A popular true-crime docuseries about a suspected TikTok cult ended with a family’s seemingly reluctant acceptance that they lost their loved one. One of the last scenes of “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” shows Miranda Derrick’s parents on the floor video-chatting with their daughter, grandchild, and son-in-law, with the understanding no one mentions the Los Angeles church and its leader, who’s accused of running a cult of “brainwashed” dancers. Miranda’s sister, Melanie Wilking, said she’s accepted that her wedding dream with her sister as her maid of honor won’t happen. It’s like the stormy seas have settled, but there’s still a dangerous undercurrent beneath the surface that’s swallowing more victims, cult expert Dr. Steven Hassan warned.
On paper, Robert Shinn is the pastor of a Los Angeles Shekinah Church who runs a dance production company that Miranda and her husband James Derrick (among others) work for. But former members said in court filings that Shinn is a “self-proclaimed man of god” living a lavish life on the backs of brainwashed TikTok dancers who are sexually abused and extorted. After the release of Netflix’s “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult,” 7M Films said in a statement on Instagram that the docuseries was “a slanderous work of fiction, born from a failed extortion attempt.”
Hassan watched the three-part series, and said Shinn and 7M have the traits of a rapidly growing “brainwashing cult” that’s disguised as a religious movement called “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR). “What characterizes them differently from mainstream Christian evangelicals is that the leaders claim to be an apostle or a prophet, who gets direct revelations from God,” Hassan told Fox News Digital. These cult leaders, in my opinion, say God speaks directly to them, and they typically speak in tongues and claim to cast out demons and claim to do faith healings.
All of these characteristics were described by former members who were interviewed in the documentary, as well as in court filings obtained and reviewed by Fox News Digital. There is an online petition that has collected over 16,100 signatures imploring law enforcement to investigate and bring criminal charges against Shinn. “It is time for justice,” the online petition says. “We cannot allow someone who preys on vulnerable individuals under the guise of religion to continue these heinous acts without consequence.”
Miranda, who was featured prominently in the Netflix docuseries, shared a lengthy Instagram message saying she’s not a victim and stressed she’s not in any harm. She called the documentary a “public attack” that was “one-sided.” She mentioned she’s been meeting with her family “to make amends,” but her portrayal in the docuseries created a further challenge between her and her family. Overall, the story of the suspected TikTok cult and the family’s struggle to reunite with their lost loved one sheds light on the dangers of manipulation and control in religious movements. The ongoing legal battle between Shinn and former members also underscores the importance of seeking justice and holding those accountable for their actions.