Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
FOLLOW ME ON
Daily Notifications
Sign up for free emails to receive the feature story every morning in your inbox at tonyortega.substack.com

Categories

Monthly Archives

LISTEN: Rare tape reveals how L. Ron Hubbard really came up with Scientology’s space cooties

The Underground Bunker has been leaked a rare 1952 L. Ron Hubbard recording that surfaced online only briefly five years ago. When it did, some longtime Scientology researchers were astonished, saying they thought it was mere legend.

Despite the secrets it unlocks about the formation of Scientology’s beginnings, you won’t see a mention of this recording []

ADVERTISEMENT

Scientology gushes about the inroads made by its new media strategy!

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology’s new Impact magazine reassures Scientologists that its big international media push this year has had a major result. After leader David Miscavige spent untold sums for ads in dozens of countries, some people []

He fought through Scientology’s Wall of Fire™ and lived to tell the tale!

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology denies it, but the simple truth is that even today its members are asked to spend ludicrous amounts to learn founder L. Ron Hubbard’s bad sci-fi story about invisible alien souls infesting every []

The fight for Clearwater has a long history — and so do Scientology’s ploys

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology recently suffered a setback in its ongoing takeover of Clearwater, Florida. But as Bruce Hines reminds us, the church’s schemes in this fight go back decades. [What is this Substack thing, []

Scientology’s celebrities finally getting involved with Scientology TV

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Has it really been 7 years that Scientology TV has been on the air? In that time, David Miscavige’s experiment has failed in part because his vaunted celebrities won’t go near it. But that’s []

A Scientology attorney, his secret work for the church, and his Paris legacy

[The late Bill Walsh and today’s Greater Paris Ideal Org]

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A new leaked document describes 30 years of secretive work by an attorney for Scientology, and whether to keep paying him such a huge salary. []

Scientology’s beef with new billboards is Mike Rinder’s use of the word ‘cult’

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A tip came to us in an unusual way that Scientology’s secret police are freaking out about the new Aftermath Foundation billboards in LA. Turns out it’s true, and the Foundation’s Claire Headley filled []

When the government comes down hard on Scientology grifters

[Peyroux, left, and Detelich]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: With all of the alarming news here at the Bunker recently about wealthy Scientology donors getting chummy with the new White House administration, we thought we’d []

Cecilia Kruchko-Smith, 1952-2025, former Scientology employee, beloved Bunkerite

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox, or go to this link: Cece was a former Scientology employee who spent more than 20 years at AOLA until she was kicked out in a bizarre incident, but we knew her as a []

Scientology and Christmas: How one Hubbardite space cadet got the Santa magic back

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Valerie Ross is back to help us understand what Christmas can mean to the committed Scientology member, and what it means after getting out. [What is this Substack thing, []