Celebrities Who Left the Church of Scientology
Scientology is a controversial topic in Hollywood — some celebrities consider it a religion, while others consider it a cult. There are fervent supporters like Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta, who often speak about the benefits of having the Church of Scientology in their lives. And then there are stars like Leah Remini, who are revealing the damage the church has caused to individuals and their families because of their questionable practices.
In the last few years, we’ve heard of more and more actors in the entertainment industry exiting the church for good. Most recently, Orange Is the New Black star Laura Prepon talked about leaving after she became a mother. “If motherhood has taught me anything so far, it’s that something can work out for a period of time and then you move on and evolve from that,” she explained to People.
But the list of who has left the Church of Scientology might surprise you because you probably never knew a few of these celebs were members in the first place — we are looking at you, Brad Pitt. Scroll down to learn more about this ever-growing list of ex-Scientology members.
A version of this story originally appeared in 2017.
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Bijou Phillips
Bijou Phillips told DailyMail that she left the Church after Danny Masterson’s conviction. A source said: “Bijou left a few weeks after she found out that Danny had been declared an SP [suppressive person] for not living up to the standards of the church.”
Riley Keough
Keough was born into the Church after her mother, Lisa Marie Presely, and her grandmother, Priscilla Presley, joined after Elvis’ 1977 death. Lisa Marie reportedly met Keough’s father, Danny Keough, through the Church.
However, it is reported that the Daisy Jones & The Six star left Scientology in 2014. In August 2023, she told Vanity Fair that she is “spiritual” but not religious. “‘Faith’ is a loaded word for people, but I think faith is faith in anything—faith in love, humanity, the universe, whatever it is. I don’t go to church, but I was always able to identify that spirituality was something that I really needed in my life.”
Nazanin Boniadi
Nazanin Boniadi was a Scientologist for a few years and, according to some reports, was auditioned to be Tom Cruise’s second wife. While not much is known about her time there, she did leave the Church in 2012, per Insider.
Peaches Geldof
The late columnist and model Peaches Geldof stated that she was a Scientologist in 2009, per Digital Spy, but a few years later, she identified herself as a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis, which is a society that allegedly practices sex magic.
Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen was reportedly in Scientology in the 1960s, but it didn’t last long at all, per Business Insider.
Michelle Visage
Michelle Visage actually dabbled in Scientology with her pal Leah Remini, but stopped supporting it after she read about their homophobic views.
Neil Gaiman
Beloved author Neil Gaiman was actually raised in the Church of Scientology, but he left pretty soon after he became an adult. He previously told the Sydney Morning Herald in a now-archived post per Ranker, “I realized, ultimately, that people believe what they want to believe. I realized that on the one hand not everyone can be right, but on the other hand you can all be as right as you want, because you are arguing about things that, mostly, are imaginary.”
Laura Prepon
Laura Prepon revealed she “no longer practicing Scientology.” While this is a new revelation to the public, the former Orange Is the New Black star admitted that she hasn’t practiced “in close to five years” and that the religion is “no longer part of my life,” per People.
Leah Remini
Leah Remini is one of the more recent actors and former Scientologists who has actively spoken up about her time within this wild pseudo-religion. After 34 years as a Scientologist, she left in 2013 after negative repercussions arose from her questioning the whereabouts of Shelly Miscavige, the wife of leader David Miscavige. She has become vocal about why Scientology does more harm than good. She has written a book about her experiences and has participated in an incredibly revealing A&E documentary on the topic. The Church of Scientology has already called her out, claiming she’s made up her accusations, but Remini has never backed down from her belief that Scientology is a toxic environment for its practitioners.
Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone was quite interested in Scientology in the 1990s, staying with it for a few years until 1998, during her marriage to journalist Phil Bronstein. However, she found Buddhism later and has been fully invested in the religion since.
Beck
So Beck’s relationship with Scientology is a bit confusing. At one point, he said he was a member, then said he never was. Let us explain: his father was a Scientologist, and at one point, Beck married Giovanni Ribisi’s twin sister Marissa, who is an active Scientologist.
While he was married, he sang Scientology’s praises. However, after his divorce, he said, “I think there’s a misconception that I am a Scientologist. I’m not a Scientologist. I don’t have any connection or affiliation with it.” This has led many to believe that he was once a member but left during his divorce.
Demi Moore
Demi Moore reportedly used to practice Scientology up until she married Bruce Willis. She would frequently attend the meetings, and many sources said she was “heavily courted” by high-ranking members of the Church. However, Willis didn’t believe in it and it led Moore to leaving the Church, per Insider.
