1 week ago
2
Laura Prepon spent more than a decade as a member of the Church of Scientology. However, in 2021, the That ‘70s Show actress revealed that she had left the controversial organization and explained that her decision had to do with becoming a mother. Laura has spoken about her time as a Scientologist on more than one occasion, sharing what it taught her and more.
Is Laura Prepon a Scientologist?
Laura joined the Church of Scientology in the late ‘90s, according to multiple reports. However, she revealed in an August 2021 interview with People that she “hadn’t practiced Scientology in close to five years,” meaning she left around 2016.
“I’m no longer practicing Scientology,” she told the outlet. “I’ve always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I’ve prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I’ve studied Chinese meridian theory. … [Scientology is] no longer part of my life.”
Laura hinted that her decision to leave the organization was closely linked to becoming a mother. She and then-fiancé Ben Foster, who has never practiced Scientology, welcomed daughter Ella in August 2017. The couple then tied the knot in June 2018, and their second child, a son, was born in February 2020.
“As a brand new mother, I was reflecting so much on my own upbringing and the way I was mothered,” she explained to People. “I was forced to look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn’t looking at before.”
Laura later added, “If motherhood has taught me anything so far, it’s that something can work out for a period of time and then you move on and evolve from that. As a new mom, I was riddled with anxiety that I had never experienced before. My friends who were mothers with older kids said, ‘Laura, this is a phase, you’ll move on and then it will be something different.’ And that has transcended into other parts of my life.”
One year before her exit from Scientology, Laura spoke candidly to Celebrity Magazine about being a member of the group. She admitted that she felt “totally connected” to its teachings.
“It was amazing, and I felt that finally something was speaking my language,” the mom of two said.
Specifically, Laura opened up about Scientology’s concept of “auditing,” which the organization defines as “a precise route by which individuals may travel to higher states of spiritual awareness.” During this process, members “rid themselves of any spiritual disabilities” and “increase spiritual abilities.” However, hypnosis, trance techniques and drugs are not used to achieve auditing, the Scientology website states.
“Honestly, I’ve become more me. The auditing has stripped away all of this charge, false ideas, decisions and misemotions that were affecting me,” Laura said.
Laura Prepon Dated Former Scientologist Christopher Masterson
Years before she married Ben — and around the time she joined the Church of Scientology — Laura dated Christopher Masterson, a fellow member of the organization and the brother of her disgraced That ‘70s Show costar Danny Masterson, from 1999 to 2007.
Danny, who is also a Scientologist, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in September 2023 for the alleged sexual assaults of two women.
Though Laura and Danny remained friends for years after That ‘70s Show, she has not spoken out about his legal issues. However, the actress and her husband made headlines in November 2024 when Ben filed for divorce, according to court documents obtained by In Touch. In his filing, he listed their date of separation as September 9, 2023, which was two days after Danny’s sentencing.
English (US) ·