Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar is a semi-fictionalized drama based on the real-life story of Belle Gibson, the Australian influencer who falsely claimed to have terminal brain cancer. Released on Thursday, the series stars Kaitlyn Dever as Gibson and delves into how she built a fraudulent wellness empire.
The show also features Alycia Debnam-Carey as Milla, a fictional influencer with a real cancer diagnosis, and Aisha Dee as Chanelle, Milla’s friend who helps expose Gibson’s deception. Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Lucy, a cancer patient who follows Gibson’s advice, while Mark Coles Smith portrays Lucy’s husband, a journalist investigating the fraud.
Belle Gibson first gained attention in 2009, claiming she had only four months to live after a brain cancer diagnosis. She said she had rejected chemotherapy in favor of natural healing through diet and alternative treatments. By 2013, she had amassed over 200,000 Instagram followers and launched The Whole Pantry app in 2014, which Apple heavily promoted. She also secured a book deal with Penguin and received accolades from Elle Australia and Cosmopolitan, further cementing her status as a wellness guru.
However, in 2015, journalists Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano began investigating her after she failed to donate promised funds to charities. As scrutiny mounted, Gibson’s story unraveled. In May 2015, she confessed to The Australian Women’s Weekly, stating, “None of it’s true.”
In 2017, Australian authorities fined Gibson $410,000 for misleading and deceptive conduct. She refused to pay, leading to multiple raids on her home. Donnelly and Toscano later chronicled the scandal in their book The Woman Who Fooled the World, which serves as the basis for Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar.
The series revisits Gibson’s deception, exploring the dangers of influencer culture and the consequences of exploiting the wellness industry for personal gain.