What role is Kaitlyn Dever playing in Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar? Everything you need to know

Kaitlyn Dever plays the leading role in Netflix's upcoming Apple Cider Vinegar. The story covers the rise of social media influencers and fake gurus in the Internet age. Kaitlyn plays the role of Belle Gibson, a convicted fraudster who claimed to be a cancer survivor and hawked alternative medicine remedies through her app called The Whole Pantry.

Over time, investigations, including an April 2015 report from The Australian, revealed that many of Belle Gibson's claims were false and misleading. They further alleged that she had falsified her reputation as a philanthropist, including hosting fraudulent charity fundraising efforts where she pocketed the proceeds herself.

Belle Gibson was eventually sued by Consumer Affairs Victoria. Journalists Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano also published a non-fiction book titled The Woman Who Fooled the World, which Apple Cider Vinegar is based on.

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Apple Cider Vinegar sees Kaitlyn Dever play Belle Gibson

Apple Cider Vinegar stars Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson, an Australian fraudster who was born on 8 October 1991, and rose to prominence in August 2013, when she launched The Whole Pantry app. This app was marketed using her made-up story of being a cancer survivor who'd found a way out of her illness by modifying her diet and relying on alternative medicine.

Belle Gibson's app became a runaway success, and she came to be known as a prominent alternative medicine guru who amassed a sizeable fanbase. In 2013, The Whole Pantry was voted Apple's Best Food and Drink app. Belle subsequently signed a book publishing deal with Penguin Australia's Lantern Books and published a book, also known as The Whole Pantry.

Belle Gibson also built up a reputation for herself as a philanthropist and claimed to have raised thousands of dollars for charity. However, doubts about her claims arose after she claimed to have made a $300,000 donation that never materialized.

Other contradictions in her story emerged after the release of her book in 2014. In it, she claimed to have been cancer-free for the past two years but had made contradictory claims in both media interviews. Furthermore, her Facebook page at the time, claimed just three months earlier that her cancer had metastasized.

Her history of unsubstantiated medical claims did not end there, as she claimed to have undergone heart surgery multiple times, and that she even momentarily died on the operating table. None of these claims could be substantiated with solid evidence, leading to her story falling apart.

Eventually, she faced legal consequences for her history of fraud, with her being sued by Consumer Affairs Victoria. Even her book publisher, Penguin Australia, ended up paying $30,000 in restitution to the Victorian Consumer Law Firm for not fact-checking The Whole Pantry before they published it.

Belle Gibson's rise and fall was documented by the journalists Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano, who first published their reporting in the Australian newspaper The Age. They would later release a book on Belle Gibson's life titled The Woman Who Fooled the World, which inspired series creator Samantha Strauss to adapt it for Netflix.

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Apple Cider Vinegar is a fictionalized portrayal of the wellness fake guru Belle Gibson's rise and fall. The series is scheduled to stream exclusively on Netflix at an unspecified date. The teaser trailer for Apple Cider Vinegar is currently out.