Smallville’s Tom Welling, 42, and Michael Rosenbaum, 46, are denying that they knew anything about their former co-star Allison Mack’s involvement in an alleged sex cult. On the very day that NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, 58, was found guilty of seven charges – including sex trafficking and forced labor conspiracy – the two actors revealed exactly what they knew about the part the actress played in the controversial group. The Smallville stars had the heart-to-heart during the June 19 episode of Rosenbaum’s podcast, Inside Of You.
In April Mack, 36, pled guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges. Like Raniere she was initially accused of sex trafficking and forced labor conspiracy based on allegations that she led a secret society called DOS within NXIVM. Prosecutors alleged that women within that group were branded, considered slaves, and forced to engage in sex acts with Raniere. But Welling and Rosenbaum said on the podcast that they knew nothing about it and were shocked that Mack was accused of being involved.
Welling, who played Clark Kent in the hit TV show, said, “I didn’t know anything about it… I was very surprised to read anything about it. It’s sounds very bizarre. Allison was always a nice person around me.” Rosenbaum agreed, saying, “All I know is, it’s hard to… I always say this, if somebody said, ‘Hey, your brother killed someone.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s impossible. You don’t know my brother.’ Now, Allison and I were never really tight on the show, like you and I were. I didn’t really know, she went off and did her own thing. But if someone said, ‘Oh, Allison Mack killed [someone]’ I would [say], ‘No, that’s impossible.’”
Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville for 10 years, added, “And now, things have added up and… you’re sort of in the middle where you’re like, ‘Hey, I’ll always have love for Allison, but did this really happen?’ … I don’t know what to say.” He added, “If it’s true, it’s a tragedy.”
Now that some time has passed… and we’ve all had some time to digest some of the recent allegations… Hear what Tom Welling and I have to think about the Allison Mack <> NXIVM situation.
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👉👉 https://t.co/R6p25R4oXy pic.twitter.com/sTVRvOU85r— Inside Of You (@insideofyoupod) June 20, 2019
Although the Inside Of You episode was released on June 19, it’s not clear exactly when it was recorded and if it was before or after Mack pled guilty. While Welling said that it’s “funny that people think that we would know, or that we would have some perspective on it,” Rosenbaum agreed that he did know that Mack was in a so-called self-help group that he was invited to find out more about.
“Well, I always knew, back in the day, they were part of like a self-help thing, but it wasn’t even this,” the actor said. “This was something that happened later. I remember one time, maybe it was Allison who asked me or something and she was just like, ‘Hey, you should try coming to it,’ and I was like, ‘No. I don’t know. It’s not for me.’” Before moving off the topic he said, “But ultimately we both think it’s tragic what happened, if that’s what happened. We’re all figuring out what the deal is.”
Mack – who joined NXIVM in 2006 – played Chloe Sullivan on Smallville from 2001 until 2011. She is due to be sentenced in September and faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.