As we noted on Friday, Leah Remini has a new book out called Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. In the book, Leah confirms how she was prompted to leave the cult after David Miscavige reprimanded her for asking about the whereabouts of his wife, Shelly. We also talked about Leah’s revelations over the rampant child neglect and poor work conditions within the Scientology bases.
Leah appeared on 20/20 on Friday evening. It was rumored that Katie Holmes would make an appearance, but Holmes’ publicist later clarified, saying that Katie simply said, “I regret having upset Leah in the past, and wish her only the best in the future.” Sadly, Katie’s lack of a concrete response does not surprise me. The fact that she will not speak out against Scientology? Also not a shock. This is the same woman who wasted a People cover by revealing nothing, when people want to know everything about her messy split with Tom Cruise. Does Holmes have an agreement with Tom not to talk? Perhaps. I know she was terrified of him, which is why they divorced by the power vested in burner phones.
When Leah spoke with 20/20, she revealed a lot but not as much as expected She talked about Tom Cruise a bit and how the Sea Org was dreadful:
During her time at Sea Org, Remini admitted in the interview that “you live in roach-infested dorms with other children” and “could go from working in a laundry room to working industrial sanders.” Though she was “learning how to learn Scientology” and the food “didn’t taste like food and you had to get it at a certain time,” she considered the church her home.
But during her one-year involvement at Sea Org, Remini and her then-boyfriend partook in physical actions the church deemed inappropriate. “I allowed my boyfriend at the time … to go like this over my shirt,” she said while lighting touching her breast over her shirt. Remini remarked the action was a church violation and she was threatened to be put in the rehabilitation project force. “When you have screwed up royally in the Sea Org, it’s basically to reform you. You have to wear black, you have to run everywhere you go, you have to call everyone sir. It’s pretty severe punishment for an adult, not to mention a child.”
Leah also said that Scientology pressured her into recruiting Jennifer Lopez, and that did not turn out well because JLo was not interested. At all. Leah also dropped some really weird details about the TomKat courtship:
“At first it’s very effusive, it’s very very loving. You get the laser in on you and you’re the most important thing that ever happened,” she said of her first impressions of Cruise. She recalled a memory she had of meeting both Cruise and Katie Holmes at the actor’s home one evening. Remini received a call from a church official that said Cruise wanted her to come over and teach him salsa dancing. Two high-ranking Scientology officials were there with the actor at his home and so was his new girlfriend, Holmes, when Remini arrived. “He was forcibly kissing Katie. I said, ‘hey, get a freaking’ room.’ I was written up for that and I had to go into session for it.”
New York Daily News has the unbelievable excerpts of what came next. Leah was forced to pay over $300,000 in auditing fees after speaking publicly on the TomKat PDA. That right there makes Holmes’ apology above ^^^ seem willfully blind or worse.
That’s not even the most disturbing revelation about the TomKat relationship. In Leah’s book, she describes a dinner party during which Suri wailed throughout dinner, and no one made a move to check on the child:
The wails of a 7-month-old infant echoed through the celebrity-studded dinner preceding the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. It was their daughter, Suri — but neither the baby’s mom nor the other guests showed concern. And then, writes actress Leah Remini in her new Scientology tell-all, things turned weird.
Remini, after five long minutes, followed the sound of the crying baby to a bathroom where three women stood staring at the infant left lying on the floor. The enraptured trio, including Cruise’s sister and his assistant, were gaping at the hungry child as if she was “L. Ron Hubbard incarnate” — Version 2.0 of the late Scientology founder.
[From New York Daily News]
Good god. I can’t even muster up a proper Xenu joke right now. We’ve heard a million times how Scientologists consider children to be reincarnated adults in tiny bodies, but this is ridiculous. At the above link, Leah also claims that she overheard Bella Cruise calling Nicole Kidman “a f***ing SP” (after Kidman was declared a suppressive person). Leah then drops a bomb about how Holmes left Cruise standing at the wedding altar for 20 minutes. Remember how panicked Holmes looked on her wedding day? This whole Scientology situation is too messed up for words.
Photos courtesy of WENN
Leah, girl, YOU IN DANGER.
God I hope nothing happens to her.
Leah has the insulation of celebrity and the internet at this point. She is famous, she escaped, and there is information everywhere about this crazy cult. If anything DID happen to her the public outcry for a full and proper investigation would reach tidal wave proportions.
Let’s hope that’s true. Someone’s gotta be able to start a CO$ downfall and I think Leah’s the one to do it. You go.
I really hope you are right, Izzy. But according to “Going Clear” they do things like break into homes, steal a person’s private things, and then commit felonies with them to frame them. So aside from just the regular following and harassing, they have other ways of effing up a person’s life.
What Lady Sussex said. If they found (and are still) finding ways to mess with Paul Haggis, an Oscar winner, they’ll find a way to mess with Leah and people associated with her or this book. They don’t peddle in physical harm, the peddle in nuisance and fear.
Naya, they do physical harm as well. Suspicious suicides, disappearances – there’s a reason why people are terrified of speaking out and it’s not just fear and nuisance.
f anything DID happen to her the public outcry for a full and proper investigation would reach tidal wave proportions. ” That might be true. Might. (Emphasis because it’s something everyone knows about but somehow is allowed to go on. And on and on and on and on.) So, with that *fact* in ind, maybe, if something *worse* happens to her – because so much has already been sanctioned – maybe then, there might be something within the realm of justice. Who can say, though? American Life, as we know it now, seems to be a modern day version of Roman time Gladiators. Are you entertained? (My guess is yes. How else could this go on, still?)
If you follow the Underground Bunker (and you should it is very interesting) Leah has not been subjected to the usual crazy that they do. Mostly because of who she is and the access she has to the press and also she is more than willing to spill her own secrets. Fear is Scientology’s power, if you are not afraid of them or what they will say about you, you can render them powerless. Also unlike a lot of stories you hear, Leah’s entire family left, so there is no worry of disconnecting for them. That is a huge deal for most and why they stay.
What a pack of weirdos.I believe every word of what Leah is saying.It sure explains the odd behavior of Tom Cruise and Kirsty Ally and why Nicole Kidman is not around her children.Leah has got balls do be so public and exposing this religion for exactly what it is.A cult pure and simple.I think too many people have Leah’s back for anything to happen to her and she must feel the same or I don’t think she would be so vocal.
I think Leah is doing this because she knows she can and she knows other people (the ones still inside) can’t. She has the credibility to do it and the church can make whatever bleating noises (like sheep) that they want because it won’t matter.
Just a point about Katie Holmes letting Suri cry and whether that was neglect. I get the feeling that Katie was terrified of Tom during their marriage and was completely controlled by him. Just look at what she did to get out of that marriage. I don’t think any of us can really understand how trapped she was – her own CO$ household staff spied on her and reported back to Tom and David M.. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Tom had the house rigged with video and audio to keep an eye on her 24/7. Thank God she got out. And yes, I do think the divorce had a “silence” clause in it. I would have signed it too to get my child out.
I like that she doesn’t play victim here and tries to be objective as much as she can. It’s refreshing. Good for her.
http://tonyortega.org/2015/11/02/chapter-by-chapter-the-best-parts-of-leah-reminis-book-troublemaker/
I am proud of her and scared for her… isnt there anyone that can control this “religion”? we need like a J. Edgar Hoover at the FBI to do something about this cult.
And somehow no one has found Shelly. If she was perfectly safe, the church would have had her pop out and say hey by now.
The “church’s” response on 20/20 to Leah’s claims was so childish and hateful.
Supposedly, the police investigated and found that she wasn’t missing. So wherever they’re stashing her, they were able to haul her out and make her seem like she was a willing prisoner when the police showed up.
Well, the creepy thing about Shelly being “interviewed by the police” is that the officer who was in charge has since appeared as the star speaker at several CO$ events. So…
Exactly DES. I fully wrote off the investigation because I knew COS had the LAPD in their pockets. Thanks for the tip.
Right but the lead detective on the case has deemed everything “confidential” regarding Shelly — and unbelievably has been on the Scientology speaking circuit!
i-yi-yiee..
Damn. I need to read this book and someone needs to make it into a horror film.
It seems very Rosemary’s Baby already.
Also, I am sure that part of KH getting full custody of Suri was to never say anything about her time in Scientology.
Boy I wish my father was a divorce lawyer too.
Thankyou Denisemich! I think about this all the time- I believe her father is a family law atty, and saw the writing on the wall. If that was my father I’d call him everyday to thank him and pray to God for getting my child out of that PO$ cult!!
Polanski had several films that depicted a powerful underground belly. Rosemary’s Baby, The Ghost Writer, The Ninth Gate and Frantic.
If I was in Katie’s position, I’d happily trade my silence for my child. Suri growing up in Scientology would have been disastrous, for Katie and Suri.
I’m still amazed that she escaped with primary custody of her child – it’s virtually unheard of. As you say, ISO, her dad deserves some serious credit for his legal maneuvers.
I’m glad Katie got out of this sick cult, but I’ve never bought into the hype about her. She is painted as an unwilling participant with Stockholm syndrome, and I sure that’s true to some extent and it took a lot of courage to escape. But how do you not see the weirdness right away? How do you get in so deep. How do you ignore your baby’s cries all through dinner? I don’t know. And I thought she used Suri as a media tool once she got out.
“How do you ignore your baby’s cries all through dinner?”
I’m guessing: Tom convinced her that she didn’t really know what to do, but he did (because he already had kids and this was her first). I think she was told to stay at the table, that his sister and assistant were taking care of Suri and not to worry. She was a new first time mom, who by this point had been cut off from her own mom and family….I’m betting where she was emotionally at that point made her easy to manipulate. Everyone around her would have repeated the same “advice”.
