Naman Shrestha
In Hulu’s ‘How I Escaped My Cult: NXIVM / The Vow,’ the focus is on Keith Raniere and the NXIVM, which was a sex cult under the guise of a personal development organization. By manipulating women, the cult leader used to have sexual relations with women in his cult. When Jessica Joan realized the same, she parted ways with the NXIVM and played a significant role in bringing down the cult once and for all. She helped the authorities collect evidence against Keith Raniere and his accomplice, Allison Mack, and bring the criminals to justice.
During the victim impact statement at Allison’s hearing, Jessica stated, “She is the Ghislaine Maxwell to Keith’s Jeffrey Epstein.” After the convict received a three-year imprisonment sentence, the survivor also told People, “I respect the judge’s decision, I know he had a lot to grapple with, but me personally, I don’t feel the remorse from her. I do pray that one day she can see the light, but I don’t think that was today.” Over the following years, she has also been interviewed by CBS, Fox, Variety, Dr. Oz, and more, in order to get her survival story out into the world.
Jessica Joan is a Woman of Many Hats
In order to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor, Jessica Joan took acting classes at The Imagined Life Theatre and Marjorie Ballentine Studios. On the academic front, she graduated from the Orange Coast College. She took her first step in the industry around 2010 by featuring in ‘Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus’ as a background actor. In the next few years, she got the opportunity to star in a couple of TV shows — ‘This Indie Thing’ as Jasmine and ‘Run DMZ’ as Kelsey. Moreover, she features in a couple of short films titled ‘Running South’ and ‘Gloves’ and movies titled ‘Contracted’ and ‘Harvest Moon.’
Interestingly, she also served as the executive producer of ‘Gloves,’ which was shot in Paris, France. Besides being an actor, she is also an accomplished poet, public speaker, and author. For a short while in 2021, she also ran a podcast titled ‘The Untouchable Jessica Joan.’ In September 2021, she published her first book titled ‘The Untouchable Jessica Joan: A Real Life Journey Of Love, Forgiveness, And Evolution From The Jane Doe Who Helped Bring The NXIVM Cult To Justice,’ which was a huge success as it charted on multiple Amazon #1 Best Sellers lists.
A couple of years later, in October 2023, she published ‘The Untouchable Jessica Joan: The Downfall of NXIVM,’ for which she hosted a book launch event on her birthday in December 2023 in Silverlake, Los Angeles. She expressed her gratitude towards everyone who showed her love and believed in her. She said, “There were so many angels seen and unseen working overtime to help bring my vision to life and show me how loved I am. I am truly humbled and moved beyond words.” Being a passionate poet, she regularly performs spoken word poetry at various venues, including restaurants. The multi-talented woman is currently associated with LoveStone Agency for her acting career and CESD Talent Agency for her modeling career.
Jessica Joan is Currently Leading a Fulfilling Life With Her Loved Ones
Born in Anaheim, California, Jessica Joan is the daughter of a father of Filipino descent and a mother of mixed Pacific Islander, Chinese and English descent. Being a free-spirited woman, Jessica loves to travel and explore the culture and food of the destinations she steps foot in. But out of all the places she has been to, her native land, Hawaii, seems to be her favorite, thanks to the breathtaking landscapes and mouth-watering cuisine of the country. Besides being close to her mother, she also shares a loving bond with her godmother Marina, who has helped her get through several difficult circumstances in life.
In February 2025, Jessica made an appearance on the ‘Tamron Hall Show,’ where she opened up about her experience joining and escaping the NXIVM cult. On Valentine’s Day of the same year, she hosted an interactive workshop at The KINN in Venice, Los Angeles. “This workshop is designed to help you drop into your truth, curate a safety within yourself and then be guided into meaningful and authentic connections with the other beautiful angels in attendance,” she revealed on her social media. Jessica also has a cat named Kamikos Bunni in her life, whom she cherishes every day but celebrates a bit more on her birthday every May.
Read More: Pebbles Sarmiento: Where is the Tony Alamo’s Cult Survivor Now?
