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Tom Cruise and Shelly Miscavige Both Missed the Golden Globes

Jerrod Carmichael has an idea. “Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe Awards that Tom Cruise returned,” the comedian began at this year’s Golden Globes ceremony , awkwardly cradling the honors in his arms. “Look, I’m just the host briefly, whatever, but I have a pitch: I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige ?” Top Gun: Maverick star (and Scientologist) Tom Cruise publicly disavowed the ceremony last year in an L.A. Times article after the show’s ethics and diversity failings came to light, returning the three statues he won in years past. Cruise was a no-show tonight despite his film’s nominations.

Miscavige, a member of the Church of Scientology and wife of leader David Miscavige, was also a no-show. She was last seen in public in August 2007, and her disappearance has been a source of major criticism of the organization. Lawyers for Miscavige and Scientology have claimed multiple times that she chose to live a private life, and police closed a missing-persons report on her made by Leah Remini shortly after it was opened, claiming she was safe. Last November, Remini, a former Scientology member, claimed a Los Angeles police captain received generous donations from the organization, insinuating he was helping in a cover-up. Remini said that her “first goal was to try and find Shelly” when she left Scientology and that she had been nervous after Miscavige did not attend Cruise’s wedding in 2006.

Remini seemed to appreciate Carmichael’s idea, tweeting a thank you to him after the moment. Meanwhile, Carmichael punctuated his introduction with a shrug. It’s just an idea , his face said. “From Top Gun: Maverick , please welcome Glen Powell and Jay Ellis.” Cue the gasps.

This post has been updated.

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Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael shocks with Scientology joke about Tom Cruise and David Miscavige’s wife

Comedian’s shelly miscavige comment drew gasps from the crowd, article bookmarked.

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Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael shocked the crowd with a Scientology comment about Tom Cruise .

The comedian addressed the fact that, in 2022, Cruise returned the Golden Globe trophies he won in the past amid a boycott of the awards’ organisers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

The controversy followed an exposé into the lack of diversity within the HFPA, and a separate ethics scandal.

Carmichael returned to the stage midway through the ceremony, and said: “Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.”

Miscavige is a member of the Church of Scientology, and is married to its leader David Miscavige . She has not been seen in public since 2007. Cruise is a known Scientologist, and has been a member for 30 years.

Carmichael made the comment just before introducing Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars Glen Powell and Jay Ellis to the stage, a detail that didn’t go unnoticed by viewers.

Zach Heltzel wrote on Twitter: “Jerrod making a Shelly Miscavige joke before introducing cast members from Top Gun…we love to see it,” while SlateCulture ’s Sam Aadams added: “Lol Jerrod making a Shelly Miscavige joke to utter silence before introducing two actors from TOP GUN MAVERICK.”

Meanwhile, @catherinebouris added: “OK Jerrod Carmichael gets kudos from me for mentioning Shelly Miscavige right before introducing two of the Top Gun guys.”

Also during the ceremony, Carmichael made a shocking joke about Whitney Houston’s death, which the singer’s estate has since condemned as “poor taste” .

Elsewhere, Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh both refused to be played off stage by the ceremony’s producers while delivering their respective acceptance speeches.

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Viewers were also left wondering whether Elvis star Austin Butler’s voice was his own, or whether he was performing his acceptance speech in character as Elvis Presley .

Find the full list of winners at the Golden Globes here , and all the updates from the event, as they happened, here .

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Jerrod Carmichael jokes Tom Cruise's returned Golden Globes should be exchanged for Scientology's Shelly Miscavige

The awards show host referenced the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige in a joke that elicited an audible gasp in the room.

Jerrod Carmichael took shots at Scientology during his Golden Globes hosting gig on Tuesday.

During the awards show, the comedian came out on stage to introduce presenters Glen Powell and Jay Ellis, who starred alongside notable Scientologist Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick , holding three Globes in his hands.

"Backstage I found these three Golden Globes Awards that Tom Cruise returned. I'm just a host briefly or whatever, but I have a pitch," he said, referring to the star giving back his statuettes in 2021 in protest of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's racial exclusion scandal . "Maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige."

Carmichael is referring to the the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, who has allegedly not been seen publicly in many years. Former Scientologist Leah Remini has been public about her thoughts on it all, saying in a 2015 20/20 interview that she first questioned Shelly's alleged disappearance at Cruise and Katie Holmes' 2006 wedding. Remini claimed that when she asked officials at the event where Shelly was, they repeatedly brushed her off, making the actress more concerned. Remini would go on to file a missing-persons report for Shelly Miscavige after the actress left the church — a move that Scientology reps called a "publicity stunt." Police told ABC at the time the case had been investigated and was closed.

