A&E NETWORK PREMIERES NEW DOCU-SERIES FOLLOWING EX-MEMBERS OF THE CONTROVERSIAL NORTH CAROLINA-BASED WORD OF FAITH FELLOWSHIP CHURCH AS THEY SHARE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF THE ABUSE, HARASSMENT AND FAMILY SEPARATION THEY HAVE SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF THE CHURCH
EYE-OPENING SIX-PART SERIES ‘THE DEVIL NEXT DOOR’ PREMIERES TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27 AT 10PM ET/PT
New York, NY – October 9, 2018 – A&E Network’s new, six-part original docu-series “The Devil Next Door” will provide a voice to the former members of the deeply secretive North Carolina-based Word of Faith Fellowship Church as they open up about the shocking abuse they alleged to have endured at the hands of the Church. In addition, the new series will also chronicle their tireless efforts to convince loved ones still inside it’s time to break free by banding together through community outreach forums, enlisting the help of the local media and working alongside the federal government. “The Devil Next Door” premieres on Tuesday, November 27 at 10PM ET/PT on A&E.
“A&E Network prides itself in finding truth and conviction through powerful storytelling,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President & Head of Programming for A&E. “The victims of the Word of Faith Fellowship Church have shocking and timely first-hand accounts that need to be shared and A&E is proud to provide them this very necessary platform so we can ensure their voices will be heard.”
In the new series, “The Devil Next Door,” Spindale, North Carolina looks like an average American town but what was once a quiet community is now the epicenter of a federal criminal investigation involving alleged fraud. Former members have reported, to the press, allegations of physical and mental child abuse, forced labor, intimidation and separation of children from their parents, but the Word of Faith Fellowship Church denies any wrongdoing. The Church began in 1979 and is led by 77-year-old Jane Whaley, with additional churches in Ghana and Brazil. While the Word of Faith Fellowship affirms to be a devout Christian church, former members tell a different story: one of violence and exploitation. This series will follow many former members as they work tirelessly to make the community and the government aware of the injustices going on behind closed doors. It’s the mission of these former members to convince those still inside, including their own loved ones and children, to break away from the Church.
“The Devil Next Door” is produced for A&E by Collins Avenue. Jeff Collins, Lindsay Schwartz, Michael Hammond and Francis Gasparini serve as executive producers for Collins Avenue. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky, Marcie Hume and David Doss serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “The Devil Next Door.”