The spectacular rise and fall of an audacious guru and his cult
How I Created Cult explores the spectacular rise and fall of Andrew Cohen and his organization, EnlightenNext. How did the American guru go from devotion to denouncement? And what drives legions of ordinary people to join cults?
Watch How I Created A Cult and more acclaimed documentaries on BBC Select today. Restrictions apply*.
How I Created A Cult on BBC Select
Charismatic but controversial spiritual cult leader Andrew Cohen was one of the most notorious gurus in recent history. His organization, EnlightenNext, collected millions of dollars from devotees and became a lucrative global empire. But soon Cohen’s devotees began to report tales of psychological abuse, extortion and coercive control. Featuring archive footage and in-depth interviews with group members and Cohen himself, this BBC documentary reveals what life was like inside the cult, and asks: how did a seemingly-idealistic spiritual venture succumb to corruption, greed and exploitation? And why do so many of these groups end in turmoil and tragedy?
More documentaries you might like...
BBC Select free trial
BBC Select is available on Amazon Prime Video Channels, the Apple TV app and The Roku Channel for only $4.99 a month. Start a 7-day free trial and watch a range of acclaimed documentaries from the BBC and beyond. Restrictions apply*.
Black Friday offers
Subscribe to BBC Select on Amazon Prime Video Channels between 22nd November and 4th December to get the first 2 months for only $1.99**
Subscribe to BBC Select on Roku between 22nd November and 1st December to get the first 2 months for only $0.99**
BBC Select Email Newsletter
Sign up to be the first to know about new shows on BBC Select, the latest collection of documentaries and other content from BBC Studios we think you’ll enjoy.