Miranda Derrick, a TikTok influencer receives death threats following a Netflix documentary, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. The 27-year-old dancer and TikTok star claims her life is in danger following the release of a Netflix docuseries, which explores her estrangement from her family after joining a religious organization.
Who Is Miranda Derrick?
Miranda Derrick is a 7M dance influencer and the subject of a controversial Netflix docuseries, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult. She is also a dancer, choreographer, YouTuber, and social media star with millions of followers.
Derrick first rose to fame when she competed in the 12th series of So You Think You Can Dance. She garnered attention due to allegations her family has made that accused 7M, a management company, of exerting unhealthy control over its dancers.
Netflix Documentary, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
The Netflix docuseries that is causing controversy follows the story of 7M Films, which was founded in the 1990s by Robert Shinn as a religious community for Korean Americans. In 2021, he re-branded, launching 7M Films to what it is now, and began recruiting dancers from social media.
The dancers Shinn brought together all lived in a single house, creating content. However, the lines between the management company and Shinn’s religious community, known as Shekinah Church, became very blurry. Allegedly, many dancers took part in the congregation, looking to gain favor with Shinn himself.
In the docuseries, an investigative team digs deep into the lives of dancers and their families as they uncover the truth about Shinn, facing multiple sexual assault accusations. Recordings from his church reveal his influence, coercing members to sever ties with non-members.
7M claims that it’s a completely separate entity from Shekinah Church and that the church is not a cult. In fact, Shinn has filed a lawsuit for defamation against former members who claim that he runs a cult.
In addition to those claims, several former members of 7M claim Shinn took advantage of their vulnerability. He used their lack of connections to take the majority of their income through titles and fees. He allegedly exploited social media influencers, demanding up to 70% of their earnings.
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 co-defendants deny the claims against them. The case is set to go to trial in 2025.”
Influencer Receives Death Threats Over Netflix Special
Influencer receives death threats following a documentary, detailing her relationship with her management company. On June 4, Miranda Derrick broke her silence on the doc, stating that she was “not a victim,” “not in any harm,” and “not being abused.”
Following the release of the documentary, Miranda Derrick, a prominent 7M member, claims that her life is in danger.
Speaking about herself and her husband, who is also a 7M dancer, Derrick says “Now that this documentary is out, we feel like our lives have been put in danger. We have both been followed in our cars, we have received hate mail, death threats, people have been sending us messages to commit suicide, and we’ve been stalked.”
Citing several instances, she claimed, “Someone said, ‘If I see you on the street, I’m going to come and get you so you better get security’.”
Other Similar Cases
While the death threats the influence has received over the docuseries are certainly troubling, this isn’t the first time something like this happened.
In September 2020, the director of Cuties received numerous death threats over the poster for the show.
In January 2021, the cast of Mosul, an Iraqi-language thriller, received unsettling threats of violence coming from members and loyalists of ISIS.
Following the release of Netflix’s hit series, Baby Reindeer in 2024, a woman who has been accused of being the real-life protagonist, has also received death threats as a result. She has said, “I’ve had death threats as a result of his show despite the fact that a lot of the things he claimed are just not true.”
What This Means for Future
While Derrick’s case is disturbing, it’s clear that this isn’t the first time stars of a hit show have been targeted. Receiving not only backlash but also death threats is an incredible escalation and raises some important questions.
How can cases like these be prevented in the future? Who should be in charge of protecting the actors receiving these threats? How can they protect themselves and at what point should they consider hiring professional protection?
As these questions and many more arise, we wonder what security measures should be taken and can these instances be avoided. Let us know what you think in the comments below!