How Bethany Joy Lenz was lured into cult and lost all earnings while starring in long-running show
Bethany Joy Lenz lifted the lid on what it was like to be in a cult for 10 years - without knowing she was in one.
The American actor, 44, best known for her portrayal of Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill, led a double life before and after her time on set.
Over the past few years, Lenz has opened up about her obligations towards an ultra-Christian group in Idaho, who practically took control of every aspect of her life, including her finances.
"I grew up in a Christian home where Wednesday night Bible studies were very common," she told Variety in 2023.
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"I think that there’s a lot of people that can resonate with that. And I just went to another one. I moved to a new state, moved to a new city, and I went to another Wednesday night Bible study and that’s all it was to me."
Because she couldn't see the harm it was doing to her, Lenz was very open about her involvement in the group, and even told her castmates what she was up to.
But ultimately her 'stubbornness' meant that their attempts to 'rescue' her were unsuccessful.
"The nature of a group like that is isolation; they have to make you distrust everyone around you so that the only people you trust are, first and foremost, the leadership and then, people within the group if the leadership approves of them, and isn’t in the middle of pitting you against each other, which happens all the time also," she explained.
"It built a deep wedge of distrust between me and my cast and crew."
Ultimately, Lenz says the group took at least $2 million from her, the entirety of her One Tree Hill earnings.
She said: "Even if you as a person are in an abusive situation and you may not be getting the same size paycheck, the same situation can still be happening to you. I’m hoping that’s what people take away from it."
The actor compared her pastor to 'Hitler', in the sense that he was a 'malignant narcissist who wants to steal all your money and take your soul just for his own kicks'.
"You’re so afraid to leave. If I leave that, what will I have? And then throw God into the mix," she added.
"If I leave that, will God still love me? Will I be eternally disobeying this greater power?"
Lenz noted that the group spoke 'Christianese', which she described as a 'language that people use with each other' in church.
"There were these weird buzzwords that are not a part of normal everyday society that make you feel like you’re elevated, like you’re in a better position than other people, because you know all these cool phrases and super highly spiritual concepts," she explained. "It’s so condescending."
The TV star managed to leave the group 'very shortly after' One Tree Hill ended. She has credited 'a lot of inner work' and 'therapy' for helping her deal with post-cult 'triggers'.
"I mean, it was like a secret life. I’m on this TV show. I’m living this glamorous, celebrity life — as people see it — and I have a total secret life going on. It was so painful," Lenz said.
"I have people in my life who went through all that, saw all that and went through it with me — they saw the abuse and were around for it, and then sometimes even participated in it — and then, to ask for my forgiveness and to maintain friendship and to show up, those relationships really mean a lot to me.
"I’ve had to ask for forgiveness too. That’s part [of] the healing."
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Dating trends, TV
Anish Vij