On Monday, Jim Carrey’s ex-girlfriend Cathriona White committed suicide. We covered the extremely sad story on Wednesday. There’s been a lot of coverage of Carrey’s devastation, and White’s family has issued statements as well. According to People Magazine, Cathriona’s sister Lisa went to Jim Carrey’s Brentwood home yesterday and they spent about an hour together. The family plans on bringing Cathriona home to Ireland for the funeral.
For most of Thursday, one of the top stories on the Daily Mail was “EXCLUSIVE: Jim Carrey’s tragic ex was a Scientologist and was taking an intensive ‘survival’ course at the religion’s celebrity center.” The Daily Mail uses Tony Ortega as a source, claiming that Cathriona had been involved with Scientology for four to five years, since before she met Jim Carrey. She got involved with CoS, allegedly, when she started hanging out with the people around Beck. Ortega claims that Carrey knew that Cathriona was a Scientologist, which Ortega says is weird because Carrey has said critical things about CoS in the past.
Anyway, even though Ortega was being very conservative in his discussion about Cathriona’s involvement within CoS, the larger stories attaching this poor woman to CoS seems to have disturbed the higher-ups in Scientology. So they issued a statement:
The Church of Scientology is firing back at accusations it had anything to do with Jim Carrey’s girlfriend killing herself — saying no one blames the Bible when a Christian commits suicide. Cathriona White was reportedly very active in the Church of Scientology … taking part in a program called the “Purification Rundown” — a controversial drug and alcohol detox program combining exercise, medication, and sauna sessions.
But a Scientology spokeswoman tells TMZ any reports connecting White’s death to the church are a “sad and reprehensible” way to exploit the tragedy of her death. She also calls it “outright bigotry” because it’s “like saying a person who previously studied the Bible committed suicide.”
Law enforcement sources tell us investigators will question church officials about Cathriona’s involvement in the detox — but at this point they strongly believe her death had nothing to do with Scientology.
As many of you know, whenever CoS is questioned about anything, they play the “bigotry” and “persecution” cards. They have bigger martyr complexes than evangelical Christians, and they think that’s a clever way of shutting down questions about their practices. While I’m glad that the LAPD will be speaking to some people in CoS, I really don’t expect anything to come of it. I mean, the LAPD didn’t do much about the still-missing Shelly Miscavige, you know?
Photos courtesy of Cathriona’s Instagram, Fame/Flynet, WENN.
Said this on another site, COS has played a part in her suicide/death because they do not believe in psychiatry or the use of drugs to overcome depression. She obviously needed help and COS would not have encouraged her to get that help. And that is not bigotry, as there are many “religions” that discourage the use of psychiatrists and drugs.
True. Even some hardliners in 12 Step fellowships like AA and NA frown on anti-depressants too.
Not true.
Peggy-
Yes, it is true. There are some people (mostly old timers) in the rooms that not only frown upon using anti-depressants, etc. they are outright hostile about it. Just because you have not met any (yet) doesn’t mean they do not exist.
This exactly. I can only imagine who and what was in her head, making her feel like a failure for being depressed. Making her feel like she would be failing even more deeply if she were to take medication that could have saved her life. How sad, f*cked up, and infuriating. To anyone insinuating that Jim Carrey played a role in Cathriona’s death, turn your suspicions to the CoS instead. If she was still involved with the cult up to the time of her death, I strongly believe that they bear some of the responsibility. Ugh. Too disturbing to think about.
Would it be great if Jim Carrey used his resources to sue the Church / cult for wrongful death? He is powerful enough that it would be harder to attack him.
+1 Shambles -especially regarding turning your suspicions away from Carey and onto Co$. As soon as I read the headline, her death made sense. The mortality rate amongst Scientologists is significant and doing the Purif for an extended time can badly mess someone up. Scientology should be held accountable even if it’s just in the minds of the aware.
I hate COS but imo Jim won’t dare sue anyone, his name is in the Suicide note.
Just saying. I doubt if Jim wants to open the whole can of worms on his past relationsips.
I agree. If she’s in a such a serious state that she needs a ‘survival’ course for alcohol/drug detox, then the way CO$ does it has to be taken into account on her already fragile mindset.