The joke during Tuesday's awards show caused an audible gasp and some hoots and hollers from the audience gathered at the Beverly Hilton, according to EW staff in attendance. And gratitude from Remini, who tweeted about it shortly after. "Thank you Jerrod Carmichael," she wrote. "Where is Shelly??"

As for Cruise's Golden Globes — which he won in 1990 for Born on the Fourth of July (Best Actor in a Drama), 1997 for Jerry Maguire (Best Actor in a Drama), and 2000 for Magnolia (Best Supporting Actor) — the actor famously returned them in a show of protest against the HFPA, the group that puts on the Globes, after it came under fire for its utter lack of diversity in 2021, following the bombshell publication of a Los Angeles Times exposé citing unethical practices.

Cruise was not in attendance for this year's Golden Globes, but he was a nominee as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick .

Check EW's The Awardist , featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in movies.

Related content:

• Golden Globes 2023: See the complete list of winners
• The best and worst moments from the 2023 Golden Globes
• Leah Remini Scientology interview on 20/20: 'I don't regret spending my life' in the church

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Jerrod Carmichael Shocks With Joke About Tom Cruise and Scientologist Shelly Miscavige

“I say we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.” Here’s what the Golden Globes host was talking about.

Kevin Fallon

Senior Editor, Obsessed

Rich Polk/NBC via Getty Images

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael incited a ballroom’s worth of gasps from the celebrities at Tuesday night’s ceremony, with his shocking joke about Tom Cruise and Scientology.

“Backstage I found the awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said, clutching three trophies. He was presumably referencing Cruise’s public statement that he was returning his awards to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association following its scandals last year. Then the kicker: “I say we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.”

After what seemed like a beat to process the joke, there were audible gasps throughout the audience.

Shelly Miscavige is a high-profile member of Scientology, who is married to the organization’s leader, David Miscavige , and has not been seen in public since August 2007. Her “disappearance” from the public eye has been the subject of concern for many of Scientology’s detractors. In November, Leah Remini, an actress and outspoken former Scientologist, published a Twitter thread with her own suspicions about there being cover-ups and malfeasance involved in Miscavige’s 15-year absence.

The LAPD responded to Remini's comments with a statement on Twitter about its investigation.

After Carmichael's bit went viral online, Remini tweeted out a clip with the caption, “Where is Shelly??”

The question of “Where is Shelly?” is often considered one of the biggest controversies involving the organization. And, of course, Cruise is the most high-profile celebrity Scientologist .

Carmichael referencing Scientology at all during a Hollywood industry ceremony is crossing a previous taboo; invoking Miscavige and suggesting that Cruise might have knowledge of what’s going on is another level of shock.

Making things even more awkward: Carmichael’s remarks came as he was introducing two presenters from Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick , Glen Powell and Jay Ellis. In the midst of a speech about how impactful Top Gun has been this year, Powell delivered the understatement of the night: “It’s a good thing Tom’s not here.”

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast  here .

READ THIS LIST

Jerrod Carmichael shocked the Golden Globes audience by mocking Tom Cruise and Scientology with a joke about Shelly Miscavige

• Golden Globes host Jarrod Carmichael took aim at Scientology on Tuesday night.
• Carmichael suggested that Tom Cruise's returned Golden Globes could be traded for Shelly Miscavige.
• Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavage, has rarely been seen in public since 2007.

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael pulled no punches on Tuesday night. 

While his opening monologue took aim squarely at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the voting body behind the awards show, it was a joke he lobbed midway through the ceremony that elicited gasps and moans from the audience. 

"Backstage, I found the awards that Tom Cruise returned," said Carmichael, who emerged onstage with three Golden Globes statues. "I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige."

Cruise returned the Golden Globes in 2021 to protest the HFPA's lack of diversity . 

Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, has rarely been seen in public since August 2007 and has been the subject of much speculation, with former Scientologist Leah Remini tweeting her own theories in November 2022 about the "first lady of Scientology's" whereabouts. Remini also claimed in her string of tweets to have asked Cruise, a longtime Scientologist, about Miscavige but was rebuffed. 

Remini tweeted shortly after Carmichael's joke: 

—Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) January 11, 2023

Carmichael made the Scientology remarks while introducing Glen Powell and Jay Ellis, who appear in Cruise's latest film, "Top Gun: Maverick."  

While discussing onstage how impactful "Top Gun" was this year, Powell delivered a joke of his own: "It's a good thing Tom's not here."

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Jerrod Carmichael takes aim at Tom Cruise, Scientology with Golden Globes joke

Tom Cruise won't be making up with the Golden Globes any time soon.

Host Jerrod Carmichael took sharp aim at the superstar actor and the Church of Scientology of which Cruise has been a prominent member — just seconds before introducing the actor’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars Glenn Powell and Jay Ellis — during the awards telecast airing Tuesday on NBC.

As the show returned from a commercial break, Carmichael came on stage holding three Golden Globe statues.

“Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said to laughter in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, alluding to Cruise famously sending back his Globes in protest of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of Black voters in 2021.

“I’m just the host… but I have a pitch,” said Carmichael. “I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.”

That, right there, is more brutal than anything famed Globes Ricky Gervais provocateur ever said during his notoriously edgy hosting duties in roasting Hollywood and the HFPA.

So who is Shelly Miscavige?

The wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige has been not been seen publicly since 2007 . Ex-Scientologist-turned-whistleblower Leah Remini has claimed that Shelly, who reportedly served as Cruise’s celebrity “handler,” is missing. Remini even filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department in 2013.

Amid all the speculation about Shelly’s whereabouts, the Church of Scientology has maintained that she is simply living a private life. The LAPD closed the case “within hours” of receiving her complaint, according to Remini, but in November she published a lengthy Twitter thread alleging the police was in cahoots with the religious group.

On Tuesday, Remini was quick to share a video of Carmichael’s bit on Twitter, thanking the host and again asking, “Where is Shelly????”

WHERE IS SHELLY???? #GoldenGlobes #GoldenGlobes2023 https://t.co/pQE59UDUzk — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) January 11, 2023

Powell and Ellis, meanwhile, remained pros. They proceeded with their pre-written banter about performing with Cruise before presenting Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series as if Carmichael hadn’t just savaged their famed co-star on live television.

Edgy Shelly Miscavige/Scientology joke into charming Top Gun: Maverick banter about Tom Cruise. You love to see it. #GoldenGlobes — Caroline Siede (@CarolineSiede) January 11, 2023

OH SHIT!!!! is what I said about Jerrod Carmichael's Shelly Miscavige joke (to set up two Top Gun: Maverick, actors, no less!!!). Ok, THIS is the bravest thing that will be said all night on the #GoldenGlobes — Rebecca Sun 孫洪美 (@therebeccasun) January 11, 2023

Jerrod Carmichael asking for the return of Shelly Miscavige is AMAZING #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/LJ5ApG3UtO — Priyant 👨🏾‍🚀 (@Priyant1987) January 11, 2023

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Jerrod Carmichael Mocks Tom Cruise for Returning Golden Globe Trophies: ‘Let’s Exchange Them’ for Shelly Miscavige’s Return

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Jerrod Carmichael roasted Tom Cruise during the Golden Globes , tackling the actor’s decision in 2021 to return his three Golden Globe awards in protest of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Carmichael was introducing presenters Glen Powell and Jay Ellis, Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” co-stars, when he appeared on stage with three trophies in his hands.

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Cruise’s three Golden Globe wins came for “Jerry Maguire” (actor in a comedy or musical), “Magnolia” (supporting actor), and “Born on the Fourth of July” (actor in a drama). The actor boasts four additional Golden Globe nominations for “The Last Samurai” (actor in a drama), “Tropic Thunder” (supporting actor), “A Few Good Men” (actor in a drama), and “Risky Business” (actor in a comedy or musical).

Watch Carmichael’s takedown in the video below.

#GoldenGlobes host Jerrod Carmichael makes a dig at Scientology: "Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned…I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige." https://t.co/m069JEKekW pic.twitter.com/fw25ng5nU2 — Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2023

Thank you Jerrod Carmichael! Where is Shelly?? #GoldenGlobes2023 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/Ns81BG7iq0 — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) January 11, 2023

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Jerrod Carmichael Stuns Golden Globes With Shelly Miscavige Joke (Video)

The Globes host threw in a shot at Tom Cruise and Scientology

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael stayed true to his biting comedy as he stunned the audience at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with a Shelly Miscavige joke during Tuesday’s ceremony, poking fun at “Top Gun” star and Scientologist Tom Cruise who returned his three Golden Globe awards in protest in 2021.

“Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said while struggling to hold the three awards in his arms. “I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” he said to audible gasps, referencing the wife of notable Scientology leader David Miscavige.

On top of that, Carmichael made his remarks ahead of announcing “Top Gun: Maverick” actors as presenters — yikes.

In May 2021, Cruise announced that he would return the three awards he had previously won as a result of the backlash against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globes, following a Los Angeles Times exposé that reported there were zero Black members in the HFPA.

Leah Remini, a vocal critic of the Church of Scientology who raised questions about Miscavige’s whereabouts in her A&E docuseries “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” took to Twitter moments after Carmichael’s joke to say, “Where’s Shelly?”

WHERE IS SHELLY???? #GoldenGlobes #GoldenGlobes2023 https://t.co/pQE59UDUzk — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) January 11, 2023

The striking joke followed Carmichael’s shockingly blunt monologue, in which he brought up the HFPA’s tarnished reputation and controversy, saying “I’m here ’cause I’m Black.”

“This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year,” Carmichael reminded the audience. “I won’t say they were racist, but they didn’t have a single black member since George Floyd died.” 

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Golden globes host takes shot at tom cruise for scientology.

Jerrod Carmichael mocked the 'Top Gun: Maverick' star.

By James Hibberd

James Hibberd

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Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael did a bombing run at Top Gun: Maverick star Tom Cruise during the 80th annual awards presentation Tuesday night.

Midway through the NBC event, Carmichael took to the stage holding three Golden Globes trophies.

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“Anyway, from Top Gun: Maverick , please welcome Glen Powell and Jay Ellis!” Carmichael then said.

Some background: Cruise returned his previously won Globes after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association became embroiled in scandal in 2021 for, among other things, a severe lack of diversity in its member ranks. Then Cruise was snubbed for a nomination this year in the best actor category for Top Gun: Maverick (though the blockbuster film itself is up for best drama). He is not in attendance at the awards.

Shelly Miscavige is the wife of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige and has not been seen publicly for 15 years.

This led Leah Remini, a former Scientology member who has become one of its most outspoken critics, to tweet a video of the joke, along with the message, “Thank you Jerrod Carmichael! Where is Shelly??”

The joke follows Carmichael’s unusual opening monologue where he tackled the HFPA’s diversity scandal head on .

After presenting an award to Zendaya for best actress in a drama for Euphoria , who was not in attendance, the Maverick pair launched into a bit about the importance of their roles as supporting actors for star Tom Cruise. “All you number ones would be nothing without us number twos. Without Hangman, Maverick would be dead,” said Powell, ending the bit. “Think about that. It’s a good thing Tom’s not here,” said Ellis.

Jackie Strause contributed to this report .

Jan. 10, 11:30 p.m. Updated with Remini’s tweet.

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Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael dropped what may turn out to be his most biting joke in a brief bit he did coming back from commercial midway through Tuesday’s show.

RELATED: Golden Globes 2023: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

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Carmichael walked onstage with three statuettes in his arms and told the audience they were the hardware that Tom Cruise returned to the HFPA in protest in May 2021, following revelations about a lack of diversity and allegations of impropriety within the organization awarding the Globes.

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“I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige,” he suggested, mentioning (and mispronouncing the name of) the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Sounds of surprise and a few whoops that went up from the audience.

Former Scientologists, Leah Remini among them, have expressed concern for the wellbeing of Miscavige, with Remini saying she filed a missing persons report with the LAPD. The LAPD said it investigated and closed the case. Scientology, for its part, denied in 2018 that Shelly Miscavige was missing.

RELATED:  Golden Globes Photos: The Best Looks From The Red Carpet

The trophies Cruise sent back are the Best Actor prize he won for  Jerry Maguire , the Best Actor prize he won for  Born on the Fourth of July  and the Best Supporting Actor prize he won for  Magnolia . 

Even more awkward than Carmichael’s joke itself was the fact that he made it directly before introducing Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick co-stars Glen Powell and Jay Ellis as presenters. The duo was left to walk out onstage with the quip still hanging in the air.

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Tom Cruise Explains How He Pulled Off Stunt Of Shelly Miscavige’s Disappearance

HOLLYWOOD—Addressing his commitment to performing all his own work in a recent interview, actor and noted Scientologist Tom Cruise explained Thursday how he pulled off the stunt of helping cover up Shelly Miscavige’s disappearance. “The higher-ups always want someone to step in to do this kind of dirty work for me, but I knew I had to get in there and kidnap Shelly myself,” said Cruise, who described the grueling training regimen and planning he endured to prepare for the abduction he performed as a favor to close friend and current Scientology leader David Miscavige. “It was definitely really tricky, especially considering we knew we only had one shot at it. I personally had to drive the van, use the chloroform, and climb up the side of Shelly’s house to break in, so that took a lot of upper-arm strength. It was exhausting, obviously. But in the end, that’s why people love me, so it was all worth it.” Cruise went on to detail the difficulty of dropping Shelly off a plane in Dubai.

