Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’: The Story of An Influencer Who Faked Her Cancer
Netflix is at it again with a limited series, Apple Cider Vinegar, that will have us glued to our screens trying to decipher what’s true and what’s pure bull. This time, it’s the shocking story of an Australian wellness influencer who faked having cancer. We wish we could tell you it’s a plot from a fictionalized show, but this actually happened IRL. The streaming platform described it as “This is a true-ish story based on a lie.”
Who is the Inspiration Behind Apple Cider Vinegar?
Kaitlyn Dever plays Belle Gibson, an influencer who launched a mobile app and a cookbook, The Whole Pantry. She claimed she’d been diagnosed with multiple cancers (brain, blood, spleen, uterine, liver, and kidney), undergone heart surgery several times, and had a stroke. Her empire was built on the pretense that she was managing her health issues with diet, exercise, natural medicine, and alternative medicine therapies.
However, fans soon found inconsistencies in her story. Not able to keep up with the lies, Gibson admitted in 2015 in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly (via US Weekly) that she lied. “No. None of it’s true. I am still jumping between what I think I know and what is reality. I have lived it and I’m not really there yet.”
What We Know About the TV Series So Far
Created by Samantha Strauss with scriptwriters Anya Beyersdorf and Angela Betzien, the show was loosely inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled the World written by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano who investigated Gibson.
Strauss said in an interview with Netflix’s Tudum (via Glamour), “It’s really interesting to look at how media uses food as a weapon against us and how much we crave the nourishment, but also how much of a privilege and how expensive it is to try to be well.”
Additional casts include Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Lucy, a woman with cancer who believed Gibson’s claim. Alycia Debnam-Carey plays Milla Blake, Gibson’s sort of rival who also launched her wellness platform but actually has cancer, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Why You Should Watch
Apple Cider Vinegar is more than just a series about the rise and fall of a media empire built on a lie. It’s also a deep dive into the sometimes toxic world of influencer culture and how influencers can be irresponsible with what they post for their thousands of followers to consume. It’s an eye-opening watch that will make you think twice about who you follow online and how many of the stories they tell are true.
Apple Cider Vinegar will be available for streaming on Netflix on February 6, 2025.