They are not a religion, they’re a cult who prey on the helpless n rich, n yes, I’m talking of experience with cos.
Of course they will deny it – sadly this isn’t the first or last suicide that they have ‘contributed’ to.
Poor girl really needed help and maybe Jim tried to help her but his efforts were probably blocked by these nutjobs.
“no one blames the Bible when a Christian commits suicide”- AYFKM? I love that they liken their cult to Christianity. The delusion is strong in that one.
I can’t even with these asshats.
Whenever I see this dangerous cult’s name even mentioned, I get chills. It seems as if she had problems for quite some time now. This is so sad.
‘I don’t think that word means what you think it means.’
Thanks, THIS as F*ck
That’s the quote that ran through my head as soon as I read the headline.
I wonder was she pressured to “recruit” Jim Carrey into CO$, after all the scandal around them I imagine numbers and thus income is dropping for them.
Condolences to her family and loved ones.
I am positive that she was. He is worth an incredible amount of money, and would be a huge ‘get’ for the CO$.
I think that could be a possibility. If so, she ‘failed’ her mission, and I’m thinking her Co$ ‘therapy’ counselors weren’t too kind on her for failing when instead she should have gotten professional help and support.
I imagine that they had her doing all sorts of penance for failing too. Which makes total sense. Not like we don’t know how they treat the fillies who don’t fall into line in Co$ circles
This girl needed serious psychiatric intervention and their very tennaments and teachings (they have an anti-psychiatry museum FFS!) would tell her not to get it.
Oh yeah and keep paying for Tom Cruise movies people! May as well just donate your money directly to the cult. (But..but…stunts!…explosions!) Disgusting.
Yes particularly is the stories are true and that he’s financially propping them up with money from his movies. They are wealthy due to all the real estate they have but have no readily available cash – hence where Cruise comes in.
thanks for this post…the people who paid to see MI 17 (or whatever the F number they’re on now…) after that expose on the cult?…don’t get it.
Yeah. There are tons of scumbags in Hollywood, but I can’t think of any others off the top of my head who directly funnel the money they get into something so completely horrible. It’s one thing to support the lifestyle of one terrible person, and another when you know the money’s going to something like Scientology.
Though I think a lot, if not most, of Cruise’s current bankability is the overseas market, particularly China. I have no idea what can be done about that.
How do you pronounce her name? Is it like Katrina? Just curious.
Yes. I read in an article by Tony Ortega it’s pronounced Katrina. He must know from his Scientologist sources. I guess the h is silent. But on E-Entertainment they pronounced it Cath-riona.
kAHtreeOnah. Hope this makes sense.
Thanks, guys! I figured it might’ve been an Irish name I hadn’t heard. It’s as pretty as she was. Sigh.
Pardon my French but when it comes to scientologists…ASSHOLES, EVERY SINGLE OF THEM!
Ever since I read that New Yorker article about Paul Haggis leaving this cult and watched two documentaries (one fom BBC and one fron a French channel (called: Scientology: The Truth Aboit A Lie), Tom Cruise has never seen a cent from money. First because I think he’s a terrible actor — then, there”s this cult and the fact I’d be supporting them indirectly. NO F*CKING WAY!!!
I have spoken!
No matter how much people tell me the Mission Impossible movie is great, I won’t give him or the studio any of my money either. Same with perverts like Woody Allen.
Unlike Christianity, where you can find positive examples out there, I don’t see anything good about Scientology. Just seems to take people’s money and destroy their lives.
Polanski’s another one, I won’t watch anything he’s involved with either, I refuse to support these people in any way. Not a hardship with Cruise, I agree with you, he’s basically a s*it actor anyway.
I’m so pissed I made a lot of typos. It was supposed to go like this:
“ASSHOLES, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!”
AND
“[…] one FROM BBC and one froM a French channel (called ‘Scientology: The Truth AboUt A Lie’)”.
Seriously, my hands are shaking. Time to pop my antidepressants. Did you hear that, Cruise?
A N T I D E P R E S S A N T S!
Agreed. The CO$ angle to this sad story makes it even worse. How they continue to get away with everything after all the various exposes is unbelievable.
And YES, where is Shelly Miscavige??? And why does no one care; that is, no one with any influence??
