Ex Scientology Boss Says Tom Cruise Is Church's 'Number One Victim'

Tom Cruise has been branded the "number one victim" of the Church of Scientology by a former senior member of the church.

Cruise is arguably Scientology's most famous member, having joined the church back in the 1980s. Over the years, he has made headlines for being an outspoken advocate for the church, whose members have also included John Travolta and Elisabeth Moss. Deceased celebrities like Kirstie Alley and Isaac Hayes were also avowed Scientologists, and Alley sometimes spoke publicly about her beliefs.

Other celebrities have walked away from the church, including Laura Prepon, Leah Remini and Paul Haggis. Remini and Haggis have been publicly critical of the church since their departures. Actor Danny Masterson, who was last month sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after he was convicted on two of three rape counts, was recently expelled from the church.

The church has previously said that critics such as Remini, who left Scientology in 2013, have a "documented record of malicious lies."

Former Scientologist Mitch Brisker, who previously served as senior director and creative executive of Scientology's Golden Era Studios, has spoken about his time in the church's ranks in a recently published interview with the Daily Mail.

Brisker, who left Scientology last year, alleged in the interview that David Miscavige, the church's leader, was an "absolute control freak."

"There is not a greater control freak ever born in the existence of the human race," Brisker went on. "Everything that happens in Scientology, right down to the soap they're going to use on their luxury cruise liner is submitted to him for approval.

"I mean, he spends hundreds and hundreds of hours, so much of his week, I've been there, I've seen it, getting these CSW (Completed Staff Work) forms that's basically a proposal for approval."

Turning his attention to Miscavige's friendship with Hollywood actor Cruise, Brisker said: "They really are like separated at birth. It was almost cute to see them together. I think for Tom that's a genuine friendship and almost worship."

However, Brisker said that Cruise stood apart for having "a real streak of goodness" about him, while he was less flattering when it came to Miscavige.

"Tom Cruise is Scientology's number one victim," Brisker said. "I know people will disagree with me about this but it's like he's living in a distorted reality. He's fully in the matrix."

According to the article, Brisker is planning to release his book, The Big Lie: How I Made an Evil Cult Look Good, in November 2024.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of the Church of Scientology and Cruise via email for comment.

Back in September, former Scientologist Remini posted a six-year-old clip in which she discussed why she believes that Cruise remains committed to the church.

In the snippet of her 2017 interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, which was shared on TikTok, Remini dismissed rumors that Cruise hasn't left Scientology because "the church has information on him." Instead, she cited the influence the religion allegedly holds in the entertainment industry and the benefits of being a member.

"It's like nothing you can imagine," she told Rogan at the time. "The amount of power they receive from this church is like nothing in Hollywood. There is no reason for them to leave this environment."

"He has all of these people to take care of his every need?" Rogan asked, which Remini claimed at the time was the case.

"Yes and there's policy on how to talk somebody," she explained. "Like, if you said, 'Go get me a coffee and I want it this temperature,' there's no 'I can't get it.' There'd be none of that kind of talk. You don't talk back, ever."

Remini went on to allege that the people who serve celebrities like Cruise must never share opinions, "make faces or gestures," or "sigh."

"If you step out of line, in any way, you are dealt with by the church," she said.

Remini then stated that while she doesn't begrudge people for having a large staff of employees, in Scientology, these workers allegedly believe they are serving someone "who is singlehandedly saving the planet" and "you deserve that kind of punishment."

"That's something different," she told Rogan. "It's an abuse that is not justified."

Former The Talk co-host Remini previously called the Mission Impossible star "evil" and said criticizing Cruise was akin to attacking the church itself. She spoke out against the Golden Globe winner again in 2022, amidst the success of Top Gun: Maverick.

"Don't let the movie star charm fool you," she posted to Twitter, now X. "Tom Cruise knows exactly what goes on in Scientology."

Remini was a Scientologist for more than 30 years after her mother joined the religion when the Emmy winner was a child. Speaking of her exit from Scientology, Remini said she had been questioning the belief system for a number of years—particularly the church's purported treatment of ex-members and leadership of Miscavige.

In August, Remini filed a lawsuit against the organization, citing "psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation" in the civil suit. In a statement, the Church of Scientology said that Remini was "spreading falsehoods and hate speech" while having "profited handsomely from her fabrications, through the sale of hate books, hate podcasts and paid-for tabloid hate television."