Lisa Marie & Priscilla Presley
The daughter of Elvis Presley was, at one time, a member of the Church of Scientology. Presley was apparently a high-ranking member of the church but left in 2012, reportedly announcing her departure through the song “You Ain’t See Nothin’ Yet.” Her mother, Priscilla Presley, was also thought to have left around the same time as Lisa Marie, but she apparently has distanced herself from the church, but still practices privately.
Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes was married to Tom Cruise, arguably Scientology’s celebrity poster boy, from 2006 to 2012. Holmes apparently blindsided the Mission Impossible actor when she filed for divorce in 2012. Reports soon surfaced one of the reasons she wanted to split was because she didn’t want their daughter, Suri, raised as a Scientologist. As a result of this, she was able to maintain custody of Suri since the divorce but has been relatively quiet about how Scientology figured into her life with and marriage to Cruise.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman was Tom Cruise’s second wife and someone who has quite a heartbreaking departure from Scientology. While it’s not reported whether she was a practitioner during her marriage to Cruise, Kidman has no affiliation with Scientology currently. Sadly, the two children she and Cruise adopted chose to stay with him and it’s believed they have grown up in Scientology. For her part, Kidman initially denounced the faith but, as of 2013, claims to “respect their beliefs.”
Mimi Rogers
Interestingly, Tom Cruise’s first wife and former Scientologist, actor Mimi Rogers, introduced Cruise to Scientology. Rogers left the church when she divorced Cruise and is considered a “former member.”
Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith
This couple is a tricky one when it comes to Scientology. They started a school, New Village Academy, in 2008 in Calabasas, California with teaching methods that had clear ties to the Church of Scientology.
Leah Remini also outed Pinkett Smith as a member in 2017 and alleged that she had seen the Red Table Talk host at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. Pinkett Smith defended herself on Twitter, writing, “I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech… but I am not a Scientologist.”
Brad Pitt
Surprise! Betcha didn’t think Brad Pitt would show up on this list, did you? Well, as it turns out, the ol’ Pitt-meister took a few Scientology classes when he was dating actor Juliette Lewis (an avowed Scientologist to this day).
Jerry Seinfeld
It might surprise you that a man as amusingly cynical as comedian Jerry Seinfeld would have been a part of the Church of Scientology. Although he was never officially a Scientologist, Seinfeld did take some classes in his youth as a means of finding himself. He told Parade magazine in 2007 about his interactions with Scientology: “In my early years of stand-up, it was very helpful. I took a couple of courses[…]I learned some things about communication that really got my act going.”
Jason Beghe
Jason Beghe, currently best known for his role on Chicago P.D., is another outspoken former member of Scientology. The tough-talking actor is on record as saying that Scientology is “very dangerous for your spiritual, psychological, mental, emotional health and evolution.” His comments made him the target of Scientology’s allegedly more vengeful side. The retaliatory measures taken by the Church of Scientology have been well-documented over the years; the church denies they have ever harassed Beghe.
Tom Berenger
Once a devoted member of Scientology, Inception star Tom Berenger left the Church of Scientology on a bitter note. There’s a clear answer on just how involved Berenger was with the church, but he was indeed involved. Apparently, his second wife was so deep a believer it caused a rift in their relationship, and as a result, Berenger has cited Scientology as the reason for his divorce. This ostensibly became the reason he left the church.
Jeffrey Tambor
The former Transparent actor was, like Jerry Seinfeld, merely dabbled in the Church of Scientology rather than an outright practitioner. According to TIME magazine, Tambor is on the record as saying, “I took some Scientology classes at one time, studied Scientology for a while, but no more. I have nothing against it, but I am no longer a Scientologist.”
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish was never fully committed member of the Church of Scientology, but she revealed that she took their offer to help her when she was homeless. She “took a few courses” and then got a tempting gift from them — they offered her “$50 a month” and housing if she helped them in “the Inglewood and the South Central area” [of Los Angeles].
Christopher Reeve
The Superman actor had reportedly only dabbled with Scientology in the past. Legend has it that Reeve’s interactions with Scientology ended when he was hooked up to a lie-detector machine for some unknown reason. Reeve apparently proceeded to lie throughout his interview and the ostensibly Scientology-approved machines didn’t pick up on those lies. He left shortly after this encounter.
Jason Lee
It’s not clear when Jason Lee left the Church of Scientology, but it’s been at least five years after joining the religion in the 1990s. The former My Name Is Earl star had to address a rumor in 2016 that he and wife Ceren Alkac were opening a branch of the church in their new Denton, Texas home.
“If Ceren and I had an idea for a business, it certainly wouldn’t happen at the cost of someone else’s,” he explained to The Dentonite. “And being that we don’t practice Scientology, and that we aren’t particularly interested in opening religious centers in general, we have no plans to open a Scientology center.”
