Who is Kristin Kreuk? Allison Mack says Smallville co-star introduced her to NXIVM

Allison Mack, who played Chloe Sullivan on The WB (now CW) series Smallville, has broken her silence on the notorious NXIVM controversy two years after her prison release. 

In a recent statement, Allison said her Smallville costar Kristin Kreuk, who played Clark Kent's love interest, Lana Lang, on the show, was the one who introduced her to NXIVM.

For the unversed, Allison Mack was accused of working for Keith Raniere, who founded NXIVM, a company that sexually abused women under the guise of a personal development mentoring group.  Allison Mack, who had initially fallen prey to Keith Raniere's sexual predation, later lured women into NXIVM for Keith's alleged sex-trafficking and racketeering cult. 

The Smallville star was arrested in April 2018 and pleaded guilty to the charges in 2019. She received a three-year prison sentence, but was released from federal prison after serving two years in 2023. 

The former actress shared her account of what had transpired in the past on the new CBC podcast Allison After NXIVM. With award-winning writer Natalie Robehmed as the host, the first episode aired on Monday, November 10.

Allison Mack shared her account of how she eventually got involved with NXIVM through her Smallville costar and friend Kristin Kreuk.

Kristin was born to a Chinese-Indonesian mother and a Dutch father in Mount Pleasant, Vancouver. She rose to prominence through her Smallville stint that ran for 10 seasons. She went on to play Catherine Chander opposite Jay Ryan's Vincent Keller on the CW series Beauty & the Beast.

Kristin is also known for her titular role in the 2009 action film, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

Allison Mack details how her friendship with Kristin Kreuk brought her to NXIVM

According to Natalie Robehmed's narration on the podcast, Allison Mack and Kristin Kreuk became close friends while filming Smallville in Vancouver, Canada. The two went on exotic trips around the world. Allison Mack recalled:

"We went to Syria and Turkey together, we went to Mongolia together, we went to Paris, and we had so much fun."

Allison and Kristin had rented an apartment in the West Village, New York, during their break from acting. The actress said they were both around 25 at the time and had come to realize they both shared a feeling of dissatisfaction from inside, despite having it all. Allison and Kristin spoke about a "weird ennui" they both had felt.

Allison Mack shared she felt an "odd emptiness" which was juxtaposed with her lifestyle. She said Kristin told her about experiencing a similar feeling. Around the time, NXIVM, the company, who had proclaimed to host life-coaching seminars to help people with self-improvement, was becoming well-known among actors.

Allison recalled what she initially felt about attending NXIVM’s courses:

"It's the science of joy. It's the most amazing thing. It made everything so much better in my life."

Allison said Kristin Kreuk first took a course with NXIVM and sang praises of the organization's founder, Keith Raniere, and the co-founder and president, Nancy Salzman:

"It was like all she could talk about. She was just like super excited about it. You know, she had a coach, and she was talking about 'Vanguard', and 'Prefect', which were the names that you called Keith and Nancy at the time."

Allison Mack claimed Kristin Kreuk told her about a special course Keith had created "just for women", and encouraged her to attend it:

""They're doing a weekend and I think you should do it. I think you'd really like it.""

Allison Mack told Natalie Robehmed she had agreed to her friend Kristin Kreuk's offer to partake in an NXIVM session.

In 2018, shortly after Keith Raniere was arrested and the public learned of the truth behind the NXIVM, Kristin Kreuk addressed rumors that she was involved in the cult as a "sex slaves" recruiter.

In a statement shared with ELLE, Kristin explained she was 23 when she found NXIVM, and thought it to be a "self-help/personal growth course". Kristin said the course she took with the organization had helped her overcome her "shyness". The actress asserted:

"I left about five years ago and had minimal contact with those who were still involved."

Addressing online accusations that she was part of the Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS) subgroup, where women were coerced into being sex slaves, Kristin Kreuk said:

"The accusations that I was in the 'inner circle' or recruited women as 'sex slaves' are blatantly false. During my time, I never experienced any illegal or nefarious activity. I am horrified and disgusted by what has come out about DOS."

Kristin Kreuk shared words of encouragement for the "brave women" who had shared their stories and exposed DOS and Keith Raniere. She also added feeling "deeply disturbed and embarrassed" by her past association with NXIVM.