Basically she was already in too deep. “How do you not see the weirdness right away? How do you get in so deep?” I don’t know or understand.
Scientologists don’t comfort injured or scared children. They believe the child is a fully adult spirit and needs to work through things. For example, if a child hits their head, everyone freezes and looks at the child because they don’t want to imprint a reaction on the child (a great tactic in moderation, neglectful when practiced to this extreme). They will sometimes have a child reenact the trauma until it doesn’t upset them. It’s Scientiology dogma to just watch a child that’s crying.
@GNAT, I agree with you. People act like Katie was a seventeen year old cloistered in a convent. She was twenty-seven when she married Tom, had been in the business for a decade, and had several relationships under her belt, including an engagement.
I knew about the craziness of CO$ long before Katie married Tom. Plus, CO$ is much better known in Hollywood. Tom had shown his insanity before Suri was conceived, and certainly she knew what he was by the time she married him. This is not victim blaming. She was also front and center during the parental alienation of Connor and Bella, which is probably what eventually triggered her to escape.
I appreciate Leah’s honesty, and I appreciate that she’s not pulling punches. In her eyes, Katie is just as guilty. In fact, in the 20/20 episode, they showed a letter that Katie sent complaining about Leah’s behavior at her wedding, which helped cause Leah’s punishment. Sure we can say Katie just signed the letter, but Leah clearly held Katie accountable. I think Katie enjoyed all the pomp and circumstance of being married to the #2. Thankfully, Katie finally saw the light, and escaped. I hope she realizes how lucky she is.
I read an article that described Katie Holmes (pre-escape) as “intelligent but unreflective”. And manipulative bastards like Tom Cruise always show their good side first – they have an excuse for everything. And no one wants to believe that the person they love is lying to them. I have worked with abused women in shelters and I have found that abuse never starts out looking like abuse. Unfortunately bad people are good liars.
@Gigi- what you described there, with the child reenacting the incident over and over until they don’t react is EXACTLY what psychiatry uses in exposure therapy to help people with PTSD. Which is terrifying as an adult and must be even worse for a child, though it will completely desensitise them to just about anything. I guess in this case, the idea would be that that would rid then of ‘thetans’. It’s also ironic that they are using the same methodology as psychiatry, their enemy of enemies.
Agreed. Also, if I remember correctly…she grew up a pretty devout Catholic. Short of the requisite anti-religious rebellion some go through in adolescence/college, wouldn’t accepting aliens as God and essentially eschewing Christianity and her family be….extra challenging?
I think she got stars in her eyes to be Mrs Tom Cruise and overlooked the Scientology garbage…until she couldn’t.
Tom was raised Catholic, too. I bet he told Katie – at first – it was totally okay to be Catholic and Scientologist. She also had serious stars in her eyes for Tom Cruise. The pull of him just alone was enough to hook her.
Agreed. It seems the idea of being Mrs. Tom Cruise and all money and fame were more important to her than logic or her own faith. What I really don’t get, is if her family was around when Suri was born (and if not, wouldn’t that be a big red flag to her since she is close to her family) they must have all thought Tom and all his Co$ handlers were extremely strange and told her so. How did they let her marry him? I know you can’t really stop a grown woman from marrying who she wants, but there must have been dozens of warnings before she married him. OR was her family on board?
Scientology is marketed as compatible with all other faiths. Its only after you are pretty high up (OT3 I think) that you realize you are in a completely new belief system. Initially the focus is pretty much just self improvement with a scify bend.
I would also argue that people raised in devoutly religious homes are especially vulnerable to cults. A childhood where skepticism is frowned upon, where the kids are raised to presume the existence of a spiritual realm and holes in doctrine are plugged in with that magical word, “faith”, is prime breeding ground. When that child grows up and rebels from his parents faith, he has all the learned traits of a perfect follower, if you can get him to join your cult.
Every single year, women – smart vibrant strong women- fall victim to an abusive man. It happens over and over again. It can happen to anyone. You say – nope. Not me. I’m too smart, too strong. But that’s not how abuse works. It starts so slowly and you are so in love it’s easy to over look. He’s just acting like this because he loves you, after all. And slowly and systematically you are isolated from friends and family. But they are the enemy, so it’s ok.
How much easier must it have been to fall into the abusuve trap when it’s a world famous movie star? And he’s surrounded by people and family who are telling you and acting like everything he does is 100% normal and ok- that you are the weird one? Why is there no empathy for her, only blame? It blows mind. She was so strong to get out.
The way she looked at the beginning and near the end of that relationship seemed like polar opposites.
She seemed giddy and star struck by her teenage crush at first. Then she looked gaunt and as if the life had been drained out of her. This story came from the beginning of the relationship, so I would guess she just listened to Tom.
@MoxyLady007 excellent explanation. You sound like you’ve been there, or know someone who has. Even in the middle of abuse, you still don’t realize how much your boundaries have been broken, and your standards and self-respect have dropped.
There’s also a lot of ignoring/overlooking the abuse, believing in the ‘good’ times.
You’re right she was strong to get out, and to also convince others to help her…because emotional and psychological abusers are usually very charming & generous, and it’s hard for people to believe the cruelty they inflict.
Leaving gives a temporary high but truly finding your backbone again, permanently, is a long road.
@MoxyLady007 You are so right. Many strong, intelligent women – like doctors, lawyers, even judges – fall victim to an abusive or controlling husband. I’ve read books and studies that say women can be assertive and in control in the workplace but become so uncertain in their private lives or fall blindly in love with a charming and later controlling man.
And also, no matter who you are – a doctor, professor, housewife, a student, rich/poor – people experience vulnerable moments and during those times we seek or need help. It’s those times these cults reach out and offer sympathy, understanding, friendship, a solution to your troubles and get you hooked. It’s never “you need to behave like a robot” from the get go. It’s “trust us, we love you, you deserve happiness, respect, yadda yadda yadda” in the beginning. I can see why people get drawn into cults. It’s sad actually. I do blame Tom Cruise though for all the evil in the world. Ha!
re Naya’s comment
It depends. My dad’s a pastor and while I still believe, my intimate knowledge of the inner workings of religious organizations actually made me more cynical rather than less. Not about God and angels and stuff but about how churches actually work. And I knew the dirty secrets of everyone in our church because my parents would come home and tell us everything, or their kids would tell me in youth group. Infallible leaders? Ha, There was nobody more fallible than the pastors and the church board.
Really devout people are more likely to fall for cultlike influences within their own community. I’ve definitely seen that happen more often than I’ve seen people get lured away by something like Scientology unless they really got burned by their old church.
I remember feeling that way too post-divorce. Like she was always calling the paps wherever she went with Suri. But then I read (on Tony Ortega, maybe?) that she wanted photographers around her because the cult is known for stalking and harassing ex members. Who knows if that’s true but makes sense to me.
The general consensus is that she used paps to shield herself and Suri from being stalked/harassed by the sci hards – after all she had just walked out (and blindsided) their second coming. She played her exit from the marriage and cult well – or should i say her father and his associates played a blinding hand. Even to this day she still uses the paps as a protection tool and yes she does use Suri but not in the attention seeking way but protection way. I imagine they still live in fear of what the Scientologists might do- they never forget or forgive.
Absolutely.
My guess is there were promises of fame. Legit promises, because let’s be honest, would you right now remember Katie Holmes, teen star, if not for the fame/notoriety she achieved while associated with Co$? And possibly she really did have a girlish crush on Cruise and thought marrying him was a dream come true.
Whatever it was, I do think she’s genuinely scared for herself and Suri and carefully avoids speaking out against Co$ or being associated with someone who does.
@Bettyrose…Katie had just been in the huge hit Batman Begins and was supposed to be in the sequel. I don’t think her career was going that bad! I think, in the beginning Tom poured on the charm, and the down played the Scientology crap…A man as rich, famous, and good looking can sweep a girl off her feet. I don’t think Katie got the full Scientology treatment until after they were married, and she didn’t know what to do…Remember the pictures of her just before the divorce was announded. She looked sad and unkempt. She looked like a woman who was beaten down, mentally and emotionally. I, for one, applaud Katie for making it out of that Hell with her daughter by her side…If only NIcole could have made it out with her kids..
MRSBPITT: Kate carried out a media campaign of looking publicly unkempt and depressed for those months whilst she secretly extricated herself from Tom.
Before the divorce bombshell, there was lots of behind the scenes talk that she was going out unkempt to wind him up because her public image was tied into his.
And she was very, very visible.
It was all part of a strategy to wind him up AND now we know it was also part of a strategy to win over public sympathy for the divorce. Perhaps she thought people wouldn’t sympathise with the fact that she was running away from C0$ – it was still powerful in the public’s mind even if not in reality, her actions demonstrated to the public that C0$ wasn’t all powerful.
The day the news dropped that she had filed, she did a pap stroll where she was cleaned up, smiling and glammed up. And every pap stroll after was the same.
I remember comments here were so surprised that she had done that months long ‘depressed’ and unkempt pap stroll when all the time she was using bunner phones to extricate herself from the marriage.
It was masterfully done. She screwed TC and C0$ publicly and whatever she could get privately.
@Mrs. BP – I remember an interview from the time when Katie was falling in love with Tom about her saying she had a poster of him in her bedroom as a teen and had long ago had a crush on him. I’m sure that, coupled with the attention he was lavishing on her, had a lot to do with her not noticing any of the red flags until she was in too deep to get out easily. I also remember rumblings about her family being concerned, but clearly they were smart enough to play it in a way that she was able to turn to them for help when she was ready. I have tremendous respect for Katie. She saved herself and her daughter, and if keeping mum about what went down is what she had to do, she was going to do it and has continued to do so. There’s a world of information in that apology statement.
