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Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals Name of Alleged "Cult" She Says She Belonged To
View Date:2024-12-23 15:12:37
Bethany Joy Lenz is revealing more details of her inspiring journey.
After previously sharing on her podcast she was "in a cult for 10 years," the One Tree Hill alum will detail her recovery from the harrowing experience in her debut memoir, Dinner for Vampires.
"An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she'd been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives," a description for the book, from Simon & Schuster reads. "However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister—a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family."
The Big House Family, as Bethany alleges in the synopsis, coerced her to "give away her autonomy," relocate to the organization's Pacific Northwest compound, and had her have "Family ‘minders'" on set with her.
In addition, Bethany is set to describe the group's alleged practices to keep her a loyal member, including "‘Maoist struggle session'–inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with ‘Leadership.'"
Bethany's new memoir comes after she previously described the obstacles that kept her from fully sharing her story when she first opened up about it last July.
"The pressure of getting it right, and everything having to be exactly real, and all the people that are involved," she said on the Drama Queens podcast at the time. "Also, I don't know how much I can say because there are still people and legal things in place that make it more complicated for the timing of that."
Dinner for Vampires, set to release in October, will also reveal a One Tree Hill "superfan" who allegedly helped Bethany regain her own sovereignty. And the Dexter actress has also previously credited her fellow castmates from the drama series—which included Sophia Bush and Chad Michael Murray—for support through the difficult life chapter.
"I feel like a lot of the people there, whether conscious or subconsciously," the 42-year-old told Southern Living last November. "knew that just their presence and being an encouragement and letting me know that they still love and cared about me in spite of the fact that I was a little weird. That made a big difference."
It's evident the One Tree Hill cast was a supportive, tight-knit crew. Read on for all the sweet moments from the show's 20th anniversary reunion.
E! News has reached out to The Big Family organization for comment but has not yet heard back.
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