Beloved One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz just dropped some jaw-dropping tea: while she was out there giving us all the early 2000s drama on-screen, behind the scenes, she was literally in a real-life cult. Yeah, not just binging Bible verses—actual cult vibes.
Lenz spilled the deets, explaining how she fell into a Christian group that slowly took control of her life and finances. The whole thing started innocently enough when she rolled up to Los Angeles at 20 years old and met a pastor at Bible study named “Les.” Now, we know what you’re thinking: Les? With a name like that, how dangerous could it get? Well, apparently, very.
Leaving the Cult: One Star, Ten Years, Zero Kool-Aid
Bethany stuck around in the group for a decade before escaping and rebuilding her life like a DIY project from hell. People magazine reported that, while most of us were rewatching One Tree Hill with snacks, she was quietly putting her life back together post-cult.
When asked why she’s sharing her story now, Lenz said, “I don’t think of it as brave. I think of it as important.” She explained that silently suffering didn’t seem to help anyone and hopes her new book will inspire others. “This isn’t a ‘look at me being brave’ thing. It’s more like, ‘Let’s skip the weird years and just help people.’”
From Bible Study to Idaho—Wait, What?
Talking about how she got sucked in, Bethany admitted, “I was always looking for a place to belong,” and, apparently, that Bible study group felt like “water in a desert.” (Which, fair. Except the water turned out to have Les-flavored undertones.) Before she knew it, she was packing her bags and moving to Idaho with Les and the rest of the group.
Now, here’s where things get tricky. At first, it all seemed pretty normal. No chanting, no robes, no matching tracksuits. “It just morphed over time,” Bethany recalled. “But by the time I realized it, I was too far in—and also, I was, like, 20. Not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed back then.”
“This Isn’t a Cult—Cults Are for Weirdos!”
One of the most hilarious moments (in retrospect, of course) came when OTH co-star Craig Sheffer straight-up told her, “You’re in a cult.” Bethany’s response? “Nah, cults are weird. They chant and drink Kool-Aid. That’s not us!” We feel you, Bethany—if there’s no weird chanting and nobody’s handing out matching robes, it’s easy to think you’ve just joined an enthusiastic community.
But her co-stars weren’t buying it. “I could see it on their faces,” Bethany said. “But I kept justifying it to myself, like, ‘This isn’t a cult! I just have a super exclusive VIP connection to God that no one else gets.’” Girl, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Motherhood as the Great Awakening
Bethany’s big wake-up call came in 2012, right after she had her daughter Rosie. “The stakes were crazy high,” she said. “These people were my only friends. I was even married into the group.” (Yep, she married Michael Galeotti, who was also part of the cult. Talk about relationship baggage.) “If I admitted I was wrong, my whole life would collapse like a bad Jenga tower.”
And collapse it did—but Bethany walked away stronger, determined to reclaim her life.
Get Ready for the Book Bombshell
For all the juicy details, Bethany’s memoir Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!) drops on October 22. We’re expecting wild revelations, deep reflections, and maybe even a “How to Spot a Cult” checklist. (Step one: If a guy named Les invites you to Idaho, just say no.)
Bethany’s story is a testament to strength, resilience, and realizing that even if the robes are optional, a cult is still a cult. And we cannot wait to dive into her memoir, popcorn in hand.
