Durek Verrett | |
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![]() Verrett in 2024 | |
Born | Derek David Verrett November 17, 1974 Sacramento, California, U.S. [1] |
Occupation | Alternative therapist |
Spouse(s) | Zaneta Marzalkova (m. 2005;div. 2009) |
Partner | Hank Greenberg (2007–2015) |
Website | shamandurek |
Durek Verrett (born November 17, 1974, as Derek David Verrett) is an American conspiracy theorist, [2] alternative therapist, [3] [4] and self-professed shaman as a practitioner of Neoshamanism. He has been widely described by media and other observers as a con man and conspiracy theorist. [3] [5] [6] [2]
Verrett dropped out of high school. [7] He promotes various Neoshamanic practices rooted in New Age. In his book Spirit Hacking he promotes several pseudoscientific views. [2] He asserts that casual sex attracts subterranean spirits that make an impression on the inside of women's vaginas and offers exercises to "clean out" said vaginas; [8] he writes that children get cancer because they want it; [9] and suggests that chemotherapy does not work and is given to cancer patients only because doctors make money from it. [10] He promotes the Reptilian conspiracy theory, and has said that he considers himself to be a reptilian. [11] He regards 5G technology to be a conspiracy by "those who enslave the planet." [12] He claims that he had knowledge of the September 11 attacks two years before they happened, but chose not to intervene. [13] [14] Verrett has been accused of manipulating his social media following, with critics calling his influencer career a fraud. [15] [16]
Verrett previously lived openly as a gay man, and was in a long-term relationship with his male fiancé Hank Greenberg. [17] Greenberg and others have accused him of manipulative behavior and of being a cult leader, [17] [18] while his mother Veruschka Urquhart disputed many of his claims about his background and called him "manipulative" and "dangerous." [19] In 2024, the magazine Se og Hør reported sexual assault allegations against him, but the following year the Norwegian Press Complaints Commission (PFU) concluded that the coverage breached press ethics for relying solely on an uncorroborated source. [20] Verrett had then recently married the princess, a self-described clairvoyant and member of the extended Norwegian royal family. [21] Verrett and Märtha Louise's relationship has been widely criticized by the Norwegian media and public. The Verrett controversies, along with the Marius Borg Høiby affair, have been cited as reasons for a "decimation of the Norwegian royal family's reputation," [22] leading to a more vigorous debate on the future of the monarchy. [23] [24] Verrett remains an American citizen and resident, and has no formal association with the royal family.
In multiple 2019 interviews to publications including Vanity Fair , Verrett claimed he was raised by a wealthy architect father "with a private plane and domestic servants." [25] Several of Verrett's relatives contradict such claims, including his paternal aunt, opera singer Shirley Verrett, who said Verrett's father was a middle-class contractor who twice went bankrupt, and Verrett's stepmother was a customer service agent for Alaska Airlines. [26] [ need quotation to verify ]
Verrett's ancestors were enslaved in the New Orleans area at least since the early 19th century, where they continued to live and where Verrett's father was born. Durek Verrett's great uncle was the jazz guitarist Harrison Verrett, a brother in law of Fats Domino. In the mid 20th century Verrett's grandparents moved to California with their children. Verrett has claimed that his mother, Sheilah G. Farmer (b. 1943), who goes by the alias Veruschka Urquhart, [27] is of Norwegian-West Indian [28] [29] descent, although he has alternately described her as being of Native American heritage, [30] and he has also claimed "she was white." [31] He has sometimes claimed that his father, David Benjamin Verrett (1929–2017), was of African and Haitian origin, while at other times stating his father was "Native American Blackfoot Indian." [32]
On his personal website from 2011 to 2020 he claimed to be a third-generation shaman. [33] Since 2020, he changed his claim and began describing himself as a sixth-generation shaman. [34]
Verrett dropped out of high school. [7] Verrett has claimed to have been initiated spiritually by an American woman who calls herself "Princess Susana von Radić of Croatia" (who is described by the Icelandic atheist association Vantrú as "a fraud who claims to be a princess.") [35] [36]
Before he began calling himself a shaman, Verrett worked as a model and an actor. [35]