@Mrs.BPitt : Katie met with Tom in the first place as a “career meeting” when he was dangling the female part in MI3 as a prize to various young ladies. She was in Batman Begins but was considered the worst part and didn’t have a ton lined up, as she’d kind of taken her movie career as far as it could go. When they got together it was a whole, massive roll out, which was clearly supposed to increase her profile but instead turned an awful lot of people off because it was so over the top and fake. And the Sci folks ‘handled’ her almost immediately, she had someone from the church by her side all the time pretty much from the get-go.
And Nicole Kidman’s divorce from Cruise happened at the height of the “Chruch’s” power. It wasn’t common knowledge that they were really a cult, and they are a pretty scary organization. I can’t really fault Kidman for getting out however she could, especially if you remember that Cruise was pushing for that divorce (and don’t forget that she miscarried in the middle of the divorce).
Why didn’t Tom and Katie ever make a movie together? Especially right after the motorcycle ride through the crowd and his couch jumping, to cement them as Hollywood best couple or whatever.
Also, these cults withhold information to the newbies. Waldorf “education” has been like Scientology for our family. We got into is as a rebellion from “tradition” and a lot of the weird Waldorf/Steiner philosophies are just plain wrong. But we ar sucked into it because initially we made a lot of connections, etc. Beware people. Waldorf is a cult too! My son can barely read at age 10 and will have an odd re-entry into traditional school. All because I was vulnerable to “rebellion” etc.
@ISO I’m intrigued by your Waldorf comments. I work in alternative ed and there is a well-regarded Waldorf school in my town and I know many people who have attended and/or sent their kids, but I don’t know much about the philosophy beyond the very early ages of instruction. If you want to elaborate on your experience, I’m all ears!!
@Falula, Waldorf/Steiner/Antroprosophie is a Cult, that’s a Fact!
I can tell you from Abuse, Racism (the so-called philosophy) and so on, but it would blow up that Place.
Everyone with intellectual power, knows that, it’s not new.
There are a lot of people who will tell you how well-regarded the Alien-Cult is, but a lot of People don’t believe it.
I was forced to go to this “School”, my Family is rather Royalty in this Cult, so i have no Family anymore.
They do mingeling with Politicans and People with Money and Power, so what, makes them more worthy or believable?
They do believe in good and evil Plants, yeah seriously, and Steiner thinks the Humans of Future the real worthy and intellectual will be white, with light Hair and light Eyes, he verifiable sympathised with H****tler, only some examples for they craziness.
Maybe Falula, you should open your eyes.
@ISO, when you were then a single Mom, without real Power or Money, then your Son was not important enough to be promoted. Look at the Kids from your Son’s Class of Lawyers and Doctors, Politicans etc. they don’t have these Problems, guess why, or look at the blonde bue-eyed ones…..
I’d disagree on Waldorf being a cult. Individual schools may be f’ed up, but there is no overarching organization trying to suck people in and get their money. One of my kids goes to a Waldorf school, and while it is nontraditional (yes, they do wait to teach reading until an older age) and there are plenty of kooky people there, they have never pressured us to do anything. Except maybe to stop singing ‘Shut Up and Dance’ on the playground.
This. I’m glad she and her daughter are out of this cult but I don’t buy that she’s innocent and isn’t aware of what was going on. She knew what she was getting in to, fame and fortune and milked it for as long she could until she probably realIzed things aren’t working out for her career and parenting wise.
I think she was an abused(mentally and verbally) woman, and abused wives sometimes (not always)either abuse their children or fail to protect them from abuse out of fear. My personal opinion is that she woke up one day and decided to care for her daughter the best she could now by escaping them.i think just like Leah described Tom lasered in and charmed Katie with promises of making her a superstar and then she was trapped and everything turned sour. By the way I read that apology as a tacit endorsement of Leah. She clearly has signed an NDA and can’t spell out what actually happened without reprisals but that apology validates Leah’s version of events.
This. In the end it’s good because at least she got the child out of the situation and seems to be raising her better but I never know how to view adults who willingly walk into situations like this and then stick around when they see what’s happening.
This did give me a newfound respect for J.Lo though, it’s funny how Scientology made and is slowly breaking the careers of those actors publicly associated with it. It says something to not join any religion that’s obsessed with you as a celebrity and spends all its time grooming and exalting you. That the motivation there is so clearly flawed.
Perhaps its my dislike of Jlo showing through but I dont think any differently of her now. Shes hardly the only celebrity they’ve targeted and failed to capture. In fact just looking at the list of celebrities they do have, only a couple signed up when they were actual stars. Thats indicative of the many who have said no over the years. And anyway, Jlo has the advantage of having lived the fall out of her dad joining without the rest of the family. Someone like Jim Carrey on the other hand, who they have been grooming for two decades and who has trouble with depression which I’m sure they try to exploit, is a damn hero for resisting.
I don’t know… isn’t it more likely textbook abuse? I’m a little uneasy with everyone jumping to the conclusion that she somehow is at fault for getting into it all.
As much as I like her, she has always struck me as a bit of a dim bulb, especially back in her Dawson’s days. When the most famous man in the world (who is also your childhood crush) completely falls in love with you, plus a side order of cult brainwashing (I mean, that’s what cults do — they suck you in), it’s not surprising she just went along with it.
I feel like if she were a regular person people would be cutting her more slack. She got assimilated into a cult, realised it was a disaster, and escaped.
Thank you Jenna. Blaming the victim of a cult is crazy. If people can be recruited on the street by average Joe’s and still get sucked in, how much more intense is it for a 26 year old to have the ENTIRE organization devoted to winning you over for a handsome charismatic man you have had a crush on since you were a kid? You’re probably too swept away in the whirlwind to realize that its manufactured to keep you from seeing the signs. And I’m sure they preemptively address all the questions you may have with perfectly sensible explanations. You probably just figure that the stuff that doesn’t make sense, you can live with.
Its so counter productive to attack cult survivors with “how stupid” or “you knew” claims. Fear of ridicule can keep people trapped in situations they wish to leave
Blaming her is like blaming every person who has ever been in an abusive relationship for their own situation. It’s ridiculous and helps nobody. She wasn’t just in an abusive relationship with her husband, but all his friends too. It’s hard enough to leave when it’s just your partner abusing you. Imagine they’ve got all the money and power in the world behind them, and clearly aren’t afraid to use it.
@you three and also MoxyLady
I realize I came across as blaming. That wasn’t in my mind as I would have no room to talk because I was married to an abusive alcoholic, and there were some signs that I ignored. It was hardly smart, and I do understand the way you are ground down and feel hopeless and confused. I just find it hard to understand – which I don’t think is the same thing as blaming or criticizing – how you could get involved in a cult. I can barely stand it when someone uses a high pressure sales tactic on me. I feel trapped and angry. So I simply do not understand.
I do blame her for the way she used Suri. I think Suri was clearly distressed by all of the pap walks, and I don’t care what Katie was trying to accomplish. The child should come first. I know some of it was unavoidable but I have read several times that Katie chose to call the apps or use a public door when there was a private exit available.
@Jenna, Naya & Wren: Well, I don’ t think this is exactly it.
We are not making a comparison with someone who meets a person, falls in love and then finds out they are abusive ass**les. The right comparison would be a woman who meets an ex-inmate who’ s been convicted for stakling, beating and rape/attempted rape, knows about his past, and still dates him after he has given her reasons to believe he hasn’ t changed one bit. It’ s still not her fault the guy abuses her, but questioning her motivations isn’ t that insane!
I mean, when KH and TC started dating there were already tons of reports about Scientology. Even if you have an open mind, you should have some reservations about dating their poster boy, knowing that you will have to adapt to them and possibly spend a lifetime in a literal or at the very least mental cage.
@wren, you just twigged something for me about getting out of abusive situations and how hard it is esp. when people around either don’t see it or explain it away. I work with someone who I’d consider is abusive and controlling and manipulative and my friends say why do you put up with it, but in fact, I have to proceed very carefully about extricating myself from that situation. It’s going to take some time and very careful planning. Realizing the truth of it make things easier, but it’s still going to be a difficult until I’m out of there. Getting out without destroying oneself and career means having to be extremely mentally strong…so I will give Katie props for getting out.
GNAT- See my “lovebombing” comment a little further down. It’s well documented that CO$ (and many other cults) practice this recruitment technique. It’s how you become ensnared, the classic bait-and-switch. Katie was lured in with love, attention, affirmation, promises of everything she’d ever wanted and the man of her dreams (literally). The crazy doesn’t come out until you’re too deep to back out, and even then it’s a slow reveal that is easily rationalized away.
@IWQ The most prominent example of a woman returning to a man who had already demonstrated himself to be an abuser and a cheat was the Rihanna and Chris Brown saga. And the articles and posts at the time were at pains to point out that peoples actions are influenced by complex factors. Bashing Rihanna for any subsequent abuse would only make it harder for her and other women in similar circumstances to leave. I’m just pointing out that even with abusive relationships where there were red flags, we don’t play this blame game. Perhaps that’s because its frowned upon to adopt a superior told-you attitude about a domestic abuse survivor but ok for a survivor of cult psycological abuse. For shame.
@Wren Thanks for posting on COS recruiting strategies. I want to believe that as an atheist and 24/7 skeptic, I would be immune but I know that’s just pride talking. Who knows what would happen if these people set all their energies on me at my most vulnerable moment? I refuse to judge the “fallen”.
Best guess… Katie feared Tom and thought it better to let Suri cry over Katie being harmed or taken from her child. She was planning this escape from early on. She had to play a role or the plan would fail.
I don’t like it, but if she questioned Tom do you think she’d not be locked away or have Suri taken from her?
