Message from former 7M dancer Kylie Douglas to Miranda Derrick and other band members (exclusive)

The new Netflix documentary “Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult” follows a talented group of TikTok dancers whose families claim to be part of a cult.

Miranda Derrick is one of those dancers, and her parents and sister Melanie have spoken out online and in the docuseries about how they were cut off from Miranda, who they say was manipulated by the boss alleged member of the sect, Robert Shinn.

Derrick, however, has since spoken out, saying the doctor was one-sided and that she was not a victim.

“Extra” spoke with Kylie Douglas, one of the TikTok dancers with millions of followers who began filming content with the son of religious leader Robert Shinn. She and others joined his church and Robert said he could make them rich if they worked for his 7M management company.

Kylie said of Miranda: “I know where she comes from. She is so involved in the group. She can’t see the clear message of this documentary, so I understand where she’s coming from, but it’s also not easy to read that when you have a team full of people, your family, all these supporters who are really invested in trying to help them. His statement also seemed one-sided, in a way. Everyone was invited to participate in the documentary. Other parties were asked to be informed of this, but this was refused. »

Former 7M members claim that control of their careers has become total control of their lives.

Kylie shared: “He was my ex-boyfriend. He started going to Bible study meetings and dinners at the pastor’s house, and then I was curious, “What is that?” Where are you going?’ And that’s when I started getting interested in these Bible studies and meetings. From there, that’s when I finally got invited. It took a while, but once I was invited, that’s how invested I became in the group.

She explained: “Something that sparked curiosity, I guess, at first, like, ‘Why can’t I be invited?’ But the way it’s organized is the way it’s supposed to be organized from their perspective, right? Because they want people to be curious, they want you to be interested in what’s next – what else can I be invited to? So that’s actually their game plan to begin with.

Douglas said, “Once I went there, I felt really comfortable because I knew a lot of dancers there, and it seemed like a good place to be with different friends and follow God. . There didn’t seem to be any problem. »

This feeling did not last. Soon, Kylie saw red flags, realized she wasn’t in a safe place, and escaped the church/talent management company.

She said over time, “You can only push someone’s buttons for so long, and that’s kind of what happened in my situation. I was mentally exhausted all the time. I was never good enough in their eyes, so I was always trying to please my mentors or please everyone around me.

Today, Robert faces a lawsuit accusing him of brainwashing and abuse, but he has denied all allegations against him.

Kylie said the allegations against Shinn “opened my eyes and reminded me that this is not where I should be, it’s not safe, and it’s still an active danger in this moment and that’s why we must continue to spread the message.”

The accusations also made her realize, “I’m not the only one who feels this way and it’s okay to feel this way and it’s okay to realize this isn’t my circle.” And then with the allegations, it made me realize that it’s not a safe place either.

She also wanted to prevent this from happening to others. “When it all broke out (on social media), I saw other women who weren’t in a good situation and I didn’t want anything to get that far.”

It’s also why Miranda’s family continues to fight for her to leave.

Kylie shared: “I think from the beginning Melanie and her family have just been there, wanting to love Miranda and wanting to support her. And no matter which Miranda, which version of her they get, they’re still the same…(They) love her no matter what and they just want their daughter and their sister back. So I think even if she fights or gets angry or whatever, they’ll still be the same to try to get her out of there.

His message to others in a similar situation: “I would just say follow your heart, because your heart knows where you should be, even though your mind can be manipulated and brainwashed, your heart knows where you belong . Everyone has different heartstrings and we know that if it’s a mom or a dad, those heartstrings are pulled in different ways, so I would say follow your heart and that will take you exactly where you need to be, because that’s where it led me and now I’m back exactly where I belong.

Douglas said of the documentary: “The message I get from the documentary is that you always have your power in your back pocket, and you can forget it’s there, but it’s your decision and your choice when you can take it back and say, “No, I’m going to take my power, I’m going to use my voice, I’m going to fight back. And I hope it’s a reminder to anyone who might find themselves in a dangerous or even just questionable situation, like, you have your power. You can use your voice. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.