Ever since its release in May, all eyes have been on the continuous drama unfolding from the new docuseries Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, which launched on Netflix on May 29. TikTok dancer Miranda Derrick’s relationship with her family — namely her sister Melanie Wilking — has received special attention, as the question of whether they are still in communication has been circulating with the continued rise in interest after the series’ debut.
If you’re unfamiliar with the premise of the Netflix docuseries, it uncovers the underlying secrets of the management agency 7M and its talent, which features up-and-coming dancers, one of whom is Miranda Derrick. The series accuses the talent agency of manipulating their talent. Such actions include severing ties with their families and convincing dancers to allocate portions of their income to Shekinah Church, which is operated by Robert Shinn, the founder of 7M Management. Miranda’s family has been the most public about what’s been going on, speaking out on her behalf for nearly two years. Viewers are wondering if Miranda is still in contact with her family, especially now that the series has gone viral online.
The docuseries emphasizes Miranda’s family, which consists of sister Melanie and parents Kelly and Dean Wilking, who claim in the series that they’ve tried contacting Miranda numerous times after she stopped responding to their calls and texts in 2021, when she first joined the company and church. The family discusses in the documentary how they were able to reconnect with Miranda and her husband, fellow 7M talent James Derrick, under the condition that they refrain from discussing Robert Shinn and Shekinah Church as a whole on social media.
Melanie married NFL athlete Austin Ekeler in a Las Vegas ceremony just a few days before the series premiered. Miranda and her husband Derrick were not present in the group family photo, but Miranda did post a photo of herself on Instagram with the caption, “Had such a great time at my sister’s wedding.”
Some people assumed that Miranda did not attend the wedding due to the fact she was absent from the group photos, but her sister Melanie clarified the situation.
Melanie sat down for an exclusive interview with Glamour on June 6, during which she stated that Miranda and James Derrick did, in fact, attend her wedding. She was also questioned if she had spoken with Miranda since the documentary’s release, to which she stated that she had not. “I have not, sadly. I did reach out, but I have not heard back.”
Miranda replied to the allegations made against her by posting now-deleted TikTok slides on June 4 in response to the docuseries.
In part of her written explanation, she expressed how it has made her feel about the future with her family, saying, “I have been getting together with them over the past couple years to make amends, move on and work things out as a family. This documentary has created a further challenge between us as I work to overcome this public attack. No one likes to be portrayed as their brainwashed/not in control of her own life/shell of herself/human trafficked daughter/sister when that just isn’t the truth.”
As of right now, it appears that the two sisters are no longer communicating with one another, but all we can hope is that they, along with the rest of the family, will be able to reconnect one day!