Billie Eilish’s Unhinged ‘Swarm’ Character Was Inspired By A Real Cult, Co-Creator Reveals

The star’s viral cult leader character has a “true-crime element,” the show’s co-creator Janine Nabers revealed.
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Warning: Spoilers for the Prime Video series “Swarm” below.

It should be no secret that Amazon Prime’s new viral hit show “Swarm” has had the internet in a chokehold since its premiere last week.

From its grisly trailer — which as been viewed more than 6.5 million times on YouTube as of this writing — to a viral steamy sex scene featuring Chloe Bailey and Damson Idris, the dark comedy series has caused quite the stir on social media.

Grammy winner Billie Eilish, who made her acting debut on the twisted show centered on a pop-star-obsessed serial killer, has recently garnered massive praise on Twitter over her role, which the show’s creator says was inspired by a real cult leader.

“There is a cult that existed in the world that was very prominent during that time,” Janine Nabers, who co-created the series alongside “Atlanta” creator Donald Glover, said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “And that is the kind of true-crime element to that episode.”

“I think that when people think of the idea of artists or celebrities, there is this idea of thinking about the cult of Taylor Swift, or the cult of The Beatles or whatever,” Nabers added. “What we were really interested in was just seeing someone who worships at the altar of ‘something,’ and [exploring] this idea of what is the cult of the mind.”

Billie’s mysterious character, Eva, who leads a cult that disguises itself as a “women’s empowerment group” in Episode 4, is seemingly inspired by NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere, according to THR.

In October 2020, Raniere was sentenced to 120 years in prison and a $1,750,000 fine over his involvement in a high-profile sex trafficking case.

“Swarm” follows a warped heroine named Dre (Dominique Fishback) whose unhealthy obsession with an intentional Beyoncé-like figure named Ni’Jah leads her to go on a murderous rampage across the country.

The thriller also stars Kiersey Clemons (“Dope”), Rickey Thompson and Paris Jackson.

Season 1 of “Swarm” is available to stream on Prime Video.

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