Is this the lamest tabloid ‘Tom Cruise has left Scientology’ speculation ever?

 
You’ll have to forgive us that we didn’t get to this sooner, because we were just out of surgery and lying rather helpless in a hospital bed last week when the Daily Mail’s entertainment gossip columnist Alison Boshoff “reported” that Tom Cruise has stopped going to Scientology’s UK headquarters for the past three years.

We really couldn’t say anything while every tabloid organization on the planet then jumped in with two feet and began declaring that Cruise has defected from Scientology.

Come on, people. Not again.

Every year or two the tabloids do this, and we know they want so badly for this story to be true.

This time, for some reason, the wave of declarations by irresponsible rags became quite a tsunami as an initial story speculating that perhaps Tom has stopped flying a helicopter into East Grinstead was somehow proof that he’d ditched Scientology.

It isn’t, of course. If Boshoff had bothered to call up even a single former top Scientology executive, someone like Mike Rinder, for example, she might have understood that Tom Cruise’s relationship with Scientology leader David Miscavige and his dedication to Scientology has nothing whatsoever to do with whether he’s been to Saint Hill, the UK headquarters, lately. (And yes, that’s true even though Tom has been spending a lot of time in the UK in general.)

“These stories are not written by actual journalists,” Mike pointed out when we asked him if any of the publications breathlessly announcing that Cruise was stepping away had bothered to ask him about it. “At best they are ‘written’ by low-level freelancers who dig through and regurgitate anything they can find with celebrity names attached. At worst, they are planted stories by the Cruise/Paramount PR people to try to keep him out of the Scientology spotlight as it hurts the box office.”

We know it’s difficult for people to understand, but Cruise is not some captive in Scientology. He’s a true believer. He actually believes that L. Ron Hubbard is the greatest human being who ever lived and that David Miscavige is the most important human being alive today.

“Tom Cruise worships David Miscavige like a god,” we were once told by Jean Brousseau, a man who had been Miscavige’s brother-in-law for 16 years and worked closely with both of them.

We know that Cruise has stepped back from the vocal role he had as Scientology’s spokesman that he took on for a few months in 2005, and his general silence is what encourages these silly stories from the tabloids.

So we have to look at actual evidence where we can, and it has become more difficult since the pandemic hit. But just before that, at the last October IAS gala in East Grinstead in 2019, not only did Cruise attend, but he brought along his daughter Isabella and son Connor for the first time, implying that if anything, Tom’s dedication was stronger than ever.

No, there’s no evidence that Tom is “stepping away,” and whether or not he visits the Saint Hill compound (where his pal Miscavige is not spending any time anyway), really doesn’t say anything.

And please, the next time the tabloids start making these announcements, examine the stories to see if they’ve even bothered to reach out to former execs like Mike Rinder or Claire Headley to get some understanding of Cruise and Scientology before they go off.

 
——————–

Technology Cocktail

“Man is still confused. We are not. By studying and knowing our data on this, the ‘wall’ will go ‘poof.’ Any psychosis, neurosis or illness is fragile, no matter how fierce it seems. These
can only thrive in lies. Now what will happen to the barriers we have had when they are hit by truth? I give us twenty months to having all cleared staffs on Central Orgs, three years to all cleared Scientologists, two decades to a large proportion of Earth cleared. That’s my idea of it now.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1960

 
——————–

THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.

 
——————–

THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH

— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see

[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner

Source Code

“I know it’s mean of me, it’s cabalist, it’s rabble-rousing for me to infer that the majesty of government is actually being used to further some foul, religious end in some way and to cause everybody to be dead. But I’m very interested in the fact that the Church of England, of all organizations, right down here in the form of a vicar (who, I think, has had to move since), this bird — I’m looking at a face or two here who were present in this — was being very censorious about our giving death lessons to young children. Story went around the world. What do you think this guy does every time he stands up there in the pulpit? He’s talking about going to heaven and all this sort of thing. He’s giving death lessons to little kids. Diana came home from school one day crying. She was going to a local school up here. She wanted to know if all this stuff about poor Christ was true. And I gave her the hot dope, and — well, as a matter of fact, I did. I was very reasonable about the whole thing. I said, ‘Native populaces have their religious beliefs, and wherever you are, you must remain tolerant of the current beliefs,’ and so forth, and she took this in. But it’s interesting that this bird down here is asserting how wrong it is, don’t you see, to give children death lessons while he himself is giving them death lessons. Only our death lessons are straight dope this is what happens with regard to death — but his are a darn lie.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 27, 1963

