Tony Ortega | The Underground Bunker

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]

‘Going Clear’: Paul Haggis pens a description of the Scientology experience you won’t forget

We’re drawing closer to the broadcast of Alex Gibney’s documentary about Scientology, Going Clear, which airs Sunday night at 8 pm on HBO. We have another screenshot from the film, with one of its chief stars, director Paul Haggis, who was also the subject of Lawrence Wright’s New Yorker article and his subsequent book which […]

‘Going Clear’: Mike Rinder helps us understand a Scientology document that will creep you out

We have another screenshot from Alex Gibney’s new documentary as we count down the days until Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief airs on HBO Sunday at 8 pm. This time, we’re featuring former Scientology spokesman Mike […]

‘Going Clear’ subject Hana Eltringham Whitfield fills us in on a Scientology secret or two

Here’s another still from Alex Gibney’s documentary Going Clear, airing a week from tonight at 8 pm on HBO. This screenshot features one of the real stars of the movie, Hana Eltringham Whitfield.

Hana was one of Scientology’s original Sea Org members in 1967, and captained a couple of the vessels in L. Ron Hubbard’s small […]

‘Going Clear’ subject Tom DeVocht reveals new info about Tom Cruise and Scientology’s leader

We have another screenshot from Alex Gibney’s documentary Going Clear, which airs on Sunday, March 29 at 8pm. Pictured here is one of the eight former Scientologists interviewed for the movie, former Sea Org executive Tom DeVocht. We recently gave you a little background on Tom and explained how he’s been dealing with an increase […]

‘Going Clear’: Jason Beghe, the actor who left Scientology and made a stink about it

Here’s a screenshot of Jason Beghe from Alex Gibney’s film Going Clear, which airs on HBO in nine more days, on March 29.

Beghe is one of eight former members of the Church of Scientology who make up the main subjects of Gibney’s film. Our longtime readers know that we’ve been writing about Jason for a […]

‘Going Clear’ fallout: Imagining the fate of Scientology and David Miscavige

Maria Bustillos contacted us recently, telling us that she was working on a review of Alex Gibney’s film Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, and she wanted to ask us a question, which turned out to be quite good.

We were familiar with Maria’s work because of a story she did at The Awl […]

Another ‘Secret Lives’ outtake: The neighbor who knew L. Ron Hubbard and his first wife

Another day, another treat here at the Underground Bunker. We have another previously unseen interview that was recorded for Channel 4’s excellent 1997 documentary, Secret Lives — L. Ron Hubbard.

This time, we get a glimpse of a time period that rarely gets much treatment — Hubbard’s first marriage, to Margaret “Polly” Grubb, as witnessed by […]

More proof that Scientology used the ‘R2-45’ method to intimidate enemies

We’re back with more documents that have been released recently by the FDA that illuminate Scientology’s early years. Thanks to a researcher who is a friend to the Underground Bunker and her work with the Muckrock website, we have yet more investigative records that have never before been online.

In this case, we’re looking at an […]

Mareka Brousseau on the degradations of Scientology’s Sea Org life

Jeffrey Augustine is back with another podcast, this time his second interview with Mareka Brousseau.

Mareka, the daughter of Haydn and Lucy James, gives us more glimpses of the hardships of Sea Org life in Scientology. Her eyewitness testimony is hard-hitting, as […]

‘Going Clear’ subject Tom DeVocht gets a lesson in Scientology’s social media surveillance

Tom DeVocht

We’ve been telling you that Scientology’s reaction to Alex Gibney’s film Going Clear has been a burst of “Fair Game” activity that’s affecting numerous people involved with the film. This is behind-the-scenes stuff that isn’t obvious from what’s getting more attention from the press — the silly letters and videos Scientology has […]

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