40 Celebrity Scientologists, Past and Present

It’s no secret that, in Hollywood, Scientology is a thing.  READ: 16 Celebs Who Starred In Fast Food Commercials Before They Were Famous A big thing that—despite its somewhat sinister and secretive reputation—has managed to recruit dozens of high-profile celebrities, some of which are devout followers, while others decided it wasn’t their cup of tea and left the church. So, what is this thing we hear so much about? On its website, Scientology—which was founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1955 and is recognized as a religion in the U.S. and a few other countries—describes itself as a “twenty-first-century religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being. Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.” Even if you haven’t heard the above definition, you might have heard about one of Scientology’s key practices called “auditing,” which is basically a counseling session during which a person’s unconscious thoughts from painful experiences are purged, often with the help of a trained auditor and a device known as an “e-meter.” PHOTOS: 20 Good Actors Without Oscars In 2009, ABC published excerpts from “Nightline” interviews called “How Scientology Attracts Celebrities” and talked to several insiders—both past and present—and reported that e-meters are quite similar to lie detectors and impart electrical current through the body. “The theory is is that when you have emotional charge … it changes the resistance of the body. So that changes the current. And that … and it makes this needle move,” an insider who left the Church in 2003 told ABC. A little confusing, to be sure, and there’s a lot more to it than that (for an interesting explanation, head to Belieftnet.com, which recruited Hugh B. Urban, professor of religious studies at Ohio State University to explain it), but a staggering number of celebrities have latched on for various reasons (we could speculate and say it’s because of Scientology’s self-help aspect, or its celebration of personal wealth.) Here, a look at 40 celebrity Scientologists, including those who are devout, those who dabbled, and those who defected (read: quit for good.)