Miss you Eve! and thank you!
I think Scientology is a dangerous cult developed by an egotistical nutjob and being run by another egotistical, greedy nutjob. And if that makes me a bigot according to Scientologists, then oh well, I can live with that.
Last I checked, the majority of Christians don’t demonize prescription pills or psychology. When you have a mental illness and you participate in a… let’s just say “religion” for the sake of the cult’s thin argument… that actively discourages you from seeking any medical treatment for it, then yes, that institution deserves some of the blame.
I’m thinking of Jett Travolta now too… they’ve had blood on their hands for a very long time, both directly and indirectly.
Since C0$ doesn’t acknowledge or encourage any sort of illness and believe it’s something the sufferer brought on themselves and can be cured with more C0$ and saunas and vitamins…..of course they had a factor in her state of mind – notice i’m not blaming them for her decision, i’m blaming them for not being helpful and probably giving her alittle shove in an unhelpful direction.
And that’s me being generous.
And now for my tinfoil hat conspiracy…..C0$ doesn’t encourage any contact with those they deem suppressive persons OR anyone who isn’t C0$ unless that person can be useful to them so what was this girl doing with Jim Carrey??? Was she attempting to recruit him?
If we remember Nazadin Boniadi’s Tom Cruise story or Sylivia ‘Spanky’ Taylor’s John Travolta story, not to mention all those executives in the hole, failure is not looked upon kindly an the repurcussions from C0$ are soul destroying. You have to be very strong to survive the repurcussions.
Just based on the GC documentary, the pressure seems enormous as is (much less if your private life is of interest to them, as I suspect hers was).
Reports claim she was renting a home valued at over a million dollars. She supposedly had not worked in a couple of years. Her JC relationship had been off and on. How was she affording to merely exist? Not trying to sound crass, but I do think that is a missing piece of the puzzle.
Lisa McPherson.
Sorry, who is she and what about her?
I found this: http://www.lisamcpherson.org/
Appalling.
YES. this “church” is truly the stuff of nightmares. I have a sister who has, unfortunately, bought into a similar situation to COS. We’ve all tried to help her see what it is that she’s supporting, but she labels us all as people who are less enlightened. In these situations, it’s so hard not to be angry and shaken to your core. I’ve been particularly upset, while most of the people in my family continue to try and find the good in what she’s doing and bury their heads in the sand. I’d be mad at my sister except that I’m too worried about her and her future. I’m sorry. Much of this is TMI. It’s been a rough few years for me and seeing stuff about COS brings it all back.
I am sorry you are in this situation. Not to mention your sister. I don’t have any experience with such cults, and even reading about the manipulation and damage they do makes me angry beyond words. What I can say though is they exploit vulnerabilities and the positive thing I can think of is finding a strong point in a person falling prey to them to help counter-act the manipulation. Or trying to involve the person in another project they would feel passionate about and make them spend more time on it, engaging in this project also people who genuinely care about her/him. Gradually, nothing dramatic.
I wish the best to you and your family.
I wonder, isn’t there enough information justifying a thorough investigation of CoS by a prosecutor? And closing it down? Every single information out there about CoS is absolutely outrageous. And it is allowed to exist? I am all for freedom of belief but CoS is way to fishy. (Sorry fish). Stories of actual slavery? Manipulation? Indications of blackmail? Brainwashing? That’s criminal.
I am so sad this young woman died.
They’d have to have undeniable proof that Scientology is not a religion. At which point their tax exempt status would be revoked. If individual church members were caught and convicted on felonies, then they could send those specific people to jail. If they can prove there was a conspiracy to commit or cover up crimes, then the organization’s leadership could be prosecuted using the same statutes the feds used to convict Mafia leaders. The US federal government has been battling with CoS for decades and once did convict and imprison several top Scientologists including Hubbard’s own wife.
But no, we don’t tell people what to believe in this country, members must be free to continue to practice their beliefs, or it opens the door to the government picking and choosing which beliefs are allowed to exist in general. So CoS cannot be “shut down” even if all their leadership ends up in prison and they have to pay 30-40 years worth of back taxes. Which will bankrupt them and force them to sell off most of their stuff and Tom Cruise won’t come visit the Orgs any more because they’re not well maintained, and celebrities, who keep the religion afloat, will abandon it. CoS would gradually shrink then fade away if that happened.
