Nightline Full Broadcast — Friday, May 1, 2026

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:04]This is Nightline. Tonight, the cult of Nature Boy. We wanted to trust him in everything he did. He was the chief, he was the king, he was God.

[00:00:13]>> The rising social [music] media star luring followers with false promises of a black utopia.

[00:00:18]>> The key is to isolate yourself.

[00:00:20]Remember, this journey is your own.

[00:00:21]Masking a sinister truth. He branded the women he liked very much. [music] Controlling his followers' sex lives, finances, even what they ate. Please stop it. Acts descending into violence and rape. What the cult's videos show.

[00:00:36]>> Who is your God? You are Arthur.

[00:00:39]So scary.

[00:00:40]It was so scary.

[00:00:43]And how [snorts] the bravery of one woman helped take him down. Plus, we're one-on-one with Adrien Brody, the two-time Oscar winner for prestigious films like The Pianist. Funny time to say this.

[00:00:55]What?

[00:00:57]I wish I knew you better. Now making his Broadway debut, [music] why Kim Kardashian came aboard to produce the show. And Madonna [music] leads Sabrina Carpenter to the dance floor for bring your love.

[00:01:13]Is [music] this the song of the summer?

[00:01:18]From ABC News headquarters in New York, this is Nightline.

[00:01:24]Thanks for joining us. Tonight, horrifying video providing a window into a bizarre cult where trusting followers left their own countries to join its charismatic leader. Some eventually finding themselves mired in a world of violence, rape, and coercion. Here's ABC's Stephanie Ramos.

[00:01:46]I'm going to give y'all a pan around.

[00:01:48]We're in the middle of the river, man.

[00:01:50]I'm going to teach you how to become pure, [music] get away from negative ass people. The key is to isolate yourself.

[00:01:55]Remember, this journey is your own. He was a charismatic leader promising his followers on YouTube [music] heaven on Earth.

[00:02:01]>> What he had for the black community was a utopia. He would make it look good online. Alicio Bishop, aka Nature Boy, a rising social media star, the head of a group he called Carbon Nation.

[00:02:14]Reputation.

[00:02:17]Who are we? Carbon Nation. Which seemingly focused on living in harmony with the natural world. Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful and green places that you can live. We don't need to be violent. We don't need to be angry. All we need to do is become one with [music] nature. But this idyllic community quickly descended into something more sinister, a cult. There was no autonomy there. It was do as I say or leave.

[00:02:46]Now, the cult operating in plain sight unveiled in a four-part [music] docu-series on Hulu, The Cult of Nature Boy.

[00:02:56]The cult's story told by first-hand accounts of former members sharing their shocking allegations of abuse. He wanted to break me in front of everybody so that he can win respect. And the harrowing videos live-streamed from inside the cult. Sponsor.

[00:03:14]To see who he became, it's like night and day. It's two different people.

[00:03:18]We are living out here for you.

[00:03:21]You can't DESTROY ME. THEY KNOW THAT.

[00:03:23]I'M THE AVATAR. I'M THE TRUTH.

[00:03:25]I'M GOD. I'M YOUR NIGHTMARE.

[00:03:29]I would watch him all the time. Chantel Coleman is a YouTuber and self-styled [music] internet detective.

[00:03:35]>> to show you how EJ is cultivating the land. She began [music] documenting and archiving Bishop's posts.

[00:03:41]>> I saw the coercive control tactics that were happening, and I decided to start archiving and recording some of the most kind of disturbing um clips that I that I came across. You have to separate yourself from your own family.

[00:03:54]Attachments have been given to you that you must overcome.

[00:03:58]I'm your family. Bishop persuading [music] his followers to leave their own countries and eventually controlling every aspect of their lives, from what they ate Nature Boy always eats first.

[00:04:10]We could never accept our food before him or our [music] drinks. to their finances.

[00:04:15]Nature Boy wanted complete control over what goes on in that group's surroundings, and uh he wanted control over the women.

[00:04:24]I would never put a woman in a man's place. A man is your power. Manpower.

[00:04:31]Manpower.

[00:04:33]The violence shown online escalating from verbal I'm your pimp.

[00:04:38]I'm your God. Get on your knees, to physical. Let me go. Let me They began to have incidents on camera.

[00:04:52]He had a huge following on Facebook.

[00:04:54]A big following on Instagram.

[00:04:58]And so there were a lot of content creators that were covering them.

[00:05:04]You're a cult, plain and simple.

[00:05:06]Your ass on the phone telling us to put our phone down. What are you talking about? And then he would allow them to have a relationship, then he would [music] snatch their girl from them.

[00:05:13]>> Or it could possibly turn into a Jim Jones type of affair.

[00:05:17]Yo, sit down.

[00:05:18]Sit down, yo.

[00:05:19]The baby's in your hand, yo.

[00:05:22]These moments were always heavily watched by [music] a ton of people.

