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When people talk about Scientology, they typically talk about either the controversy surrounding the church or the celebrities attached to it. There are quite passionate members of the Church in the A-list world like John Travolta and Tom Cruise (however, new reports indicate that that may not be the case anymore), and there has been a slew of celebrities who escaped the Church like Leah Remini and That 70s Show alum Laura Prepon. However, We’re going to talk about the celebrities that nobody seems to talk about when mentioning Scientology: the ones that were almost allegedly recruited into the controversial Church.
Think about it, the higher-up Scientologists in the A-list world have been alleged to be recruiters, trying to get other celebrities to join the church. Quite a few celebrities have spoken out about their experience of almost being recruited, such as taking classes or having one of the bigger names attached to the church trying to personally recruit them. And then with other celebrities, it’s a bit of a mystery.
Either way, there are a lot more celebrities than you think that have allegedly almost been recruited, from Sofia Vergara to Robert Irwin, from Patrick Swayze to Seth Rogen.
Check out which celebrities were allegedly almost recruited to Scientology below:
John Stamos
John Stamos was not only almost recruited, but he was kicked out almost immediately!
In an episode of Friend in High Places, Stamos told host Matt Friend: “I was in an acting class, and there was a hot girl. She said, ‘We’re all meeting at this address on Hollywood Boulevard; you should come after.'”
“I was working at my dad’s restaurant at the time and I said, ‘Dad, I’ve got to go.” So, I went and it was the Scientology building. I was 16, maybe 17,” he added. “They brought me in there and there was this guy, they said, “Come over here” and they had this E-Meter where you’re holding these two cans. I started [joking around]. I was doing a Peabody and Sherman [impression] and they didn’t like that.”
He added, “I was just f**king around so much, they said, ‘Get out, get going.’ They just kicked me out.”
Elvis Presley
Even though many of the Presley family are practicing Scientologists, Elvis Presley was no fan of the controversial church. According to Janet Reitman’s book Inside Scientology, Elvis was not the biggest fan of Scientology. In fact, the one time he was convinced to go to the Scientology Center, he left the building irate and screaming. Specifically, Reitman claims that Elvis left screaming: “F**k those people! There’s no way I’ll ever get involved with that son-of-a-b**chin’ group. All they want is my money.”
Sofía Vergara
Because Sofia Vergara was linked to Tom Cruise, many believed that Cruise tried to allegedly recruit her into the church as a means of making their relationship more serious. He allegedly tried to “audition” her to be his wife, and as many know, Scientology ended up being a deal breaker for Vergara, and she ended the relationship
David Beckham
While Tom Cruise was allegedly trying to recruit more a-listers for the Church of Scientology, he went to extraordinary means to get David Beckham to join. In Mike Rinder’s book A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology, he wrote, “A professional-grade soccer pitch was constructed on the property at Gold [Base, church headquarters in San Jacinto, Calif.]. The ground was leveled, irrigation installed, perfect turf, goals raised. A full-time caretaker was appointed from the Gold staff … It was built for one purpose only: so Tom Cruise could woo his friend David to come to Gold. It never happened.”
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt’s time with Scientology is a bit more confusing than others. He dabbled in the Church for around three years in the early 1990s after his girlfriend at the time, Juliette Lewis introduced him. Per Page Six, he “twinned” with a 15-year-old girl for up to five hours a day in a hot sauna during “purification” rituals and did “bull baiting” sessions.
Robert Irwin
In a recent report from July 2023, Tom Cruise tried to recruit Robert Irwin after meeting him at the Sydney premiere of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, per Woman’s Day per MSN.
Cher
Another almost-Tom Cruise-recruit was his ex Cher.Cher said in previous interviews how she didn’t understand the religion, despite her ex-lover’s involvement with the church and his alleged want for her to be the female face of Scientology.
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld previously revealed on WTF With Marc Maron podcast, per Complex, that he took a course on Scientology. “I did do a course in Scientology in, like, ’75,” he said. While he “found it very interesting,” he decided against it.
Brandy
Per Express, Brandy allegedly took a few classes, but after her car crash in 2006, she decided to stop entirely.
Seth Rogen
In a 2021 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Seth Rogen revealed that Tom Cruise tried to talk him into joining Scientology back in 2006.
Ricky Martin
In an old article from the Herald Tribune, it was alleged that Ricky Martin dabbled in the Church while on a religious quest.
Patrick Swayze
In Lawrence Wright’s book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, it’s alleged Patrick Swayze was almost recruited by John Travolta.
Leonard Cohen
In Lawrence Wright’s book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Leonard Cohen “passed through” the Church, and later made references about it in his songs.
Steven Spielberg
In a sub-reddit on Scientology, users talked about how Steven Spielberg was nearly recruited, but refused.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith’s relationship with Scientology has been quite hazy, with many saying that she was an active recruiter, and her saying that she was never fully affiliated with the church. Some allege, per Gawker, that at one point she and Will Smith founded a school that taught Scientology teachings. But many claim she and Will left before being fully-fledged members.
Will Smith
Like we said, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s relationship with Scientology has been confusing. Remember everything we said before? Well add to the fact that former church executive Mike Rinder told the Daily Beast that “Will Smith is not a Scientologist,” and was merely someone who tried to be recruited.
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