Apple Cider Vinegar Creator Reveals Whether The Real Belle Gibson Was Involved With The Netflix Series

Apple Cider Vinegar creator Samantha Strauss has revealed whether the real Belle Gibson was involved with the Netflix series about her wellness schemes. Apple Cider Vinegar focuses on Belle Gibson (Kaitlyn Dever), a real-world wellness guru known for faking a Stage 4 brain cancer diagnosis to claim her diet and alternative medicine cured her of the disease. The six-episode series focuses on Belle and her friend, Milla (Alycia Debnam-Carey) launching their own influencer and media brand, all while selling desperate people fake cures for cancer. The series has an 82% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing.

Speaking with IndieWire, however, Strauss explained that the real Gibson was not involved in any way, shape, or form in creating Apple Cider Vinegar. The showrunner explained she’d received concerns from a friend whose spouse had cancer about whether the real-life person was getting money from the story, confirming this was not the case. She explained the story was entirely based on the facts at the crew’s disposal, with no input from the real-life person. Check out what Strauss had to say below:

I had a friend whose partner was dying of brain cancer, and they were horrified that I was telling the story. The first question was, ‘Is Belle getting money?’ I go on and read the YouTube comments, which I should stop doing on our trailer, [and it’s], ‘Is Belle being paid for this? Is Belle being paid for this?’ And I wanted to just clear that up straight away: No, she’s not and and also that our Belle is — I’ve never met the real Belle Gibson. This isn’t with her sanction or her blessing. Our character is probably quite different to the real person. I’ve used the facts of what I know, and I’ve invented someone much as she invented herself.

What Bell Gibson’s Lack Of Involvement Says About Apple Cider Vinegar

The Show Uses History Instead Of Testimony

In the same interview, Strauss confirmed much of the series’ story pulls from the nonfiction book The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. The major perspectives associated with the show came from here, with many factual elements across the series being true to life because of its source material. While there are some liberties taken, such as Gibson’s best friend Milla being loosely based on Jessica Ainscough, the major points of her history as a fake wellness guru are still intact.

Since Apple Cider Vinegar‘s positive reviews emphasize the way the series handles its history, jumping between Gibson’s time on top and her crumbling at different intervals, there’s confidence in the presentation of the show’s story. It indicates Strauss’ handling of the story is built on being as true to life as possible, without trying to glorify the real-life events that unfolded. It’s a delicate balance that didn’t require input from the real-world figure, given the number of lives she effected with her false claims of curing cancer.

Our Take On Apple Cider Vinegar Not Involving Gibson In Its Production

A Sensible Decision Given The Subject Matter

If Gibson had been involved in making Apple Cider Vinegar, the fake wellness guru may have had to be paid for her consultation, or credited in some capacity for the series. Doing so would have gone against the show’s focus on highlighting the immorality of what she did, making the show feel hypocritical had her perspective on what happened been included. Luckily, the history available to the public was enough to make the series stand out, as evident by its highly positive review scores.

Source: IndieWire

TV Show

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Apple Cider Vinegar

8/10

Release Date

2025 – 2024

Network

Netflix

Directors

Jeffrey Walker

Writers

Samantha Strauss