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By Tony Ortega

Tony Ortega

“I’m literally shaking right now as I’m talking to you,” Valerie Haney says, speaking by phone from Florida.

Her 22 years in Scientology ’s hardcore elite unit, the Sea Organization, has left her with what her therapist has diagnosed as PTSD, she explains. And a court ruling on March 15 had left her trembling as those years of trauma were stirred up again.

“I was like, am I on another planet? Is this really correct? The court is OK with me having to go back to the place where I literally had to escape in the trunk of a car to get out?”

The episode explained that after Haney made it to Los Angeles, Remini hired her as an assistant, and once Scientology found out about it Haney was allegedly subjected to a frightening campaign of surveillance and stalking.

She also began talking to law enforcement.

“I went to the authorities three months after I got out. I went to the FBI. I was thinking, of course we’re going to court, because this is all illegal!”

No charges were filed, but Haney herself filed a lawsuit against Scientology in June 2019 alleging kidnapping, stalking, and libel, which turned into a legal nightmare that now has her facing the prospect of going to the church to submit herself to an internal “religious arbitration” proceeding.

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In her first interview since filing her lawsuit four years ago, Haney says she still can’t believe that a Los Angeles court granted Scientology’s arbitration motion, forcing her to take her case to Scientology itself, and without an attorney, or a court reporter, or even a friend by her side.

“Scientology literally abused me my entire life, I finally escaped, and I’m trying to use the U.S.  judicial system, and now they’re going, oh no, you need to go back and do everything that your abuser says.”

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Valerie Haney was born to Scientologist parents in 1979, and from ages six to 12 was raised in Scientology’s Cadet Org, a version of the Sea Org for children, at its “spiritual mecca,” the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida.

At 10, she alleges in her lawsuit, she was subjected to “bullbaiting,” a common Scientology procedure that requires a subject to sit without flinching while insults are being hurled at them by a “coach.” Some of the things shouted at her were, “I am going to fuck you and your mother,” and “You are going to suck my dick,” she alleges in the suit.

Haney graduated from the Cadet Org to the Sea Org and signed its billion-year contract, promising to serve Scientology lifetime after lifetime, at the age of 15. She caught the eye of Shelly Miscavige, wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige , who then had Haney moved to Gold Base in California in order to serve the couple directly. Before she could qualify for such sensitive work, she was interrogated about her sexual history.

After passing that ordeal, Haney became “steward” to the Miscaviges, working in their quarters and serving their meals. She was with them nearly 24 hours a day for three years.

“I gave [David] his meals. I made his bed. I woke him up in the morning. I knew everything about their private lives,” she explains. She claims their relationship deteriorated in 2004 as David Miscavige and actor Tom Cruise , a prominent Scientologist, grew closer.

In the summer of 2005, Haney and others working with Shelly Miscavige were “busted,” Scientology’s word for demoted, to lower positions as Shelly vanished from the base. (Shelly was seen at the funeral of her father in Los Angeles two years later in the presence of a Scientology handler, and has not been spotted in public since. Scientology claims that Shelly is simply working on a special project and is not “missing.”)

In the Aftermath episode, she describes how she had learned that filming was going to be moved from Gold Base to another location, in Hollywood, and this would be her last chance to be around non-Scientologist actors who were not employees at the secretive base. So she crawled into the trunk of a car belonging to one of the actors, who then drove to L.A. not realizing that they had a passenger.

After emerging from the trunk, Haney immediately went to Burbank Airport and flew to Portland, Oregon, to be reunited with her father. But as a Scientologist, he was unhappy that his daughter had escaped the way she did (called a “blow” in Scientology parlance), and he encouraged her to return to “route out” properly, or following a prescribed set of steps before being allowed to leave.

She refused to go back to Gold Base, where she had escaped, but agreed to go through the routing-out process at Scientology’s headquarters in Los Angeles, which she was told would last three weeks.

Instead, it lasted three months, and she says that she was treated like a prisoner, with a 24-hour guard. She says she was not allowed to go to her grandmother’s funeral during this time.

Finally, she was asked to be videotaped signing an agreement in order to leave. In the video, she denied that she had been treated poorly as a Sea Org worker, and she said that David Miscavige had been an “amazing” boss.

In the Aftermath episode, she explained that she was nearly suicidal at that point, would have said or signed anything in order to be allowed to leave, and that an armed guard was present to make sure she followed directions.