At age 27, Verrett claims he had a near-death experience which was a pivotal "rite of passage to become a shaman." [37] In 2018, Verrett stated in multiple interviews that his near-death experience happened in Los Angeles, California, where a friend drove him to a local hospital. However, since 2019, Verrett has changed the story, stating that it occurred in a Belize jungle while he was with a medicine woman, and that he was transported to a hospital there via ambulance. In all versions of the story, Verrett claims he underwent emergency tracheotomy (surgical opening of the throat) and sternotomy (surgical opening of the chest). [38] [39]
In 2018 and 2019, Verrett claimed that he worked at Shamir Medical Center in Israel for several months during 1998, where he said he treated children for cancer using shamanistic methods. However, in 2019, the hospital's Human Resources department stated that Verrett never worked at the institution. [40]
In 2019, Verrett released a book titled Spirit Hacking which was set to be published in Norway. However, major publisher Cappelen Damm dropped the book a week prior to its scheduled publication over concerns about its content. The book was later released by a small publisher. In the book, Verrett advocates numerous "absurd medical theories." [41] He claims children get cancer because they want it, [9] and suggests that chemotherapy doesn't work and is only given to cancer patients because the doctors make money from it. [10] [42]
He writes that casual sex attracts subterranean spirits that make an impression on the inside of women's vaginas; he also sells exercises to "clean out" said vaginas. [8] Verrett says that he can "turn atoms" and literally reduce age. [43] Cancer experts called Verrett's views on cancer "dangerous." [42] Major newspaper Dagbladet described the book as "the ravings of a lunatic." [44] Verdens Gang called the book "nonsense, garbage and dirty talk," and said it is an unoriginal "rehash of the standard repertoire of the most cynical part of the alternative [i.e. New Age] culture." [45]
Although Verrett publicly identified as gay prior to 2019, [46] Vanity Fair wrote about him identifying as bisexual since meeting Norway's Princess Märtha Louise and their activities to promote his brand of new age shamanism in celebrity circles. [28] Verrett claims that his "true mission is to bring the ancient practice of shamanism to the mainstream, helping people to 'get lit' by cultivating love and acceptance of themselves and others." [47] Verrett also claims to be a reincarnated Pharaoh from Egypt. [48]
In 2019, Verrett claimed that he had knowledge of the September 11 attacks two years before they happened, but that he chose not to intervene because he believes that everyone must "accept their destiny." [13] [34] Verrett has also claimed that he has risen from the dead. [49]
In 2021, Verrett stated that he considers himself to be a reptilian, and asserted that, "I'm a hybrid species of reptilian and Andromeda, and I also hold the energies of the ancient spirits from the old world. There have been lies told about our species that I want to address. We are a cluster of beings, that means that we’ve come here to create structures that help people to come into liberation. Reptilians are here to shake up the system in a big way." [12] [22] According to extremism researcher John Færseth, Verrett's ideas about being a reptilian are based on the Reptilian conspiracy theory advocated by British anti-Semite David Icke. [11] [50] Verrett has stated that he considers the 5G technology to be a conspiracy by "those who enslave the planet." [12]
In December 2023, Verrett posted a controversial video on Instagram in which he claimed that demonic beings can inhabit children and torment them. Therefore, he advised parents to speak directly and loudly at troubled, aggressive, and acting-out children, commanding the dark spirits within them to come "into the light." Many observers consider Verrett's parenting advice to be a harmful encouragement of exorcism. [51]
MSN included Verrett as one of "20 famous conspiracy theorists" in a 2024 article. [52]
In 1991, Verrett was convicted of felony arson and trespassing and sentenced to five years of imprisonment in California after he illegally organized a party in an unoccupied house that was set on fire and burned to the ground. [53] [54] [55] Verrett has stated that he served one year in prison before being released on parole. [56] [57] [58] [59]
In July 2022, Verrett advertised and sold a medallion that he claimed cures COVID-19. The Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman declared Verrett's undocumented claims to be a violation of Norwegian law. [60] [61] As a result, in 2023, Verrett ceased selling that product and began selling another medallion for over 2,000 Norwegian kroner that he claims can cure dogs of various ailments, which has been criticized by the Norwegian Veterinary Association as not based on science. [62]