And Tom seems intense. All about something 1 minute and then cast aside.
But wasn’t this dinner where Suri was crying at their wedding celebration? I don’t think she was planning an escape that early.
I’ll bet she’s getting one hell of a payday not to speak out, too. She may no longer be Mrs. Cruise, but she’s still making her money off the back of sea org slavery.
I thought her divorce didn’t net her a ton of $$ just full custody?
t.fanty,
Tom is still a big moviestar and raking in tens of millions of dollars every year from his acting. He can afford substantial child support payments, and support for Katie as well, without using sea org labor. The fact that he uses it is on him, no one else.
“Love-bombing”, that’s how.
First you’re showered with love, attention, everything you’ve ever wanted. You’re the best thing that ever happened, you’re wonderful, amazing, beautiful, special, whatever you want to hear and more. You’re brought into the insanity slowly, step by step, so it doesn’t seem all that strange. Then you’re too deep to get out.
She was recruited like everyone else who falls into this kind of insanity. I imagine it’s actually easier to “love bomb” actresses because they’re surrounded by a lot of expectations and pressure, so to be unconditionally accepted (or seemingly so) must be quite the rush. Add in the fact that she idolized Tom Cruise since she was a teenager and it really makes sense. By the time she realized just how awful everything was it was too late.
No, I’m sure she’s no angel, but she was in an abusive relationship not only with just her partner, but all his wealthy, powerful friends behind him.
Makes sense. As I said, I was in an abusive relationship, and at first he was all sweetness and attention. So I guess they suck you in the same way.
agree. For a lot of people the first view of Co$ crazy was Cruise’s couch jump and it all went downhill from there.
Cruise hasn’t had any significant relationship since Katie. Anyone considering getting into a relationship would now know what’s at stake and would surely be getting professional and private advice to steer clear.
I hope Leah’s book does well.
2 things: she agreed to the set up with Cruise for her career. Yes, she was in Batman Begins but she was losing steam.
But I do also think that once she got in it was a while different ballgame. Where she was a willing participant in the beginning, when she was exposed to the serious creepiness she was already stuck. And for that I don’t blame her. It was Cruise’s relationship and courtship of Holmes that coincided with the epic Scientology meltdown, where we started to see how truly screwed up it was.
And on a superficial note: nothing will ever make Katie Holmes not boring. Every sound bite, every interview, she’s always been like that.
I wonder if she ever thought to reach out to Nicole Kidman before she got in too deep. Or if she kept brushing weird things under the rug until it got too intense and they started stalking her from within so that she wouldnt have been able to reach out to anyone.
I’m sure they’re very good at pretending to be normal and proclaiming how “victimized” they are as Scientologists at first. Cults are like that–the friendliness and warmth is a way of luring you in. There’s a great TED talk from a woman who joined the Moonies in the 1970s and then became a de-programmer. Also, the NYT did a horrifying profile of a girl (lonely, living in the middle of nowhere with her grandparents, dropped out of college because of learning difficulties) who got into the sights of ISIS on Twitter; they sent her gifts, pretended to be her friends, said they were misunderstood, the media lied, blah blah blah. It’s a technique called “love bombing” where they shower you with attention and then, if you express doubts, freeze you out until you beg to be allowed back in again.
Plus, Holmes was starstruck by Cruise, her teenage crush, and I get the feeling that her ex, Chris Klein, was a total neanderthal. Klein gave an infamous Elle interview where he proclaimed that he “didn’t date women bigger than a size 8” and that “his woman would have to cook and clean for him.” That would’ve made Cruise look better by comparison, plus he was acting like a romantic hero: Chanel jewelry! Helicopter rides! Proposal at the Eiffel Tower! He stage-managed that one to the hilt. It’s like that pre-wedding section of Jane Eyre where Rochester tries to shower Jane with fancy clothes and presents, right before she learns there’s a madwoman in the attic.
Agree with GNAT. Katie married Tom out of ambition. Remember how all she could EVER say was “awesome”? It actually got embarrassing that she could not say or describe anything. And the silent birth nonsense? And the barley water in the bottles because that’s what LRH said to do? And Suri being carried everywhere with no coat on? Did her brain just fly out the window?
Also let’s not forget that phony fashion line, and the faked marathon (when she was praised for wearing high heels that night). It seems like she’s willing to go along with different kinds of schemes. I am very glad she got away from TC, but I do not find her a sympathetic figure. Maybe it’s just the SMIRK!
She was brainwashed. She is 10x the human now than she was when she was with him. And we should not assess her worth based on her acting career or how she presented herself in interviews…bottom line: She got her kid out, has been involved in several theater productions as far as her career goes, and seems healthy and happy now. I think some underestimate the power Co$ had over her (and has over others).
You would have had to tie me to the chair to keep me from going to my baby that was screaming. I wonder what psychological damage has been inflicted on Suri and other children by CO$. And at least Katie got her out eventually, and good for her.
Plenty of people–normal, non-Co$ people–believe in letting their babies cry themselves to sleep. It doesn’t necessarily mean they were actually neglecting Suri.
My husband was asking me if the interview was interesting. I said most of it we’ve all heard if we’ve read the books or Ortega’s blog. But it was interesting to hear it straight from Leah’s mouth. But this Suri story is new. I know they have messed up ideas about kids but not meeting a 7 mo old’s needs because she’s expressing herself or whatever the reason is really odd. She could have major attachment issues if that was the norm.
What I keep thinking about is how rare it seems that Leah’s whole family including siblings and brother in law left with her. From what I’ve read that just doesn’t happen.
I’m not surprised by this story of baby Suri. I remember one time when Suri was 3 or 4 I think it was, Tom, Katie, Suri was at a restaurant and all the eyes account said the same thing that Suri was crying and screaming . At one point Suri poured water on herself and Tom and Katie did nothing and there are pictures of them leaving the restaurant Suri all wet and upset and Tom smiling showing her off like a show pony.
Ugh. Sick freak.
The strange detail I noticed, was that they said Suri was on the bathroom floor. Who puts any child, let alone a baby, on a bathroom floor. I remember I was a lunatic about cleanliness and germ free environments when my daughter was little. Katie must have been well indoctrinated and worn down by that stage that even her maternal instincts were not allowed to be expressed. I have strong pictures of that time she was photographed with purple hands. What on earth was that about? I bet she looks back now and wonders how it ever got so bad.
I think Scientology’s treatment of infants is flat out abuse. They advocate leaving a newborn alone in a dark room for something like forty-eight hours. Plus, they don’t believe in breastfeeding or even formula, they push some bizarre homemade gruel. I fully believe that’s partly why CO$ children seem so dumb. Besides the poor education, they experienced neglect and poor nutrition from birth.
Hm. There are millions and millions of proponents of “cry it out” who aren’t Scientologists. I think lots of people don’t meet a 7 mo old’s needs.
That’s not even what “cry-it-out” is. Letting a hungry kid wail away miserably isn’t “cry-it-out”.
That was rude and uncalled for. Cry it out is nothing like that. It’s never used on newborns. It’s reccomended around 6 mo of age, and there are absolutely no reccomendations not to breastfeed your child for adequate nutrition associated with cry it out. But I’m guessing you know all this and are just trying to upset people who made different parenting choices than you.
The ‘cry it out’ syndrome manifests as RAD (reactive attachment disorder) in teens and adults. A child who cries until stressed learns not to trust. Shame on anyone thinking this is humane or sensible.
Okay, you said the cry it out, which I know nothing about, was not recommended for newborns only six months of age or older. Well this story was when Suri was seven months , but I doubt they were doing that anyway. Now sometimes babies cry a lot, and there are a lot of people who don’t always pick up their baby when they cry. I did, but I know some parents who said you are training your kid to cry to get picked up so to me that isn’t the strange part. I’ve heard that argument before.
The strange part is that three women are staring at the baby on a bathroom floor. Now I think Leah just assumed the baby was hungry, because that was always my first assumption too and it seemed to work a lot of the times. Unless she is with the baby more than at a dinner party and tried to feed her she wouldn’t know that for sure. It could be Suri was cold on the bathroom floor, and seven month olds don’t see like us imagine three women staring at you. Just so odd!!!! Glad Katie got out of this situation, and she seems to be doing right by her daughter now. We rarely see Suri, and when we do she seems to be smiling.
Well thanks for the judgment first thing in the morning! You could not be more wrong about CIO and don’t understand what it is or how that comes about as a parenting option. If it wasn’t for you, terrific. That’s no reason to throw this post into the mommy wars.
Also I’m sure there are parenting decisions you’ve made that others here would disapprove of…simply because we are not all the same. I’d bet you would just like to read the gossip and not be attacked. Perhaps you should consider that before starting drama over others’ parenting.
I would bet whole families leaving together is becoming more common. If it’s true that Miscavige is making long time members repeat basic “training” to squeeze more money out of them, And the truth about the cult is echoed by more and more ex-members and available with one Google search on your cell phone-
Those two factors alone are probably the cause of more and more group/family defections.
Wow, Leah stay visible and stay safe!
Nothing she’s said surprises me though.
Oh and another friendly reminder that if you are still paying to see Cruise’s movies, by all accounts you are helping to fund this cult. Just horrifying.
Yes, this. I’ll never pay to see a TC film again!
I think it’s fine she reveals so much about scientology, and gives her perspective on the horror stories she had to go through..
But i dont think it’s her place to claim information and in extension –> neglect, on people that aren’t her. I don’t think that’s classy at all, especially since Katie herself has not revealed those things.. I understand the journalism aspect of this and I commend her foe telling the truth, but she is not Katie or Suri. It’s kind of tacky and in my opinion, in bad character.
