‘Apple Cider Vinegar’: What Happened to Real-Life Scammer Belle Gibson?

[Editor’s note: This interview contains spoilers for the ending of Netflix‘s “Apple Cider Vinegar.”]

After powering through all six episodes of Netflix’s scammer tale “Apple Cider Vinegar,” fans likely have one big question: What happened to the real-life Belle Gibson?

On the show, the influencer fraud, played by Kaitlyn Dever, has a disastrous interview with “60 Minutes” and is called out on her lies, which included faking her cancer battle. The final moments of the finale begin with what viewers likely assumed were standard end credit notes wrapping up what happened to everyone in this “based on a true story”-esque tale.

“In 2017, the Federal Court of Australia found Belle Gibson guilty of misleading and —” words on screen read, before Dever’s Gibson’s comes back to talk directly to camera: “You know what? You can Google it,” she says.

According to creator Samantha Strauss, a more traditional ending was originally planned, before realizing it just wasn’t going to be that satisfying.

“I had a wonderful time [with Jeffrey Walker], the director,” Strauss told IndieWire. “He made me read out every word to him in our tone pass before filming. And then we got to the end, he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s not that interesting.’ I mean, in reality, Belle hasn’t paid her fine, you know, never went to jail. And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right. It feels a bit too traditional.’ So it was him, and we came up with that [twist]: We don’t need to know all that detail, we can all Google it; hopefully [go] off down the rabbit hole.”

In real life, the Federal Court of Australia ordered Gibson to pay $410,000 in relation to her “unconscionable conduct.” Gibson still had not paid the amount, which has grown due to interest. Her home has also been raided a few times due to not paying said fines. Since her disastrous “60 Minutes” interview, Gibson has not spoken to the press, and it’s not clear if she’s still with partner Clive Rothwell.

On the show, Rothwell stays with Gibson despite knowing she’s a fraud, and the show suggests this is mainly because he wants a relationship with Belle’s young son, whom he otherwise would have no claim over.

“The journalists did hear from sources that one of the reasons Clive was staying with Belle was because of her son, and we really leaned into that,” Strauss explained. “And Ashley Zuckerman, I think performed him so beautifully, and crafting Clive’s rise and finding his own power felt like a really interesting arc for that character, because in our writers room, there was definitely a voice: ‘Why? Why is he with her? I just don’t understand!'”

When adapting the story, Strauss said the most important thing was not letting Belle off the hook for her crimes.

“People want to be watching Belle,” she explained of the show’s appeal. “But it felt like ethically, bringing it back to the people that she hurt at the start and ending there, it felt that felt fundamental. We always wanted to toe the line with Belle that you’d go right to the edge [with her], but then remember someone like Lucy and not absolve her for what she did, [or] for what she did to that family and the little boy [whose cancer treatments she promised to pay for]. And so I never wanted to forgive Belle her actions, and it felt like seeing the real-world impact was essential to that makes sense.”

“Apple Cider Vinegar” is now streaming on Netflix.