In 2005, Verrett married Zaneta Marzalkova, a Los Angeles resident of Czech nationality, when she was 21 years old. [63] Verrett claimed that Marzalkova used him to obtain a green card and reported her to immigration authorities in 2008. She filed for divorce afterward, and they were divorced in 2009. [64]
From 2007 to 2015, Verrett had a fiancé, a masseur named Hank Greenberg, who was also his business partner. In 2012, Verrett and Greenberg started an Indiegogo crowdfunding page to raise money for Verrett's kidney transplant in which they stated that Verrett is HIV positive. [65] [66] In interviews given to Se og Hør in 2019, Greenberg described Verrett's true nature as manipulative and dangerous, and stated that Verrett has a "brainwashed" cult of followers where "his word is law." [17] [18]
For several years between 2012 and 2017, Verrett lived periodically with his then-manager Tiana Griego, who said in an interview with Se og Hør, "Durek controlled my whole life. It was as if he became jealous of anything that stole his attention. I was not allowed to start a serious romantic relationship or raise my son. It was all about Durek." [67] [68] [69]
In October 2024, the Norwegian magazine Se og Hør published an article in which Durek Verrett was accused of sexual assault. The accusation came from Joakim Boström, a former representative of Verrett, who claimed that during a shamanistic session Verrett had inappropriately touched his genital area without consent. [20] [70] The magazine identified Verrett by name and presented the accusation as part of a broader series of reports on alleged boundary-crossing behavior in his professional practice. [71]
Verrett denied the allegations and argued that Se og Hør had failed to substantiate them. Through his legal representative, he also objected to the publication of a nude photograph of him that had appeared in Se og Hør in September 2024, stating that the image had been taken privately many years earlier and never intended for publication. [71]
In March 2025, the Norwegian Press Complaints Commission (PFU) ruled that Se og Hør had breached good journalistic practice on two counts. The publication of a nude photograph was deemed a violation of Verrett’s privacy, and the article on sexual assault was found to rely on a single, uncorroborated source in breach of standards for verification. PFU stressed that serious allegations against a named individual require more thorough investigation. A minority of the commission disagreed regarding the assault story, but the majority concluded that Se og Hør had acted in breach of press ethics on both issues. [71]
In May 2019, Verrett began dating and professionally collaborating with Princess Märtha Louise of Norway. Their relationship has been heavily scrutinized, with many Norwegians voicing their disapproval and calling Verrett a "charlatan." [72] [73] He has been characterized by Norwegian media and other critics as a conman and a conspiracy theorist, [3] [4] [5] [74] [35] [75] [76] [ excessive citations ] and his statements on various topics have been widely criticized and ridiculed in Norway. [77] [78] [36]
In 2019, on his podcast "Ancient Wisdom Today," Verrett openly discussed his and his girlfriend's sex life and his techniques for controlling his orgasm to maximize partner satisfaction. He also offered sex advice in a webinar titled "Soul Sexual Webinar." [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [ excessive citations ]
In 2019, Verrett and Märtha Louise co-organised seminars titled "The Princess and the Shaman," which were widely criticised for the claims made by Verrett about healing cancer and for exploiting Märtha Louise's constitutional role as princess for a private business venture. [84] [85] [86] [87] [ excessive citations ]
In June 2022, Märtha Louise announced that she and Verrett were engaged. [88] Verrett claimed that when he was a child his mother foresaw him marrying a Norwegian princess, [59] however, his mother publicly denied this as a fake story that Verrett created himself. [89]
The former Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg described Verrett's views as "very strange" and "not based on facts," and said that "the ideas that he promotes are something that we combat as conspiracy theories." Solberg further said the criticism of Verrett is reasonable. [90] State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services, Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt, described Verrett as "an unscrupulous and dangerous charlatan" who engages in fraud. [91] [6] In 2023, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre strongly condemned Verrett, calling his statements on child rearing "dangerous." [92]