 
——————–

Avast, Ye Mateys

“Congratulations on getting rid of the civilian engineers. They signed a no-claim and a confession of mutiny before leaving. It transpires that da Silva had a criminal record arm long. They have went. Now we should check for anything damaged by them.” — The Commodore, August 27, 1969

——————–

Overheard in the FreeZone

“It is difficult for me to conceive of the possibility of harnessing spiritual teammates to always act in your best interest. As a longtime Book One and NED auditor I have run into some entities that ‘took over’ the beingness of someone in session and threatened to do very violent things to me and others. It just seems like the safer approach is to offload these entities entirely. Some may be trainable but others just seem too far gone.”

 
——————–

Past is Prologue

2001: Bob Minton explained to the court why he did not attend a Scientology-related deposition this month in an affidavit also posted to a.r.s. “On the afternoon of August 2, 2001, I became aware of the internet posting attached as Exhibit 3 to my Response. I was, to say the least, shocked by Scientology’s grotesque, abusive, and invasive action. I was extremely distraught, not only by Scientology’s attack, but by their apparent illegal access to such private information. Later that day, I learned that the neighborhood where my minor daughters live, including their home, had been papered by Scientology with fliers, falsely accusing their mother and me of criminal and/or unethical behavior. I spoke at length to a therapist, because of the severe anguish I felt, and the importance of complying with the Court’s order if at all possible. As I talked to my therapist and considered the facts, I grew more rather than less agitated, and eventually accepted my therapist’s unequivocal advice that I not travel to Florida to be deposed by Scientology on August 3. In the following days, I asked that the therapist agree to give evidence about the events of the afternoon and evening of August 2, 2001. The therapist refused to cooperate, because of Scientology’s history and reputation for abusive attacks on members of the mental health profession, and on its opponents.”

 
——————–

Random Howdy

“The Church of Scientology is as wrong as the Kims in North Korea. Some things just need to be stopped, you don’t even have to think about it, you feel it in your gut. I remember my father telling me about how my grandfather signed up to join the Lincoln Brigade to go fight Franco. I didn’t understand at first, but later I did.”

 
——————–

Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentencing on Sep 7.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Trial scheduled for August 15.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Complaint filed August 2, hearing on proof of service on Oct 3.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration. Plaintiffs allowed interlocutory appeal to Eleventh Circuit.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place at least through sentencing of Masterson on Sep 7.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Next hearing Nov 6.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

 
——————–

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

 
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–
THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] PODCAST: Examining Scientology’s new marketing juggernaut, a ‘Wider Bridge’
[TWO years ago] Tom Cruise’s Scientology superpowers, No. 6: Resuscitating the recently deceased
[THREE years ago] The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 19: Wally Pope
[FOUR years ago] Vote for the most startling statement on the ‘Scientology and the Aftermath’ finale
[FIVE years ago] Hey, Colombia: Here’s the video of Scientology’s David Miscavige you’ve been looking for
[SIX years ago] How dishonest is tabloid media about Scientology? Here’s a pretty good example.
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology wastes no time taking over Florida sign after ‘disconnection’ billboard expires
[EIGHT years ago] ¡Ay, caramba! Nancy Cartwright has a whale of a time in Mexico to raise money for Scientology
[NINE years ago] The Document: When Scientology canceled ‘Family Time’
[TEN years ago] The Dreaded “Joburg Sec Check”: Scientology Interrogations, Explained!
[TWELVE years ago] Scientology Cyclone: Commenters of the Week!

 
——————–

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on August 27, 2023 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2022 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2022), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 

Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone