Eligio Bishop rose to fame as a spiritual influencer in 2016, promoting a “return to nature” and the idea of a “Black utopia” to recruit people to join his group Carbon Nation. But what started as an off-the-grid community soon turned into a coercive cult.
Adopting the moniker “Natureboy,” Bishop declared himself God and began physically and sexually abusing his followers. In 2022, one of his followers managed to escape and reported his abuse to the police, which led to his arrest.
Bishop was convicted of rape and other felonies in March 2024 and sentenced to life in prison. His crimes are explored in the new docuseries The Cult of NatureBoy, which traces his rise and fall as the controlling leader of Carbon Nation.
Here’s what you should know about Bishop’s cult and life in prison.
Who Is “NatureBoy” Eligio Bishop?
Born in Harlem in 1982, Eligio Bishop spent his early years in foster care before he was adopted at the age of 11. Growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, Bishop, who is Black, experienced racism and abuse, and soon started getting into trouble with the law. During his teen years, he was in and out of juvenile detention for smoking weed and other crimes, ending up at East Jersey State Prison at 16 years old.
Following his release, Bishop joined the Army but was soon discharged after completing basic training. He then turned to stripping and sex work for nearly a decade and later opened a barber shop near Atlanta.
Bishop faced legal trouble again, however, when he was arrested in 2011 for hitting a woman named Maisha Evans, who he lived with at the time. He was charged with aggravated battery but faced no jail time after Evans wrote a favorable letter to the judge.
How Did Eligio Bishop Found Carbon Nation?
In late 2015, Bishop launched the YouTube channel NatureboyTV and soon began posting videos about racial injustice and the environment. Presenting himself as a spiritual leader named “Natureboy,” he recruited young Black creatives to join Carbon Nation, which he marketed as a “Black utopia,” urging them to leave the United States—and racism—behind and return to nature.
In July 2016, he took a small group to Honduras—the first of many trips abroad—to live off the land. From 2016 to 2022, Bishop moved Carbon Nation to various remote locations throughout Latin America and North America. During this time, he encouraged the group to stay active on social media and record music together, but his efforts to create a utopia were marred by control and abuse.
Referring to himself as a “master teacher,” Bishop required his followers to follow a strict vegan diet and practice nudism. He also instructed them to cut off contact with family and friends and subjected them to physical violence and sexual assault.
By the time Bishop moved back to the Atlanta area, he had proclaimed himself to be God.
What Was Eligio Bishop Convicted Of?
In March 2022, former follower Jenaé Newell left Carbon Nation after Bishop raped her during a house party at his rental property in Dekalb County, Georgia. Bishop retaliated by posting a video of the assault online, which Newell immediately reported to the police.
Following a brief investigation, Bishop was arrested that April and charged with rape, false imprisonment, and revenge porn. He was convicted of all charges in March 2024 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 10 years.
Where Is Eligio Bishop Today?
Bishop, now 43, is currently imprisoned at Macon State Prison in Macon County, Georgia. He was briefly hospitalized after suffering injuries during a jail fight in August 2024.
How to Watch The Cult of NatureBoy
The Cult of NatureBoy explores Bishop’s cult through exclusive footage and interviews with former Carbon Nation members. The four-part docuseries is now streaming on Hulu.
Catherine Caruso joined the Biography.com staff in August 2024, having previously worked as a freelance journalist for several years. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she studied English literature. When she’s not working on a new story, you can find her reading, hitting the gym, or watching too much TV.