But there has to be a line drawn somewhere between religious freedom and outright human rights abuses. Just because a group claims to be a religion doesn’t mean they should be exempt from the law and consequences for abusing people, including small children.
Such a tragic waste of a young life – this cult is a disgrace.
Don’t know a lot about Scientology, but what I do know I don’t like. However, I think five days after her death, it is rather disrespectful to start playing the blame game. She could have had psychological problems for years, so do you blame her parents, or friends for not noticing red flags. Nothing can bring her back, but hopefully somebody heard about her death and decided not to emulate her final decision in life. Way too young to have given up, especially when she could have been helped. But I don’t want to repeat Wednesday’s thread, just RIP to her and peace to her family.
Her family knew nothing about her involvement in the cult. I wonder why…. Something is wrong when you don’t feel comfortable to share with your family that you have become involved in something that you feel brings you happiness and joy. She knew her family and friends would be horrified. It’s amazing that people are still being dragged into the cult even though there is so much information out there on how insane it is.
I should think her religion was an issue between them both as Jim was an open critic of it in the past. Makes me wonder why she was even ‘allowed’ to date him as he would have been called a PTS – potential trouble source a la Katie Holmes/Nicole Kidman
I’m puzzled by her alleged secrecy to her family and how the ‘church’ viewed the off and on JC relationship. Were they trying to recruit him, or was he considered SP? Either way would be added pressure.
If she was encouraged to go to LA by some CoS adherents (as alleged), then she was probably connected to a job right away. Yet supposedly she had not worked on a movie in a couple of years, which leads to my question mentioned above in the thread, which is how was she paying bills?
@ Christin:
Her family members may have been deemed “SPs” (supressive persons, in their lingo) by the cult. And whenever a scientology follower fails to bring their families to the cult, they’re “encouraged” (translation: forced) to shut ALL contact — whether it’s in person or even via phone call — with their family members, sons, daughters, even friends.
Seriously: read The New Yorker’s article called “The Apostate” (about Paul Haggis leaving the cult). It feels like a scary tale. It will give you the chills, I promise you that, but it’s worth a read. Plus, try to see if you can get your hands on the documentaries I mentioned.
Scientology isn’t a fad excentric celebrities blow their money on. It preys on ordinary people, too.
@ Christin:
Read my reply to Jayna.
@Eve
That is incorrect – you are only deemed an SP if you are actively against the church or trying to persuade somebody against it. It’s obvious from Cathriona’s IG that she was very close to her family, who of course didn’t know about her secret live in LA. So sad.
She also rented a 1.1 million house at 5k a month and had a snazzy range rover – Jim had to have been paying her way. There is no way a make up artist who wasn’t even legal in the country could afford that. She wasn’t working on big productions, if she was working at all. She was even dining in Nobu Malibu a week before she died.
Could it be that she had become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and knew she couldn’t maintain it when they split up? That she might have to leave and go back home? You never know.
@ Louise:
That’s why I used the words “may have been deemed”.
But I disagree with your assessment that one MUST actively be against the “church” to have all ties cut with people who belong to this cult.
In the French documentary I watched, an Italian film producer HAD to join scientology otherwise her daughter (who had the HIV virus) would never speak to her again, so she joined the cult to be close to her daughter during such a difficult time.
There was also a woman who escaped the scientology headquarters with nothing but the clothes she was wearing. Weeks later, she received a phone call from her son (who’s still at the church) , telling her that she should know that that was the last conversation they’re having.
Those examples are a lot less than going against the church.
Seriously, I repeat, watch the French documentary “Scientology: The Truth About A Lie” and read the almost 40 pages article at The New Yorker (“The Apostate”). I’d link to it if it were still available to The New Yorker’s non-subscribers.
Looks like the $ciloons have claimed another.
You know, I’m feeling rather troll-y today. I may have to go onto The Twitter and troll some $ciloons for the hellofit.
I dislike the cult COS very much but I don’t know if they are necessarily the cause of her demise. Antidepressants and psychiatry can help people who are depressed but they can’t always stop someone from killing themselves. Sometimes people are determined no matter what to do themselves in. It’s sad.
