Nicki Clyne: What Happened to NXIVM Member and Where Is She Now? – Newsweek

New episodes of the docuseries The Vow, Part Two are airing every Monday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, and already, audiences want to know more about the gripping true story.

Since Part One of The Vow aired in 2020, a lot has unfolded in connection with the story, including the conviction of NXIVM founder Kieth Raniere on charges that included racketeering, human trafficking, sex offenses, sexual exploitation of a child and fraud.

Part Two will follow Raniere's trial and will continue to look at his former inner circle, people who defected from the group and current supporters.

Nicki Clyne remains one of Raniere's devoted supporters and she appears throughout The Vow, Part Two. Newsweek has everything you need to know about Clyne going forward.

Nicky Clyne is a Canadian actress from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada.

She is best known for her role as Cally Henderson in the SyFy series Battlestar Galactica.

Her other acting credits include Totally Awesome, The Twilight Zone, and The Tiki Bar TV.

Clyne is an outspoken NXIVM member and supporter of Raniere.

At first, NXIVM was seen to be a multi-level marketing company, however, in the late 2000s and 2010s, a darker side to NXIVM began to surface in the media, with Raniere and Salzman's company facing allegations it was a cult with unethical practices and a history of sexual abuse.

In 2015, Raniere founded the secret organization known as DOS, Dominus Obsequious Sororium," which loosely translates to "Master Over the Slave Women." It was promoted as a "women's empowerment society,"

Raniere was the head of DOS, known as "grandmaster," and established a pyramid system, where slaves were controlled by their "masters." Women would also have to give "collateral" to their leaders every month, which included things such as sexually explicit photos or videos and personal information. They were also groomed to have sex with Raniere and were forced to follow near-starvation diets.

Some women who were members of DOS were branded with Raniere's initials.

Clyne is believed to have held a high position with DOS and was known as a "first-line slave."

In March 2018, Keith Raniere and his close NXIVM followers Allison Mack, Nancy Salzman, and Lauren Salzman, Kathy Russell, and Claire Bronfman faced charges of identity theft, extortion, forced labor, sex trafficking, money laundering, wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

During the investigation into Raniere, NXIVM, Mack, Clare Brofman, Kathy Russell, and Nancy and Lauren Salzman, Clyne was subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury. However, she invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and was ultimately not indicted.

Clyne has given statements to a federal court and the press that she has been a sexual partner of Raniere's for over a decade. Mack, Clyne's former wife, was also a sexual partner of Raniere's.

In June 2021, Mack was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and complete 1,000 hours of community service after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges. She also admitted to state law extortion and forced labor.

Speaking in The Vow, Part Two, Clyne shared she was "in a physical relationship with Keith for many years" adding: "I kept it a secret. A lot of people in the community didn't know who Keith's partners were or if he had any. I felt very clear on what I was signing up for."

She also stated the secret group DOS has been "misunderstood."

Clyne said: "DOS [has] been misunderstood because I helped create it."

"Sex was not the focus of anything," Clyne added. "Like, people are so obsessed with sex. It was also a walking group. It was also a go-for-coffee group. We were people who had relationships that were incredibly important and meaningful to us that we planned to have for the rest of our lives."

Today, Clyne continues to support Keith Raniere. She also continues to defend NXIVM, alongside a small group of other NXIVM members.

Clyne and other supporters created the activist group, We Are As You and launched their website, WeAreTheForgottenOnes.org. However, the website has not been used since November 2020.

In 2020, Clyne and members of We Are As You danced outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, where Raniere was detained. They alleged it was to help lift the spirits of inmates who could not have visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raniere is now serving the rest of his sentence at United States Penitentiary, Tuscon.

Clyne appears in Part Two of HBO Max's The Vow, voicing her support for Raniere and NXIVM, and ahead of the documentary's premiere on Monday, October 17 she tweeted:

"Today's documentaries are no different than professional wrestling. Most people *know* they're not real, but they choose to believe because it's more entertaining."

She also shared her views on Season One of The Vow on her blog, revealing if she had seen Season One of the show, she would have not agreed to appear in Season Two.

Speaking in The Vow, Part Two Clyne confidently states: "I feel proud of my decisions and I stand by them. And I know how hard that must be for people to understand considering the lens through which this situation is being portrayed."

In January 2020, Clyne, Mack, and NXIVM associates were named as defendants in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court by 80 former NXIVM members.

The lawsuit claimed NXIVM was a pyramid scheme with instances of exploitation of its recruits, illegal human experiments, and making it "physically and psychologically difficult" to leave.

According to The Frank Report, Clyne is representing herself and motioned to dismiss the complaint in January 2022, arguing she was named for "show" and "window dressing."

She added: "I find it curious that the main difference between me and the plaintiffs is that I have chosen not to disavow my experience in NXIVM and, instead, I express gratitude for everything I learned and gained through the curriculum."

Newsweek has reached out to Clyne's representatives for comment.

The Vow, Part Two airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

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Nicki Clyne: What Happened to NXIVM Member and Where Is She Now? - Newsweek