The TikTok star, whose family says she is being held against her will by a religious cult, posted a teasing video on Monday night to poke fun at their fears.
Miranda Derrick’s family says the 25-year-old was brainwashed by 7M, her TikTok management company. 7M founder Robert Shinn is also the pastor of Shekinah International, the church to which Miranda and her new husband James, another TikTok dancer, belong.
Miranda is believed to share an apartment with James. She also spends time at the Shinns’ home, a $3.5 million North Hollywood property, and other Los Angeles mega-mansions where they film their lucrative viral videos.
On February 24, her mother, father, and sister posted a tearful video on Instagram claiming that they had not been able to contact her for a year.
“Whatever she is involved in, she has some kind of control over herself that makes her afraid. Before she became a member of this religious group, we never fought,” her mother said.
Miranda insists that she is not being held against her will and that her relationship with her family has simply deteriorated. Shinn and 7M also vehemently deny creating a cult, claiming that all dancers have access to their phones, social media accounts and can talk to anyone.
This story has taken over the global TikTok entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Miranda added fuel to the fire last night with a creepy video of James appearing in the background of several shots of her dancing. He wears a black hoodie and stands ominously behind her as she films the video.
Miranda Derrick posted this video on TikTok on Monday, joking that she was “captured” by her husband James, who appeared behind her in a few shots in a black hoodie before asking at the end of the clip when they could go and buy food.
The video appears to have been filmed in the apartment where Miranda and James live together. She claims they are not in a cult
Covering it: Derrick joked that her husband “took” in a light-hearted caption that would likely piss off her worried family.
Video caption: “When you were PICKED UP…too long to film. IFIC.
Miranda’s family posted this tearful video to Instagram in February claiming she was brainwashed.
The footage is a parody of her kidnapping, which ends with James asking her when they can eat because he is hungry.
This joke will likely not please Miranda’s worried parents. Her mother, a Michigan teacher, said in a tearful video that she was worried for her daughter’s safety.
Miranda insists that the fuss comes down to a family feud. She claims it started when she moved out of the house she shared with her younger sister to move in with James and “start a new life”.
While she says there is nothing to worry about, former members of the Shekinah Church say otherwise.
Lydia Chung, who sued Shinn in 2009, told The Daily Beast she was swindled out of $4 million.
”It’s a cult. It totally ruins people.
Robert E. Shinn is the founder of 7M Film Company and pastor of the Shekinah Church in California. He gained new notoriety after the family of one of his biggest TikTok stars Miranda Derrick claimed he was holding her against her will in a religious cult.
This is the house where Miranda grew up in Macomb, Michigan, along with her younger sister, Melanie. Her mother worked for the school district
Miranda now spends most of her time at the Shinns’ North Hollywood home, where she and the other TiKTokers film their videos.
Headquarters of Shekinah International Church in Tujunga, California. The church has already been accused of brainwashing people
“You heard about people who went to Vietnam – going through such trauma, many people cannot function as normal people – that’s what he does.
“I don’t want to harm those who go to real churches,” she said.
A 7M spokesperson told yesterday: “The false and sensational claims about 7M stem directly from a dispute between dancer Miranda Derrick, who is represented by 7M, and her estranged family.
“Despite her family’s claims, Miranda is a successful business woman, a loving wife and daughter who cares deeply about her family.
“It is pathetic and despicable to try to turn her personal family affairs into a tasteless public scandal over clicks and influence.
“While the recent portrayals of Dr. Robert Shinn and 7M Films have been wildly offensive and rife with inaccuracies, these false claims will not stop 7M from supporting Miranda in whatever endeavors she chooses to continue.”