Another CW Star Says They Were In A Cult
Allison Mack took over news headlines in 2018 when the Smallville actress was arrested for her involvement in a sex trafficking cult. The CW actress was later sentenced to three years in prison, receiving a reduced sentence in exchange for assisting prosecutors against the cult leader, Keith Raniere, and was released early last month. Now, according to Deadline, Bethany Joy Lenz, another CW actress famous for playing Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill, says she was also in a cult and has spent plenty of time in therapy to recover from the traumatizing decade-long experience.
Bethany Joy Lenz was a star on The CW drama One Tree Hill, but behind the scenes, she was part of a cult that had slowly taken over her life.
Bethany Joy Lenz is breaking her silence with an upcoming memoir that, like Mack’s arrest, is expected to send shockwaves through the entertainment world. Lenz has revealed that the memoir, slated for an early release next year, will delve into a tumultuous 10-year period of her life spent within an unnamed cult. This period reportedly overlapped with her time on One Tree Hill, raising questions about the interplay between her on-screen success and the private turmoil she endured.
While Bethany Joy Lenz has chosen to keep certain details under wraps, she has been candid about the cult’s influence on her life. She disclosed that the cult subjected her to what she describes as “spiritual abuse.” These actions left a lasting impact that necessitated extensive therapy to address the resulting psychological and emotional challenges.
In her upcoming memoir, Bethany Joy Lenz goes into the 10-year period she was part of a cult, which overlapped with her time on One Tree Hill.
“Recovery looks different for everyone,” Bethany Joy Lenz stated before describing that recovery, for her, looked like returning to her foundational belief in God. She continued to explain that therapy made her remember the person she was before she joined the mysterious cult, and she had to come to terms with the many things about life that she didn’t know.
The process of penning her memoir has not been without its difficulties. Bethany Joy Lenz acknowledged that confronting her past is sometimes difficult, but her innate talent as a writer has helped her convey the complexities of her journey. “I’m a writer at heart, so turning a phrase is easy for me,” she said, adding that facing her past is the hard part, though she’s embracing the pain and doing it anyway.
Bethany Joy Lenz’s decision to open up about her harrowing experiences comes on the heels of her involvement in the Drama Queens podcast. Alongside former One Tree Hill co-stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton, Lenz has been revisiting the behind-the-scenes moments of their time on set. The podcast has not shied away from addressing serious issues, including allegations of bullying and sexual harassment that the trio reportedly endured during production.
One Tree Hill stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton talked with Bethany Joy Lenz about the cult, and behind the scenes issues filming The CW drama, on the Drama Queens podcast.
Reflecting on her podcast experience, Bethany Joy Lenz shared that she’s learning “that the hard things are meant to be shared, not hidden,” describing how it’s in sharing these moments that can help with healing wounds from the past.
Bethany Joy Lenz’s willingness to shed light on her journey from the depths of a secretive cult to the path of healing and recovery is a testament to her resilience and strength. Her memoir promises to provide readers with a candid and unvarnished glimpse into her world, offering insights that have the potential to resonate with those who have faced similar struggles.