[00:05:27]Viewers of his live streams grew concerned.

[00:05:31]Oh my God. You don't have to bring her down like that.

[00:05:34]A real man, a real leader can make his point without putting his hands on a woman. So the audience started contacting the authorities once the abuse started coming to light.

[00:05:47]Embassy got a ton of calls. They were investigated by the police in Mexico.

[00:05:55]They ended up leaving.

[00:05:59]They turned up in a [music] number of different countries in no particular order, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, and they were deported from nearly each and every one of them.

[00:06:14]He would utilize each arrest as a propaganda talking point to join the cult and to fight the establishment.

[00:06:21]They moved to Atlanta.

[00:06:23]They were in a downward spiral.

[00:06:27]Jenae was [music] living in Atlanta when she started watching Carbon Nation's videos online. Before I joined [music] Carbon Nation, I was on my own journey going out to nature, meditating in nature every day. She says she was attracted to the group's promise of reconnecting with nature and decided to join after Alicio Bishop and members of Carbon Nation showed up at a kale bar she worked at. The content that Nature Boy was was posting, a lot of it was >> [music] >> violent and aggressive. And did any of it concern you before you took that step to join in person? I saw certain things that were very, you know, alarming. But, you know, he would say, you know, Alicio Bishop, he would say, you know, don't worry about that. You know, you go through this spiritual journey, you're going to get hit left and right. You know, the demons will come, but it's for you to conquer.

[00:07:22]When I got there, there was about like 25 people in one house.

[00:07:28]I had a [music] pounding ringing or something telling me, like screaming at me, no.

[00:07:36]But, I ignored it.

[00:07:41]Think it was only like maybe like two to three months after joining.

[00:07:47]You start to see his his dark side.

[00:07:51]Jenae was a member of Carbon Nation for two years.

[00:07:55]When did your relationship with him turn physical? It didn't take that long at all, actually. I want to say probably two months into it. When I spoke to other women in [music] the cult, they made it seem like it was an honor.

[00:08:12]So it was very confusing cuz I knew I didn't want to be with him.

[00:08:17]But I started to develop feelings for him.

[00:08:20]And that was the worst.

[00:08:23]Uh-oh.

[00:08:24]But yeah, [music] sorry.

[00:08:26]As the appearance of abuse proliferated on Nature Boy's social media posts, some of Carbon Nation's online followers went to police. Is everything okay? Everybody good?

[00:08:38]But Bishop wasn't charged. We couldn't force anybody to come forward.

[00:08:43]We couldn't force anybody to claim to be a victim. So we would get stuck.

[00:08:49]Until Jenae found the courage to break free.

[00:08:54]I was assaulted that night by the women on his orders.

[00:09:00]We're just hearing her getting slapped over and over again. And next thing you know, they're having sex.

[00:09:07]When I tried to get out to my Uber, he calls me back inside.

[00:09:12]And he tells me, "Just let me come inside of you one last time."

[00:09:20]I just froze.

[00:09:28]I didn't know what rape was. Because within the cult, rape was a culture.

[00:09:39]So scary.

[00:09:40]It was so scary.

[00:09:44]It was so scary. I didn't know what to do.

[00:09:47]But to just pray to God.

[00:09:50]The real God.

[00:09:52]>> [gasps] >> Nature Boy posted a sex tape that featured her on his Twitter account without her permission, which is a crime, revenge porn.

[00:10:05]We didn't know it was bad. We didn't know any of the sexual assaults were actually sexual assaults.

[00:10:11]We just went with it. Janae reported what happened to the police. That moment captured on body camera. So, my name is Janae.

[00:10:19]Um I was recently I was getting my ID Uh-huh. a part of a a cult that's known as a sex cult.

[00:10:26]And um and they're located here in Atlanta. Um the person who runs it, his name is Ali Bishop. What happened is he's doing revenge porn. And he has a big presence online. So, he's posting um porn of me and him without my consent.

[00:10:41]Police arresting Bishop in April of 2022. The arrest getting coverage in the media.

[00:10:47]Put your hands behind your back. He's in cuffs. He's walking to you. I got DeKalb County police raided a home after a 3-week investigation. Bishop was taken to the DeKalb County Jail.

[00:10:58]With the help of Shantal's archive, prosecutors building a case against the cult leader. Ultimately charging him with rape, false [music] imprisonment, and sexual exploitation.

[00:11:09]I hope that documentary helps somebody recognize what's happening to them right now in their relationships, in their communities, in their churches, in their groups, in their circles because these dynamics are not just unique to Carbon Nation and groups like it.

[00:11:24]They exist everywhere.

[00:11:26]And so, if one person watches this and finds the courage to leave or speak up, then I mean, it was worth it, I think.

