As many may wonder: How did this happen?!
Discovery+'s true crime documentary The Rise and Fall of LuLaRoe, premiering Monday, Dec. 13, examines the cult-like marketing company behind direct-to-consumer apparel brand LuLaRoe. The film partners with BuzzFeed Studios and journalist Stephanie McNeal to investigate what really led to the downfall of the multi-million dollar brand.
"With LuLaRoe, there's no safety net," business coach and entrepreneur Vivian Kaye explains in an exclusive sneak peek. "There's nothing to save you when your 'business' goes wrong because you aren't a business. You're a retailer for another company, and if they fail, they'll get protected. But you are ass out."
One former representative recalls being "in a jam" and not able to pay her bills. "We were behind on the house payments, plus we had 11 kids," she reflects. "So it had just become desperation. I pretty much hit rock bottom and said 'I can't.'"
The consultant anxiously tried to sell the products she had purchased from the alleged pyramid scheme: "I went live with my closet because I had so much, so much. I still hadn't told my customers yet and I just held up this dress and I was like, 'Alright, this is a sweater Carly. It's super rare, it's a unicorn.' And then I just started crying. Once the tears started, I couldn't get them to stop. And I just told them, you know, this is it."
More LuLaRoe retailers come forward to describe their experiences. "I knew I was going to have to file for bankruptcy," a woman who owed over $40,000 in taxes explains. "I'll be honest with you: I thought about suicide when all this was happening, just to get out of that after hitting rock bottom."
Some ex-LuLaRoe retailers detail how they developed "crazy anxiety" while others talk about feeling "like a failure."
The goal of the documentary, per the official description, is to "reflect on how LuLaRoe seduced thousands of recruits, some of whom ended up risking their homes, their bank accounts and their relationships with close family and friends—all in an effort to be their own boss by selling LuLaRoe leggings."
Watch the shocking clip above!
The Rise and Fall of LuLaRoe premieres Monday, Dec. 13 on Discovery+.