Kumari Shreya
‘Born in Synanon’ is a Paramount+ documentary series that follows Cassidy Arkin as she explores the origins and working of Synanon, a group that advertised itself as a rehabilitation at the start but soon took the shape of a cult. Having spent her younger years within this particular community, Cassidy’s interest in Synanon is not just a scholarly one, as many of the close ones share their own experiences about the group. Now, the world is eager to know what Cassidy has been up to these days.
Who is Cassidy Arkin?
Born to Sandra Rogers-Hare and Ed Arkin, Cassidy Arkin grew up amongst the members of Synanon. Her parents had actually met each other while in college and had bonded over their passionate arguments, which made those around them comment about how their arguments might be a sign of their feelings for each other. Indeed, when the two started to date, they realized that they enjoyed each other’s company a lot.
Cassidy herself was born to Sandra following the latter being artificially inseminated. The latter shared how she and Ed had been eager to have children after Cassidy’s father had recovered from his cancer diagnosis. However, the two realized that they were not able to get pregnant, which led Sandra to explore other possible alternatives. For Cassidy, her childhood years are something she still continues to hold a certain amount of fondness for.
However, during the process of making the show, Cassidy realized that her own close relationship with her parents was an exception to the norm within Synanon rather than being the convention. Sandra explained that she would often go around meeting Cassidy, which is something that the higher-ups of the community apparently did not comment upon due to the fact that Ed worked closely with Chuck Dedrich, the community’s top leader.
That is not to say that Cassidy’s own memories of Synanon are all good. She distinctly remembers the corporal punishments that she was forced upon her due to her actions that seemingly did not match up with the expectations of the instructors. It was Ed Arkin who left Synanon first, leaving behind Sandra and Cassidy, having already separated from his former wife at that time. Cassidy herself would bid adieu to Synanon when Sandra ultimately decided to leave the cult along with her daughter. However, transitioning to real life was hard for the two ladies, with Sandra still struggling to adjust to the new decade while Cassidy tried to understand blatant race-based discrimination that she now had to face, as that was something mostly absent from Synanon.
Where is Cassidy Arkin Now?
Having left Synanon decades earlier, Cassidy Arkin has made some impressive strides in her life. The entertainment artist is actually a big part of the entertainment industry and has made some impressive strides in the field. Over the years, she has worked with several reputable media outlets and companies, which only goes to indicate her skills. In fact, it was in February 2023 that she left her post as a Producer for A. Smith & Co. Productions.
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Additionally, Cassidy had been working with Getty Images as an Executive Producer until March 2023. In the same month, she also parted ways from Hulu, having served the company as a Senior Producer. Presently, she is affiliated with CBS as an Executive Producer and Co-Creator, which allowed her to create the documentary series about Synanon. The project has been in the works since 2001, and Cassidy certainly seems proud of how everything has turned out to be.
On a more personal note, Cassidy continues to mourn the loss of her father, Ed Arkin, whom she lost on January 18, 2011, to cancer. In the Paramount+ show, she admitted to having a complicated relationship with her father, confessing that she always felt like she had been fighting for his love. Likely to Ed’s family’s objection to his marriage to Sandra Rogers-Hare, Cassidy is not in close contact with her paternal family. That said, she certainly does not seem to be lacking in love and enjoys the love and affection given to her by her friends, close family, and mother.
Read More: Where is Sandra Rogers-Hare Now?
