Scientology spotlight: Danny Masterson, Tom Cruise, Leah Remini illuminate Hollywood church drama
(L-R) Danny Masterson, Tom Cruise, Leah Remini / Getty Images
Danny Masterson’s recent rape trial, conviction and prison sentencing shined a new light on Scientology, the somewhat secretive religion favored by a few of the biggest and brightest stars in Tinseltown.
Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the ultimate goal of Scientology is "true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for the individual" through the realization of spiritual salvation and brotherhood with the universe, per the organization.
Masterson and his actress wife, Bijou Phillips, belong to the church in addition to his actor brother, Christopher Masterson, and half-siblings Alanna Masterson and Jordan Masterson.
Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Jenna Elfman and the late Kirstie Alley have been staunch allies of the controversial religion through the years.
On Thursday, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being found guilty in May on two counts of forcible rape. The jury was hung on a third charge.
No additional church members aside from Danny Masterson were implicated or charged with criminal conduct in connection with the victims' rape allegations.
The church of Scientology was highlighted in Masterson's rape retrial, an inclusion that was slammed by the organization after the "That '70s Show" actor was found guilty in May.
Masterson, 47, was accused of drugging the victims' drinks in order to rape them.
The accusers said they were hesitant to file charges due to the church's alleged strict protocols against public involvement with member issues; all three women were members at the time.
"The church taught his victims: ‘Rape isn’t rape, you caused this, and above all, you are never allowed to go to law enforcement,’" Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury during the trial. "In Scientology, the defendant is a celebrity, and he is untouchable."
However, the Church of Scientology criticized the involvement of the organization in the trial by the prosecution, saying testimony and descriptions about the church's "beliefs" and "practices" were false.
When asked for comment on Masterson's sentencing, the Church of Scientology referred to the same statement they provided to Fox News Digital in May, saying the introduction of religion into Masterson's trial violated First Amendment rights.
"The prosecution's introduction of religion into this trial was an unprecedented violation of the First Amendment and affects the due process rights of every American. The Church was not a party to this case and religion did not belong in this proceeding as Supreme Court precedent has maintained for centuries."
"The District Attorney unconscionably centered his prosecution on the defendant's religion and fabrications about the Church to introduce prejudice and inflame bigotry," the statement continued. "The DA elicited testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs and practices which were uniformly FALSE."
The church denied discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct to law enforcement, saying, "Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE. There is not a scintilla of evidence supporting the scandalous allegations that the Church harassed the accusers. Every single instance of supposed harassment by the Church is FALSE, and has been debunked."
Leah Remini, a former Scientologist and the organization's most outspoken defector, called the women who survived Masterson's attacks "heroes."
On Thursday, she praised the women who "survived Danny's predation" and "fought tirelessly for justice" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multi-billion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status," she wrote. "Hearing the survivors read their victim impact statements aloud in court while the man who raped them and some of the very Scientologists who terrorized them over two decades were just a few feet away displayed a level of bravery that I am in awe of."
"These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement."
Remini has also often discussed Cruise as the top of the Scientology chain. The "Top Gun" actor became a member of the church in 1986 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. In 1992, he publicly disclosed his affiliation with the religion.
Cruise married his second wife, Nicole Kidman, in 1990 just months after meeting on the set of "Days of Thunder." She reportedly took Scientology classes while they were together but has never spoken about her relationship with the church or Cruise.
The couple adopted two children, Isabelle and Connor, while they were married. When they divorced in 2001, the kids chose to continue practicing the religion. In a 2018 interview with Australia's WHO magazine, Kidman, who was raised Catholic, said she loves her kids "unconditionally."
"They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and, as a mother, it’s my job to love them," she said. "And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love, and I’m open here."
"I think that’s so important because if that is taken away from a child, to sever that in any child, in any relationship, in any family, I believe it’s wrong. So, that’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love."
Kidman's exit paved the way for Cruise's next wife to enter stage right: Katie Holmes. The former "Dawson's Creek" actress married Cruise in 2006 after welcoming a daughter together named Suri.
