Bethany Joy Lenz, star of One Tree Hill, has revealed that she spent ten years in a cult.
The 42-year-old actress played Haley James Scott on the drama series from 2003 until 2012, and has since been in Dexter, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Grey’s Anatomy.
She has also co-hosted the Drama Queens podcast with her former One Tree Hill co-stars, Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton Morgan, since 2021.
The actress made the statement in the most recent episode of their programme.
‘I was in a cult for 10 years,’ she said.
While she didn’t go into great depth about her experience, Bethany did say she was thinking about publishing a book about it one day.
‘That would be a really valuable experience to write about, and the recovery — 10 years of recovery after that. So there’s a lot to tell,’ she added.
The actress then said she had been feeling significant ‘pressure’ to tell the story of what happened properly and for it to be ‘right and everything having to be exactly real’.
‘I don’t know how much I can say because there are still people and legal things in place that make it more complicated for the timing of that. But I do write. I write all the time,’ she continued.
Although this is the first time Bethany has mentioned being in a cult, she did call out a Los Angeles-based church on social media in 2021.
At the time she singled out the church and its leader, writing on Instagram that: ‘The level of control displayed was disturbing to me and to many other people who have left for that very reason’
‘So many people are being misled in the name of a God I love and cherish, I feel I have a responsibility to speak up for anyone willing to hear it.
‘The hierarchy in this “church”, the level of abuse that I’ve consistently heard goes on behind the scenes and how everything centres around the leader is textbook 101 of cults. And usually, unless you’re in the inner circle, it’s much harder to spot.’
Allison Mack, a former Smallville actress who was just freed from jail after completing a three-year term for luring women into becoming sex slaves for cult NXIVM’s leader Keith Raniere, appeared to try to get Bethany engaged back in 2016.
‘Bethany Joy Lenz, you would love this woman’s movement I’m a part of. Love to tell you about it, DM me if you want! <3,’ Mack posted on Twitter.
While now deleted, at the time Bethany was said to have responded by saying: ‘Sorry love, was already in a cult once. But LMK when you’re on the other side and we’ll talk.’
One Tree Hill is streaming on Netflix.