[00:11:35]Our thanks to Stephanie. For much more, including explosive testimony from the trial and what the jury decided, watch the docu-series The Cult of Natureboy, now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+. And now a look ahead at Monday's show. Our own Deborah Roberts will be back on the Met Gala's red carpet for all the wow moments, the celebrity couples to watch out for, and will Bad Bunny be back for his fifth walk down the carpet? When we come back, [music] we're on set with two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody, now making his Broadway debut. Why Kim Kardashian came aboard to produce.

[00:12:19]He's won [music] not one, but two Academy Awards for Best Actor more than 20 years apart and dozens of acclaimed film and television credits in between.

[00:12:28]And now, he's making his Broadway debut in The Fear of 13. It's a powerful new play. Adrien Brody, welcome to Nightline. Hey, thank you so much for having me. I cannot believe First of all, I saw you on stage. Bravo. Thank you. I read that you feel like you've learned acting skills by being on stage.

[00:12:45]What compare and contrast for me? I started doing theater at a very young age in New York, but my my last work on the stage was about 12 years old. In a film, first of all, there's camera angles, there's editing and techniques and sound and numerous takes to compile and and build something, which hopefully elevates your work, but is somewhat out of your hands. In the theater, it's your responsibility to kind of carry that and self-edit and guide it and and stay connected with an audience, which is really wonderful. It sounds really difficult, actually. You won your first Oscar playing a Holocaust survivor in The Pianist.

[00:13:29]It's a funny time to say this.

[00:13:31]But I wish I knew you better.

[00:13:36]And then another survivor in two decades later, The Architect in The Brutalist.

[00:13:41]The concrete delivered floors. We plan to use upside down T-shaped beams integrated into concrete slabs down here. What attracts you to a specific role like those and including this one on stage? There is a through line. I love the ability to understand ourselves better through gaining understanding of others. And and in portraying individuals who don't necessarily have a voice and to give them a voice and to shine a light on their circumstances um that are often quite um harrowing. You play the story of Nick Yarris, who was wrongfully incarcerated on death row for more than two decades.

[00:14:26]You have the Innocence Project on board.

[00:14:29]You have Kim Kardashian, who's done a lot of criminal justice reform work.

[00:14:33]Explain how this highlights just how difficult it is to overturn a wrongful conviction. Nick's story really is he spent nine years nine years after discovering that they could trace things through DNA to prove his innocence and they just couldn't do it. It's horrific.

[00:14:52]>> I understand that he was not only there on opening night, but he comes often and sits in the same seat.

[00:14:58]>> [cheering] [cheering] >> You're playing opposite Tessa Thompson in this incredibly unlikely love story.

[00:15:10]Tessa Thompson has been at Selma. This here's the place we need to be.

[00:15:15]This right here is the next great battle. I mean, it must be great to be able to collaborate uh in such a meaningful Yeah. play. She's wonderful.

[00:15:23]She's she's so attuned and sensitive to the circumstances and I love the work that she's she's given. I mean, it's such an important play. It has so many powerful messages, but in some ways in the pop cultural world, you are very playful. Do you try to inject humor into your otherwise very sober oeuvre? Look, I have a I have a great sense of humor. I laugh all the time at myself, at things, you know, my friends and I have a blast. I think the work that I've done in the body of work and work begets work. When somebody does a great comedic work or a great action role, they're going to perpetuate that work. I'm calling you for the next Will Ferrell movie.

[00:16:04]>> Okay, I'm I'm in. I'm Believe me, we'll have fun.

[00:16:09]>> [laughter] >> That's amazing. [clears throat] And so, do you know what's next for you? This is You've got a long run on Broadway. Yeah, I have some ideas. There There's some things that we're circling. Thank you for shining a light on this issue. Thank you for bringing your light onto the Great White Way. It's really a delight.

[00:16:25]Thank you. Appreciate that. So, The Fear of 13 is on Broadway now and Adrien will be doing it through July 12th. Run, don't walk. Thank you.

[00:16:36]And when we come back, [music] they teased it at Coachella. Now, Madonna dropping a new collab with Sabrina Carpenter, Bring Your Love. Why she's telling fans to put down their phones.

[00:16:54]And finally, could this be the song of the summer?

[00:16:57]>> [music] >> It's tonight's Nightline.

[00:17:03]>> [music] >> Madonna dropping another single from her hugely awaited new album, Confessions to I've got something I want to talk about.

[00:17:11]Bring Your Love, a collab with her Coachella partner, Sabrina Carpenter.

[00:17:15]Telling fans to quote, "Put down your phones and embrace the dance floor." The high-energy track reminiscent of the Material Girl's Vogue era.

[00:17:27]Racking up hundreds of thousands of views from fans wanting to listen to Madonna's album, due July 3rd.

[00:17:35]Midsummer Love. That's Nightline. You can watch all of our full episodes on Disney+ and Hulu. We'll see you right back here same time. Thanks for joining us.

[00:17:43]Good night, America.