After she took the job with Remini, she underwent what she characterized as a scary campaign of harassment by Scientology. It included statements made about Haney that are still on Scientology-owned websites today, accusing her of “rampant sexual promiscuity” and that she was a “paid liar.”

But there was a problem: Lawsuits by former Scientologists were running into an issue because church members are repeatedly asked to sign contracts for work or for services, and those contracts contain arbitration clauses.

In 2013, a California couple, Luis and Rocio Garcia, filed a federal fraud lawsuit against Scientology that was forced into religious arbitration, the first the church had ever held in its 60-year history. The Garcias described the proceeding as a farce, saying they were prevented from bringing an attorney or smartphones, that no transcript was created, and 90 percent of their evidence was disallowed. Despite their objections, their judge accepted the result and the Eleventh Circuit upheld that decision on appeal.

Since the Garcia case, the arbitration clause in Scientology’s service contracts has become a major impediment to former Scientologists trying to sue their former church.

Some of Haney’s allegations — the stalking and libel she says she was subjected to for going to work for Leah Remini — took place after she had signed her exit agreement and had left Scientology. But she has been unable to get the judges in her case to take that into consideration, as they’ve ruled that a contract is a contract.

In Tampa, a labor-trafficking lawsuit filed by three former Sea Org workers is awaiting a ruling in federal court about whether they, too, must take their case to religious arbitration because of contracts they signed while in the church.

Scientology leader David Miscavige was found to be evading service of the suit by a federal magistrate judge, who on Feb. 14 declared Miscavige an official defendant in the case. Miscavige is objecting to that ruling, and District Judge Thomas Barber will soon rule on whether Miscavige is still a defendant in the lawsuit, and also whether the lawsuit will be forced into Scientology arbitration.

Even though the Garcias had gone through their arbitration in 2017, Valerie Haney says she still didn’t think the same thing would happen in her case when she filed her lawsuit in 2019.

“I was completely shocked and appalled. I didn’t think it was real what was happening,” she says.

Haney’s attorneys spent the next two years fighting the decision, asking Judge Burdge to reconsider his ruling — to no avail.

Then, the matter was reassigned to Judge Gail Killefer, who told Haney that she needed to get the arbitration process going or risked having her lawsuit thrown out altogether.

The first step in that process would require Haney to nominate a Scientologist in good standing to be an arbitrator.

So she nominated The Handmaid’s Tale actress and lifelong Scientologist Elisabeth Moss .

“I was thinking, OK, they’re trying to circumvent the judicial system and keep it all hush-hush, so I need to keep this in the public eye. Because otherwise they can do what they want and the law doesn’t apply to them,” Haney says.

She hadn’t met Moss in Scientology, but she had seen The Handmaid’s Tale and its portrayal of the dystopian world of Gilead. “It’s very similar to the Sea Org. I thought, OK, maybe she could sympathize with my situation. Maybe she has some decency as a human being and maybe she could see that my human rights were being violated. And she was a person I knew was in good standing.”

Moss had, after all, defended Scientology in a New Yorker profile just a few months before, in April 2022. But Scientology’s “International Justice Chief,” a Sea Org official named Mike Ellis, informed Haney that Moss was unavailable, and instructed her to nominate someone else.

This time she submitted two names, in case one of them was busy: Tom Cruise and Shelly Miscavige.

“I knew Tom was in good standing. He’s done a lot of things to support Scientology, and he spearheaded David Miscavige’s exploits,” Haney says.

“I knew him. He liked me. We were on a first-name basis. I knew Penelope [Cruz], and I knew Katie [Holmes]. I served Tom his meals,” she explains.

For Cruise’s 42nd birthday in 2004, Miscavige threw a party for him on Scientology’s cruise ship, the Freewinds , which sails the Caribbean, and Haney remembered seeing chefs being flown in from around the country.

“They probably spent $50,000 on it, minimally. All of it parishioner money. It was like a five-night extravagant private dinner. I was serving it. There was a sushi night, and the chefs came in from Nobu. There was an Italian night, and we had to wear costumes. And there was a French night,” she remembers.

“When Tom was first going out with Katie, Dave brought them to Las Vegas for an acknowledgment or celebration on church money, and he paid for the largest suite in Caesars Palace and had it for him and Shelly and me and Tom and Katie,” she continues. “That was the first time I met Katie. I just remember Tom bringing her in and introducing her to Dave and Shelly and me. I thought, oh my gosh, this is amazing. And then they left to go to dinner and I had to make sure the hotel rooms were spotless.” 

