For fans who grew up watching Smallville, Allison Mack was a familiar face as the bright, quick-witted Chloe Sullivan, who always stood by Clark Kent’s side. But after her decade-long run on the series ended, Mack disappeared from the spotlight, only to reemerge years later under the most shocking circumstances… as a central figure in the NXIVM sex cult scandal.
In 2018, the FBI arrested Mack, and was charged with trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, money laundering, identity fraud, and racketeering.
She ultimately pleaded guilty and served two years behind bars, released in 2023. Reports later revealed Mack was deeply involved in recruiting members, with claims that she even tried to enlist her Smallville co-stars.
One of those co-stars was Aaron Ashmore who played Jimmy Olsen and Chloe’s love interest on the series. he reflected on the bombshell revelations during an interview with Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) on the Inside of You podcast.
“She was lovely. She was very welcoming and inviting,” Ashmore recalled. “And even her boyfriend Chad [Krowchuk], they would invite me out to go for hikes and stuff. She was super cool and she is a very, very good actor.”
Ashmore had nothing but praise for Mack’s professionalism, describing her as a “solid” scene partner who made acting “really easy.” That’s part of what made the news about NXIVM hit so hard.
“Dude, my jaw was on the floor,” he admitted. “I knew Alison really well for those three years. We worked together and nothing in her personality would have led me to believe that any of this was possible. It seemed like an alternate reality, it seemed like a ‘What are you talking about?’ type scenario.”
Rosenbaum offered his own perspective, having first learned about NXIVM through a documentary. He pointed out how easy it might have been for someone like Mack to get swept up in it.
“In the beginning, it’s like, ‘Oh, this is a good thing. They’re helping people with their confidence and finding purpose and all these things.’ And you’re thinking, ‘Hey, I could use some of that.’
“But then you see where it goes and you see what the craziness — it obviously got really intense and crazy — and you’re like, ‘How does it become that? Why can’t something just be good? Why does it always have to become something horrible?'”
Ashmore responded thoughtfully: “Well, unfortunately, human nature, you know? I think a lot of people are looking for something, they don’t know what it is, and people will prey on that. People have traumas, they have families, all sorts of sh*t that they’re trying to look for answers for, and there’s always gonna be somebody out there who’s gonna take advantage of that.”
While only a few Smallville alumni managed to find major success after the series ended, Mack likely would have kept working steadily in the industry, and probably would have had a thriving presence on the convention circuit. Instead, her career and reputation collapsed spectacularly.
Ashmore, meanwhile, has carved out a solid path, with notable roles in shows like Designated Survivor and Locke & Key. It’s a bittersweet reflection for fans of Smallville’s Allison Mack.
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