‘Dancing for the Devil’ subject Miranda Derrick says she is ‘not a victim’
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Miranda Derrick is pushing back on some of the allegations in the recent Netflix docuseries, “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult.”
Derrick, a dancer with more than 2 million followers on TikTok, and her family are featured in the three-part series that explores a religious organization and its connection to a talent management company called 7M Films.
“I just wanted to hop on here really quick and first of all, say thank you so much to everybody who’s been so supportive during this time,” Derrick said in a video shared on Instagram. “In the next couple of slides, I’ve included my statements of this documentary that’s just been released. I can’t go into too much detail cause of legal purposes, but I just wanted to add my side of the story a little bit.”
It was alleged in the docuseries that the dancer’s family had lost touch with her for extended time due to her involvement with the religious organization and she was “no longer in control” of her life.
CNN has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Derrick began her statement offering her appreciation for “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,” she wrote. “Though I will state that I do not condone abuse in any way.”
She went on to share her feelings for her parents and her sister, Melanie Wilking, with whom she had performed dance with as part of the Wilking Sisters.
“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,” Derrick wrote. “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.”
She went on to address some of the points raised in the docuseries, including that her affiliation with Shekinah Church and 7M Films led to her distance from her family and her decision not to attend her grandfather’s funeral. (7M Films made a public statement in 2022 asserting that it is “operate(d) separately and apart” from Shekinah Church.)
“Before we went into the hospital to [say our last goodbyes], 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,” she wrote.
Derrick also said that she started her own social media account after her sister had locked her out of the one they used to share.
“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,” said the performer, who is married to fellow dancer James Derrick, known as BDash, who is also one of the subjects of the docuseries. “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.”
The-CNN-Wire
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