Celebrities Who Have Been in Cults

Stories about cults can sound like fiction, yet a number of well known actors and musicians have described real involvement with high control groups. Some were born into these communities and left with their families. Others were recruited as adults through promises of self improvement or spiritual growth that masked rules about money, food, work, and relationships.

This list focuses on public records and firsthand accounts. In each case there is a clear description of the group, the timeline of involvement, and the steps that led to leaving. Many of these people later documented their experiences in interviews, books, documentaries, or court proceedings, which helps establish what happened and how they moved forward.

Michelle Pfeiffer

Early in her career, Michelle Pfeiffer became involved with a couple who promoted breatharianism, a belief system that claimed strict discipline could replace normal eating and drinking. She has said the pair closely monitored her diet and spending while presenting their control as a path to purity and health.

She recognized the pattern after helping research another group and noticing the same tactics around isolation, rules, and finances. She has described the experience as a cult and has said that stepping back from the daily routine made it possible to see what was happening and leave.

Glenn Close

Glenn Close has said she was raised in Moral Re Armament and has called it a cult. She has described a childhood shaped by rigid expectations and group practices that discouraged personal autonomy and independent decision making.

She left in early adulthood and has spoken about the long process of unlearning beliefs taught inside the organization. She has connected those years to her later interest in mental health education and family dynamics.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix has said his parents briefly belonged to Children of God when he was a child and that the family left while he was still young. He has explained that the group was part of a short period of travel before his parents decided to exit.

After leaving, the family settled and he began performing. He has answered questions about that early chapter by making clear that his career developed long after his family moved away from the group.

River Phoenix

River Phoenix also spent part of his early childhood in Children of God before his parents left the organization. Accounts describe frequent moves and community living during those years, followed by a return to the United States.

Following the exit, River and his siblings performed music and he began acting work. Biographical profiles regularly note that the family left the group years before his film career started.

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan was born into Children of God and has described strict rules and frequent relocations during her early life. She has said her father chose to leave and that the family departed the organization together.

She has linked that background to later advocacy about coercive control. Her accounts detail how families rebuild after leaving and how former members process education, work, and social life outside closed communities.

Jeremy Spencer

Fleetwood Mac cofounder Jeremy Spencer left the band during a tour and joined Children of God. He recorded with members of the organization and stepped away from mainstream rock for an extended period.

Music histories document his departure, his subsequent work with the group, and credits that include recordings made inside the community. Later coverage tracks occasional returns to public performance after years within the organization.

Christopher Owens

Singer Christopher Owens, known for the band Girls, grew up in Children of God and left as a teenager. Profiles have described an itinerant childhood that included communal living and limited access to outside culture.

After leaving, he learned to navigate life outside a closed community and began writing songs that drew on his experiences. His career milestones outline how he transitioned from that upbringing to touring and recording.

Allison Mack

Actor Allison Mack became a prominent member of NXIVM and later pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Proceedings detailed her role within a secret subgroup and her participation in practices that required obedience and so called collateral.

She served a prison sentence and was released after completing it. Public records also show that she married fellow member Nicki Clyne during her years in the organization and later filed for divorce.

India Oxenberg

India Oxenberg joined NXIVM as a young adult and later described her experience in the documentary series ‘Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult’. She has explained how branding, strict diets, and the collection of collateral were used to enforce control.

Her timeline includes recruitment, deeper involvement in a private subgroup, outside intervention by family and authorities, and exit. She has since focused on education about coercive groups and recovery for former members.

Sarah Edmondson

Actor Sarah Edmondson spent years in NXIVM and reported being branded as part of a secret subgroup. She provided evidence to authorities and later appeared in the documentary series ‘The Vow’ to explain how the organization operated.

Her account covers recruitment through personal development courses, advancement into leadership roles, discovery of hidden practices, and a detailed departure that involved cooperating with journalists and law enforcement.

Bonnie Piesse

Actor Bonnie Piesse joined NXIVM and later left, then appeared in ‘The Vow’ to document her experience. She has discussed the recruiting process, the pressure to comply with orders, and the obstacles faced by members who questioned leadership.

After exiting, she returned to acting and reprised her role in ‘Obi Wan Kenobi’. Interviews have outlined the steps she and her partner took to help others leave and to preserve communications that explained the inner workings of the group.

Nicki Clyne

Nicki Clyne, known for ‘Battlestar Galactica’, was involved in NXIVM and its subgroup DOS. Court filings and public statements have connected her to leadership circles and to activities that became central to criminal cases against the founder.

Her marriage to Allison Mack occurred during this period and later ended in divorce proceedings. Coverage of the case places her within the network of members who coordinated events, projects, and contact with recruits.

Leah Remini

Leah Remini grew up in Scientology and left as an adult. She created the series ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath’ to share interviews with former members and to document practices such as disconnection.

Her exit involved a public resignation and extensive outreach to others who described similar experiences. She has continued to focus on accountability and support for people who leave high control groups.

Bethany Joy Lenz

While working on ‘One Tree Hill’, Bethany Joy Lenz spent about a decade in what she has called a Christian cult. She has described a structure built around a charismatic leader, strict communal rules, and control over finances and relationships.

She has said that distance created by filming helped her begin to leave. Her recent memoir and interviews detail how she disentangled from the group and how she has worked to support others with similar histories.

Paul Haggis

Filmmaker Paul Haggis belonged to Scientology for decades before resigning and publicly calling it a cult. He cited policy disagreements and concerns about leadership as reasons for his decision.

His departure was followed by a detailed public account of his time in the organization and the steps that led to his break. He has explained the personal cost of leaving a community he had been part of for many years.