After Scientology told Haney that Elisabeth Moss wasn’t available, she nominated Cruise and Shelly, and not simply as a publicity stunt.

“After Elisabeth Moss, who I didn’t know, I was like, let me nominate people I was intimately connected to. Shelly was my dear friend and Tom was also a friend. And we were on a first-name basis. I was close with them,” she claims.

Again, however, Scientology said the two couldn’t act as arbitrators, and this time they complained to Judge Killefer that Haney was being “obstructionist” by nominating people who were so obviously unavailable.

Haney’s attorney, Graham Berry, responded that there was nothing in Scientology’s arbitration agreement that prevented Haney from nominating famous people.

And then Haney submitted another 15 names of Scientologists, many of them very well-known, others more familiar to the readers of Scientology news stories.

“I left years ago, and all the people I know, I don’t know if they’re in good standing. I don’t know if they’re still there,” she says.

She decided that figures like actors Jenna Elfman, Giovanni Ribisi, and Catherine Bell; designer Rebecca Minkoff; motivational speaker Grant Cardone; and prominent attorney and husband of Greta Van Susteren, John Coale, were more likely to be in the church’s good graces, based on her internet searches. Haney had also gone to school with Minkoff, and she’d had a conversation with Elfman.

Matthew Feshbach, a short-seller, was the first million-dollar donor in Scientology history. Haney says she added his name to the nomination list because she had known him and his son while she was in the Sea Org.

She had also known Matt’s niece Jessica Feshbach, who was known for being Katie Holmes ’’ aggressive media handler while the actress was with Cruise. “I knew Jessica when she was married to [former Scientology spokesman] Tommy Davis. I worked with her. We talked about the ridiculousness of the schedule, and the abuses going on,” Haney says.

Haney added Bob Duggan’s name because she saw him at Scientology events. By his own estimate , the pharmaceuticals investor has contributed more than $300 million to Scientology.

“Dave has a list of all the millionaires in Scientology,” Haney says, and she nominated Duggan and tech entrepreneur Craig Jensen, founder of Diskeeper, because they were both on Miscavige’s list.

She also included the names of Scientology officials who were spokespeople or members of the church’s notorious spy wing, the Office of Special Affairs.

“She was the one who did my retrieval after I escaped,” Haney says of one of the women she put on the list. “She harassed my entire family to have me come back to the cult to get interrogated for three months. She was the one there for my exit interview. She was a part of my abuse . She was doing everything she could to keep me there.”

And then, after Valerie Haney submitted her list of 15 names, Scientology came to court and informed Judge Killefer that one of the 15 had agreed to sit as an arbitrator.

The panel of three arbitrators is set, but Scientology isn’t releasing the names of any of them at this point, even to Haney, she claims.

At the hearing on March 15, Haney’s attorney Graham Berry asked the judge to order Scientology to allow Haney to bring a lawyer with her, a friend, and a court reporter who could also videotape the arbitration.

But Killefer refused. She set a hearing date six months out to consider the result of the arbitration. She admitted that she didn’t know what rules Scientology’s International Justice Chief Ellis had set up for it, but what mattered were “the rules of the arbitral forum.” In other words, Scientology sets all the rules.

It also became obvious that Haney wasn’t receiving notices about the arbitration because she’s now in Florida and Scientology is still mailing notices to a P.O. Box in California.

Judge Killefer told Berry to get Haney’s address to Scientology. “That’s an order,” she said.

“That was disgusting,” Haney says, reading an account of the hearing later and realizing that the judge couldn’t be bothered to make sure Haney had someone with her at the arbitration, but did order that she turn over her home address to the church she had escaped.

“So I sent a mailing address to Graham to give them,” she says.

Now, Valerie Haney is facing the idea of going, alone, into an arbitration set up by the Church of Scientology.

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For now, she awaits word from Scientology’s International Justice Chief about when and where the arbitration will take place.

“It’s the worst thing you could probably have a victim do,” she maintains. “Someone who has been abused her entire life, to go back into the abusive environment with the abusers. It’s appalling. And absolutely disgusting. It’s so crazy.” 

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Jerrod Carmichael jokes about Tom Cruise, Scientology in record-scratch moment at Golden Globes

• Updated: Jan. 11, 2023, 4:47 a.m.
• | Published: Jan. 11, 2023, 4:11 a.m.

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael mentions the three Golden Globes Tom Cruise returned to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Rich Polk | NBC via AP

• Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael did not hesitate to put it all out there at Tuesday’s ceremony , whether talking about racism in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association or Tom Cruise .