Six years later, Holmes filed for divorce from Cruise and also sought sole custody of their little girl.
A joint statement released at the time alluded to conflict between their belief systems: "We are committed to working together as parents to accomplish what is in our daughter Suri’s best interests. We want to keep matters affecting our family private and express our respect for each others' commitment to each of our respective beliefs and support each other’s roles as parents," the statement said.
Remini said the religion played a part in the demise of their relationship.
"Scientology considers Katie a suppressive person, which is an enemy," she told the New York Post in 2020. "I knew Katie when she was in [Scientology] and she seemed very indoctrinated into Tom’s world, but as time went on, I understood why she did what she did to protect her daughter."
Remini, who left the church in 2013, has since hosted a documentary series about Scientology, which earned her two Emmy Awards for outstanding nonfiction series or special.
She penned a memoir about her time within the church and discusses the religion on her podcast with a fellow church whistleblower, Mike Rinder, titled "Scientology: Fair Game."
The organization has consistently denied Remini's claims, and in a statement posted on their site, said she "knows the truth she conveniently rewrites in her revisionist history."
The group added, "She needs to move on with her life instead of pathetically exploiting her former religion, her former friends and other celebrities for money and attention to appear relevant again."
Masterson isn't the only Scientologist who has had legal troubles. Filmmaker Paul Haggis was ordered to pay Haleigh Breest $10 million in November after being found liable in a civil rape lawsuit that stemmed from a 2013 incident in which the former publicist was allegedly raped at the director's home in New York.
Haggis, a former Scientologist, maintained the sexual encounter was consensual, but multiple women have since come forward with accusations against the "Crash" director after Breest filed the civil lawsuit.
"I can't live with lies like this. I will die clearing my name," he said as he left the court.
In 2022, Haggis was placed under house arrest for 16 days after he was arrested on assault charges in Italy.
His lawyer said the Oscar-winning director was "totally innocent" after reports surfaced he was arrested in June for a "non-consensual" sexual relationship with a British woman. The charges were later dismissed.
Kirstie Alley flourished in the lifestyle that Scientology provided her after she joined the group in the '70s.
The "Cheers" actress, who died on Dec. 8 at the age of 71 after a short battle with colon cancer, remained a Scientologist throughout her life and was dedicated to her religion, which she credited with helping her overcome a cocaine addiction.
"Kirstie Alley was a beloved member of our Church, a champion for drug rehabilitation and a passionate advocate for human rights," the church said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Kirstie was known the world over for her generosity, charisma and irresistible sense of humor. She will be deeply missed and long remembered by the countless many whose lives she changed. Our hearts are with her family."
Alley credited the church with helping her stay clean and wrote about her battle with addiction in her 2012 memoir "The Art of Men."
"Now on to demonstrating how L. Ron Hubbard influenced my life directly," she wrote. "He taught me that I could change. He taught me that other people could change. He taught me humanity and responsibility."
She continued, "When I began doing Scientology, I was a drugged-out mess. I understood hell – depression, anxiety, addiction, failure, and loss. Well, at least, I understood that I'd experienced a fair quantity of each. Through the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard I gained a different point of view of these age-old problems. Depression, anxiety, loss, addiction, sadness, hate, self-loathing are not new subjects."
The "Drop Dead Gorgeous" star was also reportedly ranked at one of the highest levels in the organization, according to an interview she gave to the church publication "Freewinds" in 2018.
Jenna Elfman, who has practiced Scientology teachings for decades, once said that debates over the religion were simply lacking any substance.
"The controversy is boring," the "Fear the Walking Dead" actress told Us Weekly in 2020.
"It's nothing to me. I know what I know and how much it helps me."
The "Dharma & Greg" star credited Scientology as the secret behind her 28-year marriage with actor Bodhi Elfman.
She told People magazine in 2018, "Well, I’ve been a Scientologist for 28 years, and that’s a huge part of what helps us keep our communication going and our relationship."
"We’ve never cheated on each other, we’ve never broken up. We hang in there."
Elfman added of the religious practice, "I use it every single day of my life, and it keeps me energized and vivacious and happy."