegedly cut ties with her family, also detailed a fallout between her and Ekeler.
“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,” Miranda wrote. “So I had no other choice but to start my own account and pursue my own career.”
During an Instagram Live in February 2022, her family claimed that they were not aware of Miranda’s September 2021 wedding to James.
Miranda’s new statement revealed that she and her family, including her sister, are now working together to move forward.
“I have been getting together with them over the past couple years to make amends, move on and work things out as a family. This documentary has created a further challenge between us as I work to overcome this public attack,” Miranda wrote.
Miranda also expressed her disapproval over the way she was represented within the docuseries.
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“No one likes to be portrayed as their [sic] brainwashed/not in control of her own life/shell of herself/human trafficked daughter/sister when that just isn’t the truth,” she wrote. “I would have preferred that my family’s circumstances 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 anything 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.”
The show follows several dancers and their families as they search for answers about Shinn.
In recordings from his church services, Shinn is heard influencing members to cut ties with their family members who do not belong to the organization. He is also accused of taking financial advantage of the social media stars, mandating in some cases that they donate up to 70 percent of their earnings to Shinn and Shekinah.
Netflix included a statement at the end of the doc that read: “No criminal charges have been brought against Shinn. He has previously denied sexually abusing any member of Shekinah or any client of 7M. The civil lawsuit is ongoing. Robert and his codefendants deny the claims against them. The case is set to go to trial in 2025.”
During an exclusive interview with the filmmakers last month, director Derek Doneen exposed hopes that Miranda would have a different reaction to the film.
“My hope is that Miranda will watch this and she will see that it was all done out of love,” Doneen told Us. “The experience that we both had with that family was absolutely coming from a place of love and desperation. Of course they expressed fear about how she would take it and I think that is ongoing.”
He added that Miranda was informed that her family participated in the series. “I know there was a lot of thought that went into how to tell her, but they did have that conversation and we, of course, reached out to Miranda a few times inviting her to participate and tell her the story from her perspective,” he said. “I think those emotions run high and are probably still present, but we don’t wanna speak for them.”
