Bethany Joy Lenz is best known for her roles on iconic shows such as Guiding Light and One Tree Hill. Now, the actress is sharing another side of herself. She’s opening up about the time she got sucked into a cult.
Living a Lie
Lenz spoke candidly to People Magazine about her past. She fell into the cult when she filmed One Tree Hill, a hit teen drama on The WB (then the CW) starring Chad Michael Murray, Hilarie Burton, and Sophia Bush. Lenz kept this big secret from her co-stars at the time.
She joined a Christian cult led by an Idaho pastor. The negative outcomes affected her personal life, career, and income. Her pastor had the final say on her choices. It took Lenz about ten years to escape that cult. Now, she’s reliving those dark times in her new book, Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!).
The former soap star told People that she doesn’t see herself as “brave” for sharing her story. She feels that it could bring hope and healing to others who are going through the same experience. Lenz doesn’t want anyone else to silently suffer as she once did.
Looking for Belonging
Lenz first met her pastor at a Bible study in Los Angeles. She looked for a sense of belonging at the time. One reason why she fell into this cult is because she grew up in an evangelical upbringing. She wanted to bring that sense of community with her to L.A.
The Bible study seemed innocent at first. It didn’t look like a cult from the outside. It took some convincing from her co-star, Craig Sheffer. “But I’d justify it, like, ‘I couldn’t possibly be in a cult. It’s just that I’ve got access to a relationship with God and people in a way that everybody else wants, but they don’t know how to get,” Lenz explained.
Over the years, she didn’t know how to get out. Lenz ended up marrying a “family” member. After her daughter, Rosie, was born, she took the steps to leave her marriage and family. Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy. Lenz was scared to lose the only thing she knew.
Find out how Lenz left the cult in her new book. Dinner for Vampire: Life on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!) arrives in bookstores and online on Tuesday, October 22. It’s also available for preorder wherever books are sold.
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