Famous Celebrities Who Were Part of the Children of God Cult

The Children of God, later known as The Family International, began in the late 1960s and spread through communal homes around the world. It mixed apocalyptic teachings with aggressive proselytizing and drew in thousands of followers, including families who worked as missionaries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Over time the group became known for controversial practices and has been the subject of numerous memoirs and investigations, as well as public testimony from former members who left and built careers in music, film, journalism, literature, and sport.

This list brings together well known figures who were born into or spent part of their childhoods in Children of God communities or who joined as adults. Each entry focuses on verifiable details about their connection to the movement and on the concrete milestones of their careers and public work after leaving, based on interviews, profiles, court and archival records, and first person accounts.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix spent his earliest years while his parents were involved with the group in the 1970s, during a period when the family lived in Latin America before returning to the United States and leaving the movement. He has described the involvement as brief and has spoken publicly about his parents’ decision to exit when they grew disillusioned with what they encountered.

After the family resettled in the United States he began working as a child actor alongside his siblings and went on to a long film career that includes industry awards and global recognition. Public profiles on his family background consistently note the early association and the parents’ later departure.

River Phoenix

River Phoenix’s parents joined the movement when he was very young and the family spent several years in its communities during the 1970s before leaving and returning to the United States. His childhood during this period has been detailed in news features and biographies that document the timeline of the family’s involvement and exit.

He later became an acclaimed actor and musician and is frequently cited in reporting about notable former members because his family’s experience in the movement is well documented. Reference entries and mainstream coverage outline his early life and the family’s move into entertainment work after leaving the group.

Rain Phoenix

Rain Phoenix spent her early childhood while the family was involved with the group and the siblings often performed music publicly after they returned to the United States. Long form profiles describe the family’s itinerant years, busking, and transition into the arts following their parents’ decision to leave the movement.

She has built a career as a musician and actor and has worked on philanthropic projects connected to her family. Coverage of the siblings regularly notes the shared early background and the family’s later artistic work.

Liberty Phoenix

Liberty Phoenix was born during the period when the family lived abroad while involved with the group, and she returned to the United States with her siblings when the parents left the movement in the late 1970s. Mainstream reporting on the siblings summarizes these years and the parents’ decision to exit.

She appeared in screen roles as a child and later focused on creative and community projects. Articles that profile the Phoenix family consistently include the early association and the timeline of the departure.

Summer Phoenix

Summer Phoenix is included among the siblings widely reported to have been associated with the family’s years in the movement through the end of the 1970s, with the parents leaving and resettling in the United States. Coverage of the family’s history highlights that period and the subsequent shift into entertainment work.

She went on to act in film and television and continued in stage and design work as an adult. Background pieces about the siblings and their parents reiterate the account of early involvement and later exit.

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan spent her early childhood in Italy where her father helped run an Italian chapter of the movement, and her family left in the late 1970s. She has discussed those years in multiple interviews and profiles that confirm the family’s activities and the eventual departure.

She later pursued an acting career and became a public advocate who has written and spoken about her upbringing and early life in the group. News coverage and magazine profiles detail her childhood timeline and the family’s transition after leaving.

Jeremy Spencer

Fleetwood Mac guitarist Jeremy Spencer left the band in 1971 and joined the movement as an adult, later recording and performing with members associated with it. Music histories and newspaper features reconstruct his abrupt departure from the band and his subsequent activities.

He continued to release music over the years while remaining publicly linked to his decision in 1971, and archives and discographies document an album credited to Jeremy Spencer and a band made up of group members. Retrospectives also track his later performances and recording projects.

Christopher Owens

Musician Christopher Owens spent his childhood traveling with parents who were members of the group and left as a teenager. Interviews and profiles outline the locations where he lived, the rules he grew up under, and the circumstances of his exit.

He later co-founded the band Girls and has released solo projects, with major outlets noting how his early life shaped his career path. His background is summarized in artist profiles and band histories that reference his upbringing in the movement.

Susan Justice

Singer Susan Justice, also known as Susan Cagle, was born into a large family whose parents were members of the movement and spent her childhood traveling before settling in the United States. Biographical entries describe her early years and the family’s connection to the group.

She gained attention busking in New York City, released an album drawn from live subway performances, and later recorded as a solo artist. Appearances on national television and interviews recounted her upbringing and the decision to pursue music after leaving.

Tina Dupuy

Journalist and comedian Tina Dupuy has written and spoken about being born into the movement and later entering foster care in California. Her biography and interviews detail her early years, separation from her parents, and later work documenting cult dynamics.

She has worked as a syndicated columnist and launched a podcast series on cults, consistently referencing her own childhood in the group. Media profiles and university archives corroborate her public accounts of that background.

Juliana Buhring

Endurance cyclist and author Juliana Buhring was born into the movement and spent her childhood moving among communal homes before leaving as a young adult. She co-authored a best-selling memoir with her sisters that recounts their lives inside and their escape.

She later set a Guinness World Record as the fastest woman to circumnavigate the globe by bicycle and has competed in major ultra-distance events. Newspaper features and sport profiles document her achievements and note her upbringing in the group.

Lauren Hough

Writer Lauren Hough grew up in the movement known as The Family and has described punishments, rules, and daily life in detailed first person reporting. Her accounts include the years and regions where she lived while her family was involved.

She later served in the U.S. Air Force, worked a variety of jobs, and published a best-selling essay collection, with newspaper and library guides summarizing her upbringing in the group. Public author pages and reading lists likewise describe her childhood in the movement.

Faith Jones

Attorney and author Faith Jones was raised in the group in Macau and later left, becoming a corporate lawyer. She published a memoir that documents her childhood, education, and departure, and major outlets profiled her account.

Magazine features summarize her family connections to the movement’s leadership and outline the timeline she describes in the book, including her transition to professional life after leaving. These profiles provide additional corroborating details on place and period.

Bexy Cameron

Filmmaker and author Bexy Cameron spent her youth in the group and left as a teenager. She later returned to investigate high-control groups for a documentary project and wrote a memoir that recounts her experience and departure.

Interviews in national outlets discuss her research, her book, and the settings where she grew up, providing dates and locations for key events. Later features have continued to track her work and public speaking on cult dynamics.

Flor Edwards

Author Flor Edwards was one of twelve children raised in the group and has written extensively about continual moves, communal schooling, and the apocalyptic teachings that shaped her early years. Reviews and interviews provide specifics about the places and communities where she lived.

Her memoir recounts the family’s eventual departure and her adjustment to life outside the movement, and book listings and features summarize the chronology and subjects covered in her account. Regional newspapers and review outlets have profiled the book and her background.

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