Sometimes, but most are driven to that point.
I agree. I’m not sure making her death about Co$ is honoring her memory in a gracious and meaningful way. Eh.
Actually the Catholic Church is called out on its dangerous practices too, such as its anti-birth control stance wherein shirking condom use contributed to the AIDS epidemic in third world countries. So there you go Co$, feel better now? (Sarcasm)
This.
stfu Scientology. Your beliefs are beyond comprehendable to all logical people. The end.
Did she mention Jim’s name in the suicide note?
Where did she get the money to take all the COS courses for four or five years?
They allow the people to take the auditions and courses “for free”, provided that they sign up a promissory note with everything detailed (how much, form of payment, etc) for each course. Once the person, say, wants to leave the cult, they present every single one of these promissory notes (and the amount can be staggering, depending on long said person had been taking these courses).
Then, there’s when they know they’re trapped.
In the French documentary I watched, I got to know the story of a woman who was advised by these freaks to sell her (all paid) apartment and buy another via bank loaning/financing. However, it came to a point where ran out of money and neither could pay for the courses nor the bank.
Guess what? She killed herself.
It’s all in the French documentary “Scientology: The Truth About A Lie”.
When a Christian Scientist dies because they won’t get medical treatment, people (properly) blame the religion. That’s true of any group: when it teaches something that directly leads to harm, people can see that. It’s about the specific beliefs and practices of that particular group. But I don’t think the PR person knows that at all — Scientologists are purposefully made and kept ignorant and unable to observe or think.
Her statement wasn’t for the outside world; it was for fellow Scientologists. Any criticism of the group must be “bigotry.” Everyone out there is an enemy, only in here is it safe. Those people out there are evil, we people in here are good. Cult 101.
You can study the Bible without being a Christian, and you can be a Christian and study it without being forced to go through weird and harmful cult rituals. You can sit alone in your apartment and just be a Christian, for free. And if you wanna leave, you don’t have to buy your freedom with cash. And if you try to join a group and you don’t like their rituals or interpretation of things, you can go join another one. Like, sure, Christian Science is a thing but you don’t have to be into that to be a Christian, in fact, other Christians have a pretty negative view of the concept. So if someone dies because of not seeing a doctor because of their Christian Science faith, other Christians will look at each other and nod, and say “yeah, it was because she wouldn’t take her meds”.
I highly recommend “Bare-faced Messiah” by Russell Miller, a biography. Some of the things he describes would be funny as hell, if it weren’t so goddamn infuriating. The stuff that Lafayette (THERE! I SAID HIS FIRST NAME! In your face, VOLDEMORT!) Ronald Hubbard made up about his life could be regarded as – almost comedic. Almost.
Cathriona White died because she did not get effective treatment for her mental condition.
Did the COS try to treat her condition?
Did she get/steal any of her overdose from Jim Carrey?
The ‘purif’ is not particularly mind numbing. The possibility of a vitamin overdose is there, and in one of the ‘purif’ pictures, she is seen getting some intravenously. That is not common in the ‘purif’. Was she getting some type of ‘medical treatment’? Practicing medicine with out a license or using quack treatments is a crime.
White could easily have been asked to recruit Jim Carrey. But they had no real expectations of that happening. Often the COS trades ‘case gain’ (the ability to finish or start a new or current course) by donations (exactly like medieval indulgences) or some other trade. Was
Cathriona pressured into some such trade about Carrey?
The LAPD is often in Scientologies pocket and unless someone who knows something comes forward, we may never know how it all went down. Who knows, maybe the LAPD will come through after all? Starsky and Hutch were real, weren’t they?
Cathriona White should have received the help she needed, Scientology almost certainly kept her from that help. It is all just too sad…..and F*&k Scientology or as I like to call it, $cientology.
Of course they would play the bigotry card. I watched a documentary that made it clear that child abuse was going on. I think this evil cult should be held more accountable. Investigations, arrests, and shut downs should be made. It’s wrong that they get away with what they do just because they claim to be a religion. Any non-religious group of people that abuses children would be given the right punishment.
They also teach that it is okay to flat out lie about what they do in order to serve Scientology, so you can’t buy any statement they put out.