In 2022, Aftenposten journalist Ingeborg Senneset wrote an open letter to Verrett, in which she addressed his habit of sending her voice messages, such as "Hey, my love" on Instagram and telling her that the "Illuminati" is real and that celebrities and powerful politicians corroborate his claims. Verrett subsequently blocked Senneset when she asked critical questions about his Illuminati claims. [93] [94]
Both Verrett and Märtha Louise have complained about the negative reception of Verrett in Norway, [95] [96] and Verrett claimed he was criticized because "people don't want a black man in the royal family." [97] Verrett said, "I have never experienced so much racism as when I came to Norway." He further said that he is misunderstood, comparing himself to "geniuses [like] Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers and Helen Keller." [98]
His claims of racism have been criticized, with former Norwegian cabinet minister Abid Raja (of Pakistani descent) accusing Verrett of "playing the race card" to distract from the criticism of his conspiracy theories and "dangerous" views. Comedian Jonna Støme, himself of African American descent, said that Verrett's claims undermine the real fight against racism and that people in Norway react negatively to Verrett because "he is a conman who says horrible things." [99] [100]
The political editor of Nettavisen Erik Stephansen criticized Märtha Louise's complaints about the coverage of Verrett and herself, and wrote that she has "actively sought the spotlight with her entire family, exploited the princess title in every conceivable way – including commercially – and is now fully engaged in milking her own glamorous celebrity wedding in Geiranger for all it's worth." [101] Royal historian Trond Norén Isaksen said that "for the sake of the monarchy's integrity and reputation, it is absolutely necessary to sever the formal ties with Princess Märtha Louise" and that it is necessary "to revoke the princess title that Märtha Louise has exploited to its fullest extent. The royal family cannot be for sale." [102]
In October 2022, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Märtha Louise's brother, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the matter of Verrett's position in their family is difficult and will take time to solve. [103]
In November 2022, Märtha Louise relinquished her remaining royal duties to focus on her alternative medicine business with Verrett. [104]
On 13 September 2023, Durek Verrett and Princess Märtha Louise announced that their wedding would take place in Geiranger on 31 August 2024. [105] The ceremony was held at Hotel Union, with celebrations lasting from 29 August to 1 September. The Norwegian royal family attended, and from Sweden it was attended by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, as well as Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. [106]
Verrett and Märtha Louise sold the rights to the wedding to Hello! Magazine . Norwegian media described the wedding as "comical" and "embarrassing," [107] sparking outrage over perceived greed and betrayal of Norwegian traditions and the taxpayers who fund the monarchy. The decision to conceal themselves in a plastic tent and behind a curtain to prevent anyone but tabloid photographers from "Hello!" magazine from capturing images of their wedding was widely criticized as a display of "shame and greed." [108] Norwegian media criticized King Harald V for legitimizing and endorsing the exploitation of national values and symbols for Märtha Louise's and Durek Verrett's personal financial gain. [109] Political scientist Torvald Valland Therkildsen described the royal family as a parody that is a source of embarrassment for Norway. [110]
Early in 2023, Verrett had claimed that Märtha Louise's late ex-husband, Ari Behn, who died by suicide in 2019, had contacted him from beyond the grave and asked him to greet Märtha Louise's children. [111]
Märtha Louise's antagonistic relationship with the media, stemming from the criticism over what critics describe as her commercial exploitation of the title "princess," led her to declare a boycott of Norwegian media in 2024. [112]
In August 2024 Verrett said that his relationship with Märtha Louise led to a rift between her and her closest friends. Verrett accused Märtha Louise's close friends of being racists. He said her friends had repeatedly called her and urged her to end the relationship with him. [113] In a subsequent interview that Verrett and Märtha Louise conducted together, Märtha Louise also said she had lost friends and accused them of "racism," echoing Verrett's claims against her former friends. [114]
Verrett and Märtha Louise have been criticized for exploiting her title and role as a member of the extended royal family, deliberately disregarding an agreement not to use the title "Princess" or her connection to the royal family in any commercial activities, interviews, or other public activities. [115] A majority of Norwegians favor the removal of her title. [116]
