Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash) became one of Scientology’s most prominent defectors when he left the Church in 2009. A 35-year member, Haggis was first driven to question the Church when its San Diego chapter endorsed Proposition 8, the ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in California. Haggis was a strong supporter of gay rights, and the Church’s homophobic attitudes led him to investigate outside perspectives on Scientology. What he found, a series of exposes and interviews that portrayed the organization’s leadership as both liars and abusers, prompted Haggis to leave the Church. “I was in a cult for thirty-four years,” Haggis told The New Yorker in 2011. “Everyone else could see it. I don’t know why I couldn’t.”
Stars Who Quit Scientology
King of Queens star Leah Remini is leaving the Church of Scientology after decades as a member. From Lisa Marie Presley to Jerry Seinfeld, celebrities who walked away from its teachings.