What is Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix all about? The rise and fall of Belle Gibson

Modified Feb 10, 2025 15:04 GMT

Still from the teaser (Image via Netflix)

Apple Cider Vinegar is a limited drama series created by Samantha Strauss. It premiered on Netflix on February 6, 2025.

The series is based on the book, The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, which was about the social media influencer and author, Belle Gibson. Belle had created an online empire based on a lie that she was a cancer survivor, selling wellness programs, diets, books, and alternative medicines.

Apple Cider Vinegar is a fictionalized account of the true events that have inserted new characters into the Belle Gibson story to make it more thrilling. It stars Kaitlyn Dever and Alycia Debnam-Carey in the lead roles of Belle and Milla, respectively.

Apple Cider Vinegar is about Belle Gibson

Belle Gibson used to be a popular Australian social media influencer, wellness guru, and entrepreneur who advocated alternative medicines for serious health issues. She had amassed millions of followers, based on the claim that she healed her brain cancer through diet, exercise, natural medicine, and alternative medicine therapies.

However, it was soon discovered that Belle's empire was based on a lie. She never had brain cancer and was misleading her followers towards a dangerous path with serious repercussions. Her lies were first caught by her close friend Chanelle McAuliffe, but her claim of Belle's fraud wasn't heard until journalists at The Age broke the first story about the scam.

What happened to Belle Gibson?

After her lies were caught, Belle became a social pariah and lost all the followers she had gained through calculated lies and deceit. In 2017, the Federal Court of Australia ordered her to pay a fine of about AUD 400,000. Her cookbook, The Whole Pantry, which was published by Penguin and used to come with built-in Apple smart watches, was pulled from circulation.

Gibson claimed that she was in considerable debt and not able to pay the fine. In January 2020, the police searched her home and seized items against her unpaid fines. As per Forbes, the entire amount of her debt was still outstanding till late 2023.

The shocking true story has been fictionalized and converted into a six-episode miniseries, each episode lasting 55 to 65 minutes. In addition to Belle, another lead character, Milla Blake, based on wellness writer and entrepreneur Jessica Ainscough, has been added to the series.

Apple Cider Vinegar follows a non-linear format with alternative points of view leading the story. The character of Belle often breaks the fourth wall and talks to the viewers directly. Here's how Netflix describes the series,

"Two young women advocate for wellness remedies to cure deadly illnesses, unraveling their lives as they unknowingly — and knowingly — mislead the world."