Very tacky
Your comment is everything i couldnt have said it better…
…is it really any less tacky or less classy than being the person who left your 7 month old to cry because the cult you’re a member of said she’s the second coming of L. Ron?
While I’m sure Katie Holmes has her own agreement with Tom that agreement isn’t going to actually help others who don’t have her money or resources. She saved her own skin and got the hell out of dodge. If she gets called out for her own neglect and cruelty by someone who is trying to expose the church as an institution and who has called them out repeatedly then I completely support it. She’s a big girl and I’m sure she knows quite well what she did, what others know and that the day will come when all secrets are spilled.
My impression wasn’t that she was claiming neglect. From the information in that NY Daily News link, she perceived that Tom’s sister and assistant were letting Suri cry because they thought of her as a deity or something akin to their revered L. Ron Hubbard instead of treating her like a regular baby. Leah said that the wedding was the beginning of the end of her involvement in Scientology and, according to her, this incident happened at the dinner right before the wedding.
I don’t get “tacky” either. She’s written a book about her experience in Scientology, and she included a good story about a couple of members and their CoS friends ignoring a child. Katie knows what she did, and by all accounts, she’s a very loving mother, one who also has stories to tell. She can’t tell her side, though we all know she has reasons for her behavior. Katie and Suri were victims of a cult. Leah knows this, and I really doubt her story is meant to be a judgement on Katie. It’s a judgement on how a cult can brainwash and sicken its members/victims. Plus, I don’t think anybody has been really all-out judgmental about Katie in these comments, have they? At least, when I read that little except/clip, I didn’t think that Katie was being neglectful. I felt sorry and afraid for her as a victim. I understand what you’re saying, I just don’t see how you’re turning it into something that would be a negative judgement on Katie. She was very brave to get her and her daughter out. That story just shows what she had to endure and overcome. I would have been so scared, maybe too scared to try to leave. Kudos for Katie. I also think her cryptic little note to Leah shows courage and gives a message of support for the book.
I totally agree with you sarah that Leah should of left Katie and Suri stories out of her book. Leah obviously knows that using Katie’s name will sell more books but it looks really classless trashing Katie like that just to get more money.
I do not think including that story was to sell more books or for money.She could have left that out and it really would not have mattered.Everything she has said stands on it’s own merit.I do not think she trashed Katie at all.If anything I hope it was a wake up call.
Yeah, I don’t think her intent is to “trash” Katie even though she is sharing unflattering stories about her. I think her point is bigger than Katie. She’s raising awareness about the practices and beliefs of this group of people. Good for her.
Why? It didn’t sound like she was passing judgement, just saying what happened. Maybe it’s “tacky” but it’s hardly worse than many other celebrity memoirs. They dish on other people all the time, that’s part of the point of writing them in the first place.
The more said about CO$ the better. It’s hard for people to picture the faceless masses of Regular Joes in Sea Org, but we all know Suri’s face. It helps drive home the message when you have a name and face to put to the horrible actions of this group.
I’m gonna give Katie the benefit of the doubt here. She didn’t have to say anything at all. She could have said no comment. But she apologized. Which makes me think there is a gag order but she’s working around it best she can. Her apology after all is admission that Leah has something to be upset about regarding Katie’s actions at the time.
She escaped Co$ with Tom Cruise’s child. I think she lives by a strict code of silence, either by fear or by contract. Her happy life with Suri is made possible by her silence.
There were pictures of Katie, Suri and a friend ice skating….Suri was smiling and laughing, and I thought, what a change in the little girl…when Tom and Katie were together, Suri always looked miserable….she has beautiful smile and I was happy to see it!
Agreed I actually took that apology as a small act of defiance. I’m interested in seeing if once Suri is of age if Katie will talk then.
I though that with Connor and Bella being older now that Nicole would have said more .. but she has stayed silent. I guess what’s in the past is best left alone regarding this situation.
I agree. She’s hardly going to be all, “yup, they’re crazy. You go girl!”
Her statement is very delicately worded — she accepts responsibility for doing hurtful things (read: regret about Scientology), and wishes Leah well (read: supports Leah’s actions, even if she doesn’t herself want to partake in them).
Remember, it would have been so, so easy for her to refuse to comment at all. The fact that she did speaks volumes.
Agreed. She could have said nothing, but she skirted around whatever NDA/contract she signed with Tom to get CO$’s tentacles off her and Suri and said something. That one sentence says a lot yet giving no specifics.
I heard her statement as a tacit admission of responsibility. I like her for saying something.
I’m sure Katie had to agree not to reveal Tom’s favorite color or brand of lifts, let alone anything of substance. To me, there’s no other way she could have gotten that divorce that fast and gotten what’s essentially turned out to be exclusive custody of Suri.
Also, I think she said quite a bit in that once sentence. She didn’t deny what happened at the wedding. She feels bad about what she did, and she basically says she’s on Leah’s side. I’m sure the nuts at Co$ are freaking out over it, even if the rest of the world looks at is as essentially a non-response.
I always assumed Katie made a deal to not discuss Scientology or her marriage in exchange for full custody of Suri and for her to not ever be involved in the church.
When Tom and Nicole were together and raising a family, their children were rarely photographed. Then they got divorced and Nicole was basically removed from her children’s lives( there was some contact but it seemed very spotty)
Tom and Katie meet, she gets pregnant and Tom acts like Suri is his first child. Constantly being photographed with the child and talking about how “great it is to be a father”
Then Tom and Katie divorce quickly and with no custody fight. Tom has seemed to cut off all ties with the child. For someone so over the top regarding his daughter before the divorce and being a father, this has always seemed very odd. Katie must have enough dirt on Tom to fill a coal mine in order for Tom to walk away from his child.
My guess is Katie is a SP. Tom would be required to cut contact with her, and by extension, Suri. Nicole is also a SP but her father isn’t a divorce lawyer and their kids were older, so they chose to disconnect with her too. So sad.
And Scientology had so much more power back when Tom and Nicole split, and Tom was still a legit A+++ movie star. He’d just been Oscar nommed the year before, for instance.
It’s also possible that Katie only knew how to divorce Tom and save her child BECAUSE she had seen what happened to Nicole.
Nicole is the real tragedy in all of this. Her children were effectively stolen from her.
I am really impressed with how Nicole has managed to move on from losing her first two children. Although I am rather indifferent to her as an actress I admire her personal fortitude. She was really put through the ringer.
YES! And I really wish she would spill ALL of the dirt she has on him. I’d pay a lot for that book and I think a lot of people would. So there has to be an ironclad reason Katie doesn’t write it!
Nicole can’t spill, she took part in the auditing process which the cult could use as blackmail. Katie apparently never took part in auditing so kept some power. Hence, she got to keep her child. Nicole not so much.
Still think, have always thought Tom is not Suri’s biological father, and that’s what Katie had over him to get her quickie divorce, good settlement, and NDA about the cult. These theories used to be rampant, with details about Tom’s fertility, but seem now to be forgotten.
Also former speculation about Suri’s being born before April, which is why the senior Holmes were not present. Birth certificate vagueness.
Endless secrets inside unanswered enigma. Doubt we will ever know.
I could not agree more Jenna.Those kid’s were basically raised to dislike Nicole and turned there back on her as a Mother.
Hmmm. Not classy for letting the world know that a 7 month old was neglected. Really? Really, really?
Apparently.
What is this? Exactly. You know what is not classy – neglect. Leaving a baby on a bathroom floor crying. I would bet they are the same people who would hear their neighbor screaming for help and would just ignore it because it’s not classy to call for help or repeat the story ? Leah is explaining HER experience with this cult and can say whatever she wants. Not to mention all this information might help someone else. I can’t help but feel their are a few cult members trolling CB.
Yep. Not classy? Ridiculous! You are so right, Tify, neglect is not classy.
This is America, and we prosecute and take children – even infants – away from their parents for neglect. Can you imagine what might happen if some poor family left their BABY on a bathroom floor, while it cried from hunger? unconscionable
I think it is hugely important to tell this story, ALL of it, so that the world can see what COS is all about. Is it better to be quiet and allow more people to be lured into it, more babies to be neglected, more children to be abused? Silence is never the answer when it comes to abuse or neglect.
As a person abused all through childhood, I applaud Leah. If only one brave person had been so “classless” as to have exposed the abuse perhaps my abusers would have been held responsible for their behavior. That others knew and did nothing — that is what lacks class.
Except Leah did nothing about what she saw at the time it actually happened. If she had exposed things then, it would be a little different. Now, Suri is out of that environment and will have to read or hear about this. It can only hurt her.
Plus, it’s a jump to leap to neglect. Plenty of parents let their children cry it out. Yes, it’s weird the kid was on the bathroom floor, but neither Katie nor Tom were the ones who left her there.
Samtha – it’s “weird” that a screaming baby was on a bathroom floor with three powerful cult members looking on? No. It’s not weird. It’s abusive in the form of neglect. How do you know Leah did nothing about it? What if she tried to help the baby or said something, but there were 3 other women there, hovering over the baby, preventing Leah from interjecting? You can’t shame Leah on that one bit!
I remember in Going Clear that for a long time when Tom Cruise was married to Nicole Kidman he had little to do with Scientology and it drove Miscavige crazy. Too bad Nicole couldn’t keep him from the cult!
I’m betting she was told to stay at the table and to let family members take care of Suri. This goes against everything else I have read about her or seen images of her as a mother.
I once read that When Katie tried to discipline Suri once a handler stepped in and told her she can’t do that. It seemed like she had these handlers around all the time. Probably that is why she didn’t do anything withSuri. But obviously she had a problem and left. Leah’s entire family left with her so she can speak out. Katie could have lost her daughter if she left any other way.
