Diksha Sundriyal
In Starz’s ‘Three Women,’ writer Gia Lombardi travels across the country to gain perspective on the sexual lives of women in America. One of the women to become the focus of her research is a 20-something girl named Maggie Wilken (Gabrielle Creevy). By the time Gia meets her, Maggie’s entire world has been turned upside down. As the author gets more insight into the girl’s side of things, she discovers a story worth telling to the world. It is made more important by the fact that it is based on a real case.
Maggie Wilken Alleged a Relationship With Her High School Teacher
Maggie’s story in ‘Three Women’ is a retelling of the events, as told by the real Maggie Wilken to author Lisa Taddeo. In 2014, she filed a case against her high school teacher, Aaron Knodel, accusing him of having a sexual relationship involving grooming and sexual preying with her in 2009 when she was seventeen and he was twenty-nine. The West Fargo School teacher was a married man with kids and had recently won the North Dakota Teacher of the Year award. While no penetrative sex happened, Maggie alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Knodel in the basement of his house while his children were sleeping upstairs. She said that they exchanged kisses and I-love-yous and had oral sex. She also said that Knodel refused to have sex with her because he wanted to wait till she was eighteen.
According to Maggie, the relationship continued for months and ended when she “broke the rules” by texting him first, leading his wife to read the text. She testified in court that she gave Knodel a copy of ‘Twilight,’ which he had heavily annotated, with 90 notes, and smelled of his cologne when it was returned to her. She said that he had compared the “forbidden” nature of their relationship to that of the book’s protagonists. In building a case against the teacher, the prosecution revealed that nearly 100 calls had taken place between Knodel and Maggie, with five long calls of 60-120 minutes and three of more than 120 minutes. 23 of these calls were made after 10 pm, while six were made after midnight, one of which lasted 240 minutes, per reports.
Based on Maggie’s allegations, Knodel was charged with five counts of corruption or solicitation of a minor, which she claimed had taken place in her car, in addition to the incident mentioned in his house. Knodel denied all allegations, saying that he had tried to help Maggie with personal issues and had ceased all communication after receiving a “subtle advance from her.” His calls were explained as him trying to help the student but forgetting to draw professional boundaries. The defense also benefited from the fact that no DNA of Knodel was found in the book or the notes inside it. If found guilty, Knodel would have gone to prison for 35 years. However, in June 2015, he was acquitted of three charges, with the other two dismissed. During the trial, he had been suspended from his position in the school, but once he was cleared of all charges, the West Fargo School Board unanimously voted to have him reinstated with full back pay.
Maggie Wilken was Ostracised Following the Trial
Despite the court’s verdict being against her, Maggie Wilken holds fast to the accusations she made against Knodel. On the board’s decision to reinstate him, she urged against it, saying: “I won’t waste the board’s time or my own time trying to convince you that there was a sexual relationship between him and myself.” When her words were not heeded, she protested against the decision at the entrance of the school. She was met with a counter-protest from Sheyenne High School students, who came out in Knodel’s support.
Accusing a publicly beloved teacher of sexual misconduct worked against Maggie, with the community turning against her. She revealed that the decision to speak out “made [her] life extremely difficult and at times a struggle to move forward.” She was subject to public ridicule and struggled with severe depression and victim blaming, with some pointing out that she hadn’t cried “enough during the trial.” To this, Maggie said that she had to “detach as a way to protect [herself],” or she wouldn’t have gotten through the trial.
Maggie stated that the reason she decided to come out about the affair five years later was that she’d started her studies to become a counselor, which meant she’d have to report cases of sexual misconduct. She believed that she should start with her own. She revealed that being involved with the trial cost her 2½ years of her education because the pressure of the trial, the public scrutiny, and the response of people towards her left her unable to deal with anything else.
Lisa Taddeo Spent Several Years Following Maggie’s Story
Lisa Taddeo found Maggie after reading about the recently ended trial in the newspaper. She was captivated by the story and decided to go to Fargo to talk with Maggie and get her side of the story, which she realized no one was willing to hear. Taddeo spent 3-4 years with Maggie, getting to know everything she possibly could about the case, but more importantly, about the girl. She accompanied Maggie to the places where she claimed she’d met with Knodel. Taddeo also went with Maggie to her feminist talk and would chat with her late into the night because she’d recently given birth and would often end up staying up late.
For Maggie, being a part of the book was a way for her to get her side of the story out into the world. She told Taddeo that the book gave her closure. It also opened the story to readers across the country, and Maggie received several notes from people supporting her and sympathizing with her. In a way, the book provided her the closure she’d sought from the law. This was one of the reasons why Taddeo and her publishers chose not to change Maggie’s name in the book. While the other two women, Lina Parish and Sloane Ford, received pseudonyms, Maggie’s real name was kept in the book to give acceptance of her truth.
Maggie Works as a Therapist Today
Now in her 30s, Maggie works as an outpatient therapist in Fargo. She holds an MSW (Master of Social Work degree), LGSW (licensed graduate social worker), and LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) in North Dakota and Minnesota. In 2020, Lisa Taddeo revealed that Maggie had accepted a position with Child Protective Services. Later, Maggie started working with Ellie Mental Health. She has been described as a passionate professional who works with all age groups and different sexual orientations, using “several approaches that are tailored to each individual client, but leans strongly on systems theory.” A vocal LGBTQIA+ ally, she is known to “take time to nurture each relationship” with her clients individually.
Maggie is still in regular touch with Lisa Taddeo and was involved as a consultant in the development of the TV show as well. Taddeo revealed that Maggie was disappointed when the series was abandoned by Showtime, which led to the cancellation of her appearance on the Today show. Later, when Taddeo told her that Starz had picked up the series, Maggie had a hard time believing that the show would still be made. Apart from this, Maggie prefers to live a peaceful and private life.
Maggie is Deeply Devoted to Her Family
In her downtime, Maggie likes to spend time with her family and is particularly close to her mother, Arlene. She lost her father, Mark Wilken, to suicide on August 27, 2014, but continues to hold his memory close to her heart and often finds comfort in reflecting on their moments together. Though a decade has passed since his death, the Wilken family continues to celebrate his life by raising awareness about suicide prevention at every opportunity they get.
Maggie is also passionate about all things arts and crafts and enjoys hanging out by the lake. She holds immense affection for her pets — a cat and a bearded dragon — and loves to play with them. She was also a dog mom to Doc, who sadly passed away in 2019. In a farewell post for her furry baby, she wrote: “Doc was loved by everyone who knew him! And he was surrounded with love while he traveled on from this earth. I know my Dad has him from here. They have a lot of catching up to do. Until we meet again my boy. I love you forever.”
Read More: Three Women: Is Sloane Ford Based on a Real Massachusetts Woman?