Bergens Tidende questioned the claimed celebrity status of Verrett, describing him as "at best a D-list celebrity in Hollywood" and characterized the guest list at his wedding as more akin to an Alternative (New Age) Fair than Hollywood. [117]
In April 2024, Märtha Louise objected to public data indicating that Verrett didn't grow up wealthy, and claimed instead that everyone was jealous of his family's wealth. Royal correspondent Tove Taalsen questioned why Märtha Louise places such emphasis on Verrett's alleged wealth as a child, and wrote that it is out of touch with Norway's more egalitarian values. [118]
Durek Verrett has been involved in public disputes with his family, who have contradicted his claims about a wealthy upbringing. The conflict intensified after his mother, Veruschka Urquhart, gave multiple interviews to the Norwegian magazine Se og Hør, describing him in negative terms. In a subsequent interview with the newspaper Verdens Gang (VG), Verrett and Princess Märtha Louise accused Se og Hør of orchestrating a paid "smear campaign," with VG's reporting also confirming that Urquhart was under contract with the magazine. Se og Hør denied the allegations and cited public interest. In 2024, Verrett threatened legal action against his mother and his sister to halt their statements. [119] [120] [121] [122]
On behalf of the princess and her shaman, "reputation manager" Elden complained about the inclusion of quotations from former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg that appear in the Wikipedia article about Verrett, in which she criticised Verrett for promoting "strange ideas" linked to conspiracy theories. [123] Lawyer and media law expert Jon Wessel-Aas publicly stated that it is futile to demand the removal of a correct quotation from a public statement by a prime minister. [123]
The political editor of Nettavisen , Erik Stephansen, wrote that "the revelation of Verrett's repeated attempts to change or remove unfavorable information from Wikipedia" is one of the most striking examples of attempts to hide unfortunate traces from the "con artist shaman's" past life. [101]
Durek Verrett has faced accusations of manipulating his Instagram account in the lead-up to his wedding. Media experts have suggested that the large spikes in followers and likes on Verrett's posts may indicate the purchase of fake engagement. The fluctuations in follower counts and likes deviate significantly from historical patterns, raising concerns about the authenticity of his social media activity. [15] Tove Taalesen wrote that Verrett's career as an "influencer" appears to be "one big fraud." [16]
Durek Verrett, 49, is a Californian conspiracy theorist and self-declared shaman, or "spiritual guide", who claims not to be human and professes that he can reverse ageing by "turning atoms".
Verrett [has been] described as 'a charlatan', a conman and a conspiracy theorist
He is also a conspiracy theorist with unusual views on everything from cancer to Covid
Critics have called him a 'con man' and conspiracy theorist
Verrett is often characterised by Norwegian media as a "conman" and "conspiracy theorist" and has also been accused of being a cult leader and selling bogus cancer cures
Many have called Durek a conspiracy theorist, citing his claim that he foresaw the September 11 attacks, but decided not to intervene, and his announcement in 2021 that he considers himself to be 'a hybrid species of reptilian and Andromeda'.
Verrett, however, also has a criminal past. In 1991, he was convicted of felony arson and trespassing after organising an illegal party in an unoccupied house that was set on fire, and was sentenced to five years.
In 1991, Verrett was convicted of felony arson and trespassing and sentenced to five years imprisonment in California after he illegally organised a party in an unoccupied house that was set on fire and burned to the ground. In 1993, after he was released from prison, Verrett was arrested on three separate occasions and charged with crimes including trespassing, theft of services and fare evasion. He has also had charges of domestic abuse levelled against him.
Vele Noren aanzien hem als een charlatan[Many Norwegians regard him as a charlatan]
Was zu der Ungnade der norwegischen Öffentlichkeit hinzukommt: Der Zukünftige, Verrett, gilt als Scharlatan. Er vertritt verschiedene Verschwörungstheorien, gilt in den USA als Sex-Guru.[Adding to the disfavour of the Norwegian public: the fiancé, Verrett, is considered a charlatan. He promotes various conspiracy theories and is considered a sex guru in the U.S.]
han er en svindler, en sjarlatan og en kvakksalver[he is a conman, charlatan and quack]
In 2021 he left me a series of voice mails and tried to convince me of the existence of the Illuminati. It's kind of important people know just how far out he actually is