It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the season of controversial documentaries is upon us, just look at Netflix’s Crime Scene and The New York Times‘ Framing Britney Spears for reference.
But there is set to be a new addition to our Netflix queue—and it’s straight from Australian shores.
Lucky for us, the BBC has commissioned a documentary that follows our very own disgraced Aussie Belle Gibson, as well as her life and public controversies.
For those who may not remember, Gibson was an Australian ‘influencer’ who claimed she had self-managed her terminal brain cancer using alternative therapies, specific dieting and exercise. Not only did she lie about her cancer diagnosis, but she was also untruthful about her age and how much she donated to charities.
She went on to make headlines in 2015 when she confessed to the Australian Women’s Weekly that her claims about having cancer that had been cured by natural remedies were all false. She was found guilty of misleading and deceptive behaviour after accumulating $420,000 through the sale of her cookbook and app, The Whole Pantry back in 2017. Gibson was ordered to pay $410,000 for scamming her followers into buying her products.
Currently, the documentary has the working title of Bad Influencer, however it could easily change throughout the documentary’s production. True crime fans—who prefer more white collar crime than violence—can expect the film to deep dive into Gibson’s life, her con artist tendencies and her private personal life. Apparently, it’s also set to cover a large line up of other topics, from online influencers, ‘clean’ eating culture, the wellness industry and diet plans pushed by social media users.
Rumoured to be heading to Netflix, the documentary will supposedly speak with past fans of Gibson, who fell prey to the lies she claimed as real, and will reportedly be directed by Ziyaad Desai.
Gibson was last heard from in January 2020, when she announced that she had been ‘adopted’ by an Ethiopian community in Melbourne, where she is now referred to as ‘Sabontu’. Whether this chapter of her life will be covered in the documentary is unknown, however it seems highly likely.
Either way, consider us intrigued. Keep an eye out for more details to come.