Who put Suri on a bathroom floor and decided to let the baby sit there and cry? And there were people just standing there watching this? I love that Leah is blowing the whistle loud and clear on this freak show cult and hope she remains safe. There is a big creepiness factor to this organization and at this point I can’t stand to watch Tom Cruise in anything. Those old photos of Katie on their wedding day look like she’s full blown freaking out, rather than wedding day jitters.
I wonder if they sedated her with a tranquilizer or something to get her down the isle and put on a happy face. Leaving him at the alter for 20 min, plus the pictures of her at the window, speak loudly.
I’m really happy she’s continued to speak out and be as public as she’s been with confronting Scientology. I put more faith in her word with the type of person she is and how honest she’s been with her own faults. I also don’t blame her for calling ANYONE out. This is a ‘religion’ where the director’s wife is still missing and the last publicly admitted celebrity wife has been so quiet it hints to a certain fear and intentional restraint.
Agree. Leah has had to admit to some unpleasant truths about herself, which helps give all of her stories about others credibility.
There’s also an excerpt I read over at the DM that Holmes ratted on Leah and filed a negative report on her to Co$, to which, iirc, there were negative consequences against Leah. As wouldn’t the word of Mrs. Cruise at the time have been far more powerful and damaging than Leah’s own words? Katie knew she could royally screw up anybody to an Nth degree and she used that power in a bad way. The DM article made it sound as if that complaint report was what the apology was about.
Anyhoo…
Yeah, Katie used her power.
She also proudly told media outlet how Nicole’s kids called her mum.
She is frequently lauded for having removed Suri and herself out of C0$, but what seems to have been forgotten is that she only did it once C0$ wasn’t working for her. She fully participated in the C0$ BS until she wasn’t benefiting from it.
That letter is proof, if nothing else.
@ LAK In her interview Leah confessed to writing reports on her own husband. so Leah did the exact same thing that Katie did. She stayed in a cult until she realized she couldn’t anymore.She doesn’t have a child with a current church member or any other family member to protect so she can speak out. Is Katie a saint? Hell no, Neither is Leah. It doesn’t change the fact that both were brainwashed and escaped a cult by the skin of her teeth.
@ Luca76
I think it had more weight when a Mrs. Cruise files a Co$ complaint against a lower ranking member than when it does within a similar lower level.
Furthermore Leah actually grew up in the cult and was following its teachings as she’d done her entire life, she even mentions how she used to sit and do the homework for hours on end.
For her she didn’t necssarilly see it as immediately ridiculous the way Katie Holmes would have. When an organization tells you to tattletale as a an adult who isn’t used to that controlling presence on another fellow adult and they receive REAL punishments for it it’s something that should shock and devastate you.
Still, I do think eventually the flip switched and she could t just keep following the insane rules anymore and had to get back to some semblance of normal.
People REALLY need to read up on CoS before they draw conclusions. The Church is basically run like Stalin’s Russia. Members aren’t just encouraged to report on each other, they are required to. If the higher ups decide you need to be taken down, they literally extract the pettiest BS from the people you interract with. Headley ans other former high ranking members have explained that when it was suggested you write a report, you never knew if in withholding the smallest piece of information could get YOU written up yourself. You never knew if they were testing your honesty or if the e-meter at your next audit would reveal that you hadn’t really shared your discontent with the subject of the report. Furthermore, those reports are seen as a means of helping your Scientologist sister become a better adherent and therefore are an act of kindness. In any case, isn’t it obvious that Katie couldn’t possibly have been that aware of Leah’s activities at her wedding?! She was obviously being fed stories by the Minders, who clearly already had it in for Leah. All this proves is Katie was already an automaton at that point, just regurgitatibg whatever she was told.
Were it not for Scientology, this would just be a case of some mean girls told the bride stories about a guests rowdy conduct at her wedding. The worst that would come from that would be the bride telling her new husband that she doesn’t like that friend of his. And then a few months later all is forgotten.
I agree with what you are saying. From seeing her 20/20 interview, it sounds like after she began asking where Shelly was, they had it out for her and did everything they could at the wedding to upset Leah enough for her to speak out on other things (ex: not being allowed to sit with her BFF JLo)..enough for one big report and then made Katie sign off on it. Talk about a bunch of vindictive, evil manipulators. It’s easy to see how the system sucks people in and pits them against one another enough to keep the vicious cycle going. So sick.
One thing that bugs me is when people dismiss it as just like Christianity, so Christians are in cults just like Co$. While sure they’re maybe be some crazy teachings and beliefs, don’t remember any church I went to in the past as forcing you to donate money or locking me up and keeping me out of public. Also working till you dropped for pennies. To dismiss Co$ as another religious is dangerous because have caused harm to their members and then demand money on top of it. They’re a dangerous brainwashing organization.
I’m happy she has the courage to speak out against this cult and Tom. I wish others would have the balls to say something. I guess she can get away with it being a D list celeb. I’m sure there is so much more she could reveal!
She has a book out. Much more is revealed.
Famous director Paul Haggis gave a scathing indictment of COS when he broke out a few years ago. He wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. He wrote and directed Crash, which won an Oscar for best movie.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/the-apostate-lawrence-wright
I’m cynical; I think it’s in Katie’s best interest to remain quiet because if she revealed her life in Scientology, she would also be revealing her part in it, whether directly or by inference, such as being a bystander to bad things, if not a participant, or just being an all-around fool that believed in all the silliness and marrying him to further her career. I look back on the whole thing, and while she may have had a crush on him, she also clearly loved the attention and status at the beginning. And her disastrous fashion icon attempt? What a joke that was. I just don’t think she’s got the balls like Leah to reveal things, including her own behaviour that was not that admirable. The less she says, the more she protects her own image. She owes a lot to her father. And I’ve heard stories about Suri on set; not a well-behaved child. Just look at Jaden Smith; that kid … his father worked to get where he is….what has Jaden really worked for?
Absolutely. Katie knew what she was getting into (anybody who saw the couch incident did), and she carried on, and carried her fake bump around with great pride. She loved every second of it, but now she’s suddenly a victim.
Fake bump? I didn’t know there was baby bump stuff on Katie.
Her pregnancy was real. There were bikini pics of her strech marks (SHAME ON HOLLYWOOD!!!). I doubt about Tom’s paternity but Katie is Suri’s real mother.
The fake bump controversy had nothing to do with whether Katie is really Suri’s mother. It had more to do with the *timing* of the pregnancy. As in, Katie may have been pregnant when she first got with TC, which would indicate that Suri was never biologically his. If true, it would give Katie a powerful motive, at the time an unwed and devoutly Catholic young woman, to marry TC despite his devotion to the craziness that is Scientology.
@mary
Around month 7 of the pregnancy Katie disappeared from the public eye, and when she reappeared she looked like this:
http://the-gaggle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/holmesfakepregnancy.jpg
so the theory is that she gave birth earlier than TomKat claimed and she wore a fake belly to fulfill her public pregnancy term. It was done to hide the date of conception, which may have been before she met Cruise. This is where the ‘who’s the father’ discussions come from.
I still think that Kate releasing that one sentence is tacit agreement with Lea’s revelations.
Nicole is still too scared to say anything no matter how many people confirm what was done to her publicly.
Absolutely. She got her kid away from the cult with all kinds of provisions I imagine regarding who is around Suri (Tom is surrounded by COS people, hates being alone). She probably got him to agree to some really airtight things no,COS schooling or religion, and even so far as with his visitation he can’t discuss COS casually putting it in her mind, or she would go public, and in return she agreed not to disparage him or COS. I’m sure papers were signed. She had dirt on COS and him and he had barely made a comeback with all the bad publicity before. She had him between a rock and a hard place. But she saved Suri from COS. That’s the important thing. She saw what happened to Nicole.
Remember those Ho$ trailing Katie around right after she fled? She’d do daily walks with Suri around NYC with the crowds and paps following her around to show she’s staying visible so they’d be deterred from harassing her. Those guys looked like thugs.
I wonder why Nicole has not said anything against Co$. It’s 1 of 3 things:
1. Out of respect for her kids who are still Scientologists.
2. Signed NDAs (like Katie).
3. She doesn’t want the world learning about all the benefits she reaped due to Sea Org slave labor (custom houses, boats, cars etc), which is factual and documented, but not really publicized…or some combination of these things. I would pay a lot of money to hear the real, first-hand account of her history with Co$ and Tom, but we won’t ever get that.
Some poster down below thinks Nicole’s auditing tapes would be released if she ever said anything.
…ok…all very salacious…but to me it sounds like standard hw craziness…kh entered as an adult…she wasnt born into the cult…it doesnt read like koresh cult or even lds cult…in my neighbourhood I see that kind of child neglect most days…why judge n scream outrage…
Leah needs to stop messing with her face. Her lips are so jacked she can’t speak normally. I thought it was a good interview but I was so distracted by her face and especially her speech. I understand she is an actress and appearance is important but ease up on the tweaking. Being strong and brave enough to speak out is what makes a beautiful person, not needles full of Botox and fillers.
Oh, cry me a river about Kidman. No doubt she was and is an SP. So what!
She made out like a bandit from her settlement with Tom. She had the time, energy and money to assemble an aggressive team of lawyers and march into family court demanding custody or at least increased access to her children. The fact that she didn’t do so speaks volumes.
Bella recently married in London. Kidman is now in London doing a play. If Bella had wanted to quietly sneak her famous mother in for the ceremony, I’m sure it could have been done.
It wasn’t.
The iRS haven’t been able to do anything about the cult “Going Clear” people had to get 21lawyers now to protect them. You think Nicole when the Cult was at its strongest could have done something?
