Several years ago, while aimlessly scrolling YouTube, I inadvertently stumbled upon a 60-minute segment about a deceptive wellness influencer named Belle Gibson and was fascinated by her shocking story. It appears that somebody at Netflix might have watched the same video, as the streaming service has just announced a new true crime drama that chronicles Gibson’s rise to prominence (and subsequent fall) after claiming to have cured her terminal brain cancer.
The six-part show is called “Apple Cider Vinegar” and will star Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson (sporting quite an impressive Australian accent). The Netflix logline reads: “Set during the early days of Instagram, Apple Cider Vinegar follows two young women who set out to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their global online communities along the way — if only it were true.” You can watch the first teaser trailer below.
‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ — here’s what we know about this Netflix show
This upcoming Netflix show is inspired by real-life events but the streamer is keen to stress it’s ultimately “a work of fiction”. So, expect a few extra twists to be thrown into the mix. Though, it might not need many. Gibson’s story of pretending to have cured brain cancer through natural therapists, alternative medicines and clean eating is shocking (and a little repulsive) and an early example of the dangers and deception found in the influencer space.
Aside from my interest in the real-life events surrounding Gibson, the other reason I’m seriously excited about this new Netflix show, and now rank it very high up my list of most anticipated TV of 2025, is the casting of Kaitlyn Dever. I’ve been impressed by the American actress in numerous projects (including Netflix’s fantastic 2019 miniseries “Unbelievable”), and I’m confident she’ll shine once again in “Apple Cider Vinegar”. Plus, with Dever also joining the cast of The Last of Us season 2 as Abby, it could be a pretty big year for her.
“Apple Cider Vinegar” was created by award-winning writer Samantha Strauss, who was living in Melbourne during Gibson’s rise to popularity, and inspired by the novel “The Woman Who Fooled the World” by Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano. Alongside Dever, the Netflix true crime drama will star Alycia Debnam-Carey, Aisha Dee, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Mark Coles Smith, Ashley Zukerman, Susie Porter and Matt Nable. Jeffrey Walker directed all six episodes.
Naturally, at this point, you’re probably wondering when you can watch “Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix. Unfortunately, the streamer hasn’t confirmed a release date yet.
However, based on the fact we already have a teaser trailer, we can assume that it’ll drop sometime in 2025. Hopefully, this fictionalized take on Gibson’s story will be as fascinating as the bizarre reality that inspired it.