Every other day we get to hear news about some celebrity joining scientology but somehow there is little noise about the celebrities who left Scientology. Yes, there are a ton of them who have jumped off the bandwagon!
Created by American author L Ron Hubbard, it is a religion that is known to sit well with the celebs. The beliefs are based on the principle of humans essentially being immortal and oblivious to their true nature. So why does it have the celebrities interested, you might be wondering? Apparently it is because of its glorifying individualistic inclinations as it promotes individual identity. It adds a spiritual connection to wealth and fame.
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The Church of Scientology has over the years been successful in recruiting quite a number of notable celebrities to endorse Scientology. Celebrities Who Believe in Scientology include Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Juliette Lewis and Kelly Preston who have come to be known as staunch followers. And, the Church even has special ‘celebrity centers’ and departments for organizing celebrity events. It has admittedly put policies in place to solicit celebrities which in turn would help to garner the attention from the public at large.
However, the religion is no stranger to controversies. The Church has been criticized over and again for its practices which have been said to border on brainwashing and even defrauding of members. Not to mention, its critics have borne the brunt in form of lawsuits and character assassinations. And, then along the way, it has lost some notable members as listed in our list of celebrities who left Scientology. So, here are those celebrities who weren’t afraid of calling it quits on one of the most controversial new religions of our times.
11. Nicole Kidman,
After her divorce with Tom Cruise, who is a staunch believer, Nicole Kidman thought better of it to leave! However, the tabloids have been flooded with rumors of things taking an ugly turn with the Church trying to turn Nicole’s kids against her and also tagging her as a ‘Suppressive Person’.
10. Ricky Martin,
Though Ricky Martin was never an official member of the Church, the singer is said to have ‘explored’ the religion for a bit. Like he also has been exploring Hinduism, Catholicism, Judaism…you get the drift? But, it has been reported that he is no longer connected to the Church in any way.
9. Michael Fairman,
The actor best known for his role in ‘Young and Restless’ had been a spokesperson for the religion since his joining in 2003 before calling it quits in 2011. His decision came soon after Paul Haggis handed out his resignation and has been pretty vocal in sharing his experience with the religion since then.
8. Neil Gaiman,
Neil Gaiman’s exit from the Church came as a shock. The famed author of the Sandman series and Coraline had been a notable Scientologist and had in fact practiced the religion growing up. However, he has always refrained from commenting much on the topic.
7. Lisa Marie Presley,
Lisa Marie Presley cut all ties with the Scientology Church in 2012. Though she has kept her reasons to herself, speculators have indicated that her album ‘Storm and Grace’ might have contained some unfriendly references towards the religion.
6. Larry Anderson,
The actor/magician had been a member of the Church since 1976, and also one of the faces of the religion, having also appeared in the ‘Orientation’ video of the religion. However, soon after the founder passed away he expressed a desire to leave, apparently triggered by the high costs involved in reprinting of church books.
5. Leah Remini,
Leah Remini was one of the devoted followers of the religion for over 30 years, but in 2013, she made her decision to sever all ties. And, she decided to not leave silently. She has been one of the stars who have expressed their displeasure openly.
4. Will Smith,
In Will Smith’s case it was highly speculated that the actor had joined the religion. However, though he has denied all the rumors, the heavy donations to the Church made by him have pointed otherwise. An announcement made on the part of the Church stating Will Smith isn’t a follower has now cleared things up.
3. Candice Bergen,
The evergreen actress is said to have been one of the earlier followers of the religion and had dabbled in it in the sixties. She left before the religion gained popularity though.
2. Christopher Reeve,
The ‘Superman’ actor had admitted to have joined the religion as a young man. In his twenties he came across the Church and had his induction but is said to have grown awry soon after. Apparently there was a story about his past life that made him doubtful.
1. Sonny Bono,
Sonny Bono was said to have been introduced to the Church by Mimi Rogers, former wife of Tom Cruise who is said to have gotten Cruise interested in the first place. The revelation came soon after Cher pointed out his affiliation with the Church in an interview. Bono later revealed he was officially a Roman Catholic though!
So these were some of the most prominent celebrities who left Scientology. Though some of the exits might have gotten a little complicated, we wish them luck with their new-found Scientology-free lives!