NOT only the IRS, but the FBI tried to investigate them for human rights abuses. There was clear evidence that church members were punished in a terrible prison called The Hole (Google it). The compund has razor-blade fencing! People who tried to escape Scientology have died (Google Lisa McPherson). Even with all this, nothing has happened to stop Scientology because they’ve now amassed nearly a billion dollars and can flout the laws. The FBI dropped their investigation and a judge sided with Scientology’s abuses against 2 of its victims. The judge blamed the victims for their own abuse and endorsed Scientology’s religious freedom. It’s really sad. People should know that they’re not just a kooky cult. They’re dangerous!
Cruise at the time was worth well over $100 million. I doubt Nicole would have been able to afford years of child custody battles, especially since the Co$ would have probably pitched in for Cruise’s legal fees. I think that the circumstances for Katie getting Suri was very different than Nicole’s.
Nicole was threatened with the release of her audit tapes unless she quietly acquiesced to divorcing Tom. They would have ruined her in the public eye as much of what is discussed in Co$ audits is of a highly personal and private nature. Years ago, during the divorce, a friend of mine got on the elevator of her condo building. Several top floor units were owned by a production company and they would often “house” stars there if they were in town for meetings or filming. When she got on the elevator Nicole Kidman was there with an assistant and she was visibly upset – my friend caught her last few words of the conversation which were something like “I’ll be ruined” before they saw her and stopped talking.
Co$ will stop at nothing to harass, embarrass and destroy people who call them out. It’s called blackmail.
Nicole had half custody of her kids for several years and talked about how they pulled her through the divorce, was seen with them. What she could not know is the COS was teaching them Nicole was a Suppressive Person. They were being indoctrinated and turned against her slowly but surely as they got older. Tom’s home is filled with COS people all working for him, at his beck and call.
That is so sad. I never knew that until recently.
Well Bella’s father AND brother didnt attend her wedding so is that Nicole’s fault?
Hi CO$ member! Howzit?
Am I smelling trolls on this thread? 👹
Nicole had joint custody. The allienation was gradual and completely unexpected. Katie atleast had a heads up on how Tom rolls, Nicole didn’t. By the time it dawned on her that she was out, the kids were at an age where the judge would have allowed them to pick between Tom and Nicole, and she would obviously have lost. In addition, the scrutiny of the Church has benefited from the high profile defections of the last 8 years. Back when Nicoles drama was going down, the Church was infinitely more powerful, litigious and very good at getting away with playing dirty. Tom of course was Mr Perfect Superstar, not the nutjob he is today.Nicole didn’t stand a chance. Every mistake she ever made, every secret recording they had of her would be released, so if course she wouldn’t have the kids but any hope of future relationship would be further sabotaged.
Anyway, didn’t you read the part where Lean says Isabella called Nicole “a fking SP” when Leah asked about her.
Ugh, Katie has got to stop wearing those ankle boots with bare legs. She doesn’t have the shape for it. They look awful!
The book Fair, Clear and Terrible is about a cult in the 1820s in Maine. So similar to Scientology treatment of children, etc. The leader ended up serving time in prison for manslaughter. An important book – and when you consider how much MONEY CO$ – it seems they really should investigate these deaths and missing people and bring it down – as they fortunately did nearly 200 years ago.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1917&dat=19891023&id=BBUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y-AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2065,5809588&hl=en
Ever since Katie divorced him, Suri has not been seen in weird little-girl high heels, out in restaurants at midnight, wearing no coat, etc.
She has become a very normal-appearing child who goes to school and has friends. What’s the big difference? Oh, right, no more crazy Tom controlling things!
Whatever all the details are, Katie deserves all the credit for her daughter’s current better life.
I’ve noticed this too.
+1000
I don’t know.. I still have a side eye for Katie.. I remember when she and Tom were married she was so taking over as Mother to Bella and Connor. She had them calling her Mom.. and baking cupcakes and stuff.. It bothered me a lot. Tom may have wanted it but she went along with it at the time.
It seems that Leah is not against Scientology at all but more how things have changed and the direction things are going or how people are punished and treated.
The whole thing is just scary strange.
I love reading articles on Scientology by Tony Ortega. But what is odd is so many of these defectors are now independent Scientologists, like some of the high-ranking officials that left. They despise Micavige, who is insane and created the hole, but revere Ron L. Hubbard, which is mind-boggling. He created a money-grubbing fake religion with all kinds of illegal activities, hiding out from the government, members working night and day for pennies.
The interview goes from fascinating, great, riveting to, whew, can’t believe it. Tony Ortega did a spectacular job of John Brousseau a couple of years ago. John worked on a lot of stuff for Tom Cruise and David Miscavige and was once sent off for three years to some type of punishment, not the hole. He wasn’t a high-ranking official, more on the ground.
The title of the interview is “Tom Cruise worships David Miscavige like a God: The John Brousseau Story.”
Part 1
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/tom-cruise-worships-david-miscavige-like-a-god-a-scientology-insider-gives-first-full-length-interview-to-the-voice-6712350
Part 2
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/tom-cruise-worships-david-miscavige-like-a-god-the-john-brousseau-story-part-two-6656939
@Jayna Yes! I find that so weird–they still believe in the ‘tech’? Even Leah’s quotes about “saving Scientology from Tom Cruise” and how sincere she was about the e-meter made me wish for a follow-up question about whether or not she still audits.
Meh. The idea of most religions sounds pretty weird and obviously made up to me. They’re just popular. There are many “free” scientologists out there. If they want to audit, believe in aliens and overcoming MEST, and worship L Ron as a god, they’re not hurting anyone. If they are financially supporting an organization with an evil troll at the helm, they are.
If you are a mom, you know how hard it is to hear your baby cry. Especially over an extended period of time. Learning this stuff is extra terrifying about the COS. That is a pretty significant cult if it can take away a mom’s natural instinct regarding her totally helpless baby.
I have never had a kid, but I do have a dog who cries when I leave the house sometimes and hearing her cry at the door tugs at my heart..I can’t imagine that feeling with a baby crying, it must be 10x harder to handle than with a dog.
That’s a sad anecdote about Suri. I wonder what the turning point for HOlmes was, what made her realize she had to make a run for it. I’m sure Cruise made her sign an eleventy billion year contract to remain silent in exchange for letting her go.
Scientology has always been a crock, but the real trouble started when the IRS recognized it as a “church” for tax purposes. That status provides cover for all its abusive and bizarre activities. I hope more people speak out publicly.
Suri was school age. Katie had to get out of the marriage before Suri was old enough to be affected by Scientology beliefs and went down the COS method of teaching kids..
“During his deposition for his $50 million defamation case against Bauer media (whose magazines claimed he abandoned his daughter Suri Cruise), the 51-year-old actor first exploded with anger when asked if Holmes left him “in part to protect Suri from Scientology.”
Cruise first responded that he found the question “offensive,” saying, “there is no need to protect my daughter from my religion.” But when lawyers pushed the question again, asking if his ex-wife ever indicated that she left because of the religion or because she wanted to protect their daughter from Scientology, Cruise responded:
“Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.”
Interesting excerpt, that last quote actually gave me a chill.
Being in the cult since aged 9 withstanding, all that she saw and participated in, and Shelly’s disappearance was the thing that finally made her say enough and leave bothers me a bit….
After watching Leah’s reality show it seemed more like it was more a family decision.Leah, her mom,step dad, husband and sister left all at the same time.
It was more than that, a lot of people that have left didn’t leave because of the what CO$ is but due to the leadership and where they were taking CO$. You get into it thinking you will improve yourself and save the world. But all you end up is a mind slave to a practice and giving up every nickel you have accomplishing nothing and forced to disconnect from all you love that doesn’t follow suit.
And you can’t practice Scientology on your own, you are considered a ‘squirrel’ and they will stalk and harass you to stop. It’s the church or nothing.
I so want to know why she was 20 minutes late to the ceremony and how bad of sh*t she got for it.
They’ve already said that. She was late because she was accompanying JLO, and they were waiting for her security bodyguards to give them the go. They probably waited for everyone to be inside, who knows how they work, but they got late to the wedding of the century (LOL).
I bet Leah got all the Sciento-hate for not being able to convince JLo and her bodyguards to get there on time as not to freak out tommy girl.
They wanted JLo there, they were wooing her and Marc into their religion, of course Leah got the blame of everything, even if that meant trying to make JLo comfortable trying to get them to be seated together.
I can see JLo realizing how crazy the upper ranked scientologists are, how far deep the stick is up on their asses. Glad she said NO WAY!!
Poor Leah all of that failure probably was thrown upon her, and then she dared question why the high priest of her religion was grabbing someone else’s (not his wife’s) butt.
Then, some high ranked Scienloloons wrote reports on her, including Robo-Kate. Things got so bad that she had to pay 300,000 dollars for her “mistakes”. Glad she got out AND even got her money back!
Isn’t JLo’s dad a scientologist though?
“Leah then drops a bomb about how Holmes left Cruise standing at the wedding altar for 20 minutes.”
I am confused. Katie waited for 20 minutes until JLo showed up? They delayed the ceremony for JLo’s arrival?
they probably put a certain time to get everyone there on time ahead of the ceremony. Also, there were several events, so who knows?
I dont think these two events are related..? It was stated that essentially, the ceremony began and Tom was left waiting at the alter for Katie, for 20 min. That part has nothing to do with JLo/Leah. That being said, would also Looooove to know what KH’s consequences were for keeping Xenu waiting for so long.
In Vanity Fair. J.B. is John Brousseau, a former Scientologist that worked a lot at Tom’s home and was always around at different periods.
“Th kids were home-schooled, so they spent all day surrounded by Scientologists. Marty Rathbun, who did the auditing on Cruise, says Cruise believed that Kidman was an S.P., and J.B. says he could see that attitude on display with Bella and Connor. “They rejected Nicole—they’ve been instructed,” J.B. says. “They took a course, P.T.S./S.P., Potential Trouble Source/Suppressive Person, for persons connected in their lives who are an S.P. They whispered to me, ‘J.B., Nicole is an S.P.! Our mom’s an S.P.—we hate going and seeing her.’ This was a secret thing they thought they could tell J.B. Probably that’s what Katie was terrified of, and it might have occurred to her that she could end up being one.”
“The ostracizing of Kidman within Scientology extended even to her movies, according to J.B. “The Scientology world hated Nicole. People in Sea Org were mandated to see every freaking Tom Cruise movie that came out. But if you ever mentioned an inkling to see a movie with Nicole, oh my God, you’d hear about it.”
That’s so heartbreaking. Parental alienation. There was an awards show after the divorce where Kidman brought Bella as her date, IIRC. And Nicole, Connor, and Isabella definitely seemed normal together circa 2001. People forget how young they were–young enough to brainwash easily. Photos:
http://www.laineygossip.com/Nicole-Kidmans-daughter-Isabella-talks-about-their-relationship/23495
As adults, they’ve always looked ‘off’ to me, the same way the Smith kids look ‘off,’ weirdly dressed, unhappy. I can’t be the only person to think they even look dirty sometimes, like they haven’t bathed? What’s Scientology say, re: hygiene? Or is that just a sign of depression?
Well they do treat them as mini adults from the time they are young children, so I imagine that discipline and instilling things like a daily bathing ritual are left up to the kids discretion. Very twisted way of bringing a kid into this world, “Here kid, learn how to function on your own the best way you can imagine. Good luck, hope it works out!”
there were 3 people who were supposedly looking after suri, one being his sister.
not only are some people pathetic on here with their comments, but so is the writer of the article.
leah probably did a lot worse in her 30 yrs of COMMITTED Scientogist.
she knew this piece about suri would get most attention, she lost me.
This story about Suri is the least disgusting and controversial thing I’ve heard about this organization.Plenty of parents let their babies”cry it out” There are dozens of books written on that technique .I am more outraged by the babies in the nursery cared for by a teenager or the child labor.
Not to mention that the “nursery,” with more than 20 babies for every teen, was a roach-infested motel room with dirty diapers piled around..yeah I am thankful for anyone calling out the child abuses of this organization. Informing the public on what’s happening behind closed doors is key to getting these slaves – and victims who were born into it – freed! How can anyone not see that?
annie, I think it is good that Leah or whomever lets it be known how people in $cientology treats their children. Things like this bathroom thing is probably why KH is out of it.
I am glad that KH saw the light, and enlisted her dad to get her out.
I am also glad that for whatever reason Leah also decided to get out, and successfully did it, and that she is NOT quiet about it.
If Suri is mentioned here, it is just nothing different as how Nicole’s children have been mentioned in relation to Nicole being a Suppresive person. It is not about the children, it is in relation to how the cult persons raising them have damaged them.
Colette, I agree with you.
Not just Shelley M. – where is Cruise’s mom & sis – they seem to be missing as well.
I heard that his mom hasn’t been seen for some months now, it’s frightening. His sister’s gone too? Is his whole family part of CoS?
Katie still does weird things (check out her instagram) but I’m glad for her and Suri that their Ho$ days are behind them. I think at first KH was probably totally starstruck by TC’s star power. I often wondered how she put up with TC; her family seems so normal and stable. Glad you got out of the looneybin, Katie.
Her instagram is quite “star” conventional: Product placement, “famous” friend’s selfies and other superficial sh*ts.
Did you see the one where she rolled up her pants and took a selfie with one leg high up in the air?
I checked it out. It’s all artsy, friends, food, stuff like that.
Tony Ortega on a few of the levels you reach in Scientology coursework after Kirsty Alley on Stern bragging she was an OT 7 and how they softballed her questions. It’s so weird.
“One of the best descriptions of what it’s like to go through OT 3 we heard from Lawrence Wollersheim when we interviewed him more than a decade ago.
“OT 3 totally shatters the core sense of identity. The central concept of mind control is attacking the core personality, the threat that you are not who you think you are. At OT 3, you find out that you’re really thousands of individual beings struggling for control of your body. Aliens left over from space wars that are giving you cancer or making you crazy or making you impotent. The reason for every bad thing in your life is these alien beings,” Wollersheim says. “I went psychotic on OT III. I lost a sense of who I was.” Years can be spent removing these aliens — called “body thetans” or “BT’s” — by talking to and about these supposed hitchhiking entities while holding onto a device called an “e-meter.” “You’re talking to thousands of beings. They have histories. And anger. They’re complex personalities.”
After learning that these unseen space cooties are hovering inside and around you, the next several levels of Scientology — from OT 4 to OT 7 — are spent trying to locate and then chase away these entities. (For what specifically is done on OT 7, read our previous story on it.)
And it’s not cheap. In our series, “Up the Bridge,” we consulted actual Scientology price lists as well as several expert former members, and estimated costs for each level. The exorcism of body-thetans on levels OT 3 to OT 7 would run a total of $121,421.25, we found, with OT 7 making up about half of that total.”
$121,421.25 … and I thought Naturopathy was pricey.
@ ennie
all the media outlets picked up the suri thing and Leah knows this.
not denying that scie has disgusting practices, but Leah was part of those practices for 30 yrs or more, dobbing in her husband……yea her own husband no less, so she did a lot of dirty stuff herself. she was probably on the same par as Kirsty Alley.
i for one will be curious to know…. will she take any of the blame for things she did, or is she going to use ” the didn’t know any better card” because so far that’s what’s she’s doing.
tom cruise , his scie, his friends, his family, is f…ing disgusting. but leah is not too far behind either.
how convenient that she was alone with Conner and Bella to ask them about their mother, and how convienient that it was her that went to suri’s aid.
might change my mind about her if she comes clean and accepts responsibility for her own actions.
and a 26 yr old is no match for a 43 yr famous , dripping in money , planes, the best that life supposedly had to offer…….at least not in the beginning as time and history has shown.
Katie has always been a private person, one who loves her family very much.
maybe the lovestruck Katie ignored her parents private wishes concerning TC and Scie in the beginning but she never cut them out of her life, which is probably what was expected of her.
Tom Cruise failed with Katie Holmes. because she left him… his church… and took his daughter with her.
I doubt that Cruise lets up on her privately for a second. That was a big thing, not what Leah Remeni has done and is getting lots and lots of cash for it, but she wasn’t the big catch in the Scie World . Katie Holmes is!
And her silence is beyond Golden!
Leah Remini did take responsibility for her actions in the 20/20 interview. It was at the beginning. She said she was putting all her failings out there, as she knew the church would. I respect her for that.
For example, if I tell my priest something personal and private, I have the belief that unless I threaten to kill someobe, my confessions stay PRIVATE. With Scientology and their auditing sessions, you have no expectations of that. The church frequently uses those sessions to blackmail and harass their members. What ‘church’ does that? Answer churches don’t, but cults do.
How did Leah go from using a sander to being a Hollywood celeb????
I believe this. If you read Dianetics,( entrance into HELL) they got all kinds of weird shit in there. Like for one that struck me…no making ANY noise during labor. None.
I believe the “self soothing” to extremes.
I believe the about the Sea Org and slave labor of those poor people.
I mean come on! CO$ makes people ( the very young also) sign a billion year contract?! That is horrible. And snitching on loved ones and friends…so CO$ can blackmail, emotionally and financially, you and them.
Katie was caught in a dangerous web, surrounded by dangerous people. And she got out with her daughter, by outsmarting them. Stupendous. Plus, now her father sees Suri and her mom as SPs, and is basically absent from his kids life. Not financially, but everything else. Considering his involvement with this cult, thats actually a good thing.
As for Leah, Im glad for her. And Im glad shes shouting from the mountains what bullshit this cult is. Im also thinking how rare her family went with her. That never happens.
I don’t think Leah was trying to make Katie look awful, she was describing her own reaction to an incident that was a personal turning point for her. She got up from the table in response to the crying and saw that Suri was lying on the bathroom floor screaming her little seven-month-old head off with adults just staring at her, which is in line with Co$ teachings. It was an essential part of Leah’s personal story. She’s been upfront about the things she herself did under Co$ influence that she now regrets.
Katie can’t speak for herself right now but she certainly managed to confirm the story in another way, so I doubt that Katie is anything but grateful to Leah for speaking up about all this since she can’t.
The fact that Katie released an apology rather than a no comment or denial is very telling.
Katie was a victim being able to be with the guy she use to have pictures of hanging on her wall as a young girl so she got caught up in it all. Tom was/is an abuser a manipulator played on her love for him in order to control her. Leah is just telling the things she was around she wasn’t trying to paint Katie as a bad mom.
scary stuff!
I would have been full on swinging mama bear style if someone tried to keep me from my hungry, crying child. There would have been no Co$ survivors.
I remember Leah from her appearance on “Who’s the Boss” on to the spin-off of “Living Dolls” I’m so glad she’s no longer a Scientologist.
Katie Holmes looked beautiful to me on her wedding day. She was only weird to me during the time leading up to wedding during her courtship with Tom. Between her “my man this my man that” and Tom jumping on couches and forced kissing I was in gag overload. Even with all of that stuff and nonsense there was no denying she was in love with him and on cloud nine.
I want to buy Leah’s book. I like her as an actress and her story is pretty fascinating to me.
Never mind, the post I was replying to disappeared.
Ok just saw leah react to Katies appology, and it was touching, it also made me feel sad, because Leah was a member of Scie but Katie was married to the looney second in charge.
I”m sure when Katie started questioning her life turned to hell!