In 2021, Cruise, who grew up in Glen Ridge, famously sent his three Golden Globes back to the HFPA , the organization that gives the awards .

The actor, who won the awards for “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Jerry Maguire” and “Magnolia,” returned them because of the scandal over the group’s makeup. At the time, not a single member of the HFPA was Black, which is also why NBC canceled the 2022 broadcast.

But the Globes were back this year, and the Cruise film “ Top Gun: Maverick ,” a resounding box office success (to the tune of $718 million in the U.S.), was nominated for best picture (drama) and best original song.

Tom Cruise at the UK premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" in May. He was not at the Golden Globes. Gareth Cattermole | Getty Images

Cruise, who reprised the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell from the 1986 film “Top Gun,” did not make an appearance at the Globes following his return of the awards.

But Carmichael, 35, made sure to acknowledge him.

The host appeared onstage holding three Golden Globes.

“Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said, to a wave of laughs. “I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige .”

While Carmichael’s frank delivery got a positive response all night, that last comment seemed to leave the Globes audience a bit stunned, or unsure how to react. But to be sure, there were a few distinct guffaws and cackles heard among those gathered.

Shelly Miscavige is the wife of David Miscavige , leader of the Church of Scientology and friend of Cruise, 60, who has been the most visible of celebrity Scientologists throughout his Hollywood career. She hasn’t been seen in public for more than 15 years.

Carmichael delivered the Cruise zing just before introducing Cruise’s “Top Gun” co-stars Glen Powell and Jay Ellis, which made for an especially awkward beat when they took the stage as presenters.

Former Scientologist Leah Remini cheered Carmichael’s dig at Cruise, sharing a clip of the moment on Instagram with a photo of Miscavige.

#GoldenGlobes host Jerrod Carmichael makes a dig at Scientology: "Backstage, I found these three Golden Globe awards that Tom Cruise returned...I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige." https://t.co/m069JEKekW pic.twitter.com/fw25ng5nU2 — Variety (@Variety) January 11, 2023

“Where is Shelly Miscavige ????” she said. “Please share this reel in your stories.”

Since leaving Scientology in 2013, Remini been outspoken about alleged abuses committed by the Church of Scientology. She hosted the Emmy-winning documentary series ” Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath ,” which ran from 2016 to 2019, wrote the 2015 book “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology” and co-hosts the podcast “ Scientology: Fair Game .”

The actor has sought to spread awareness about the absence of Shelly Miscavige, an associate of Cruise who was last seen in 2007.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leah Remini (@leahremini)

Remini filed a missing person report for Miscavige in Los Angeles in 2013.

In November, Remini, 52, posted a Twitter thread in which she alleged a “cozy” relationship between Los Angeles Police Department officials and the Church of Scientology.

The actor said that within hours of her filing the report, the LAPD said they found Shelly Miscavige and closed the case. But Remini and others known for being critical of Scientology continue to ask where Miscavige is, citing a lack of proof that she’s alive and well.

Remini said that when she asked if police had seen or spoken to Miscavige, she was told that was a “classified” matter. She said she spent $50,000 in attorney’s fees filing dead-end public records requests about the case.

11. I was told to file a public record request if I wanted further information. I spent $50k in attorneys fees filing various requests. My requests for information from the LAPD were shut down. I still don't know anything about the circumstances of this investigation. — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) November 10, 2022

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20. An investigation must be opened into Cory's relationship with Scientology and the LAPD's interactions with Scientology overall. And the LAPD must not attend Scientology events anymore or accept their funds. WHERE IS SHELLY??? — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) November 10, 2022

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.

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Former Scientologist breaks silence, reveals what's happening with Cruise

M itch Brisker, once a trustworthy associate of Scientology's leader, David Miscavige, departed from the organization over a year ago. Now, he is breaking his silence. "Tom Cruise is Scientology's principal victim. Some might disagree with me, but it seems as though he lives in a distorted reality. It's as if he's wholly lost in the matrix," he disclosed during the interview.

Today, 74-year-old Mitch Brisker was once close to David Miscavige, the contentious leader of the Church of Scientology. He departed from the organization a little over a year ago after a disagreement with its leader. Recently, he decided to give an interview to the "Daily Mail", where he expounded on the Church's operation and the relationship between the organization's leader and Hollywood star, Tom Cruise.

Former Scientologist breaks silence about the leader

In the interview, Brisker characterized Miscavige as an individual with an immense propensity for control. "No one with a bigger craving to control has ever been born," highlights the former Scientologist. According to him, the leader is "a solitary man with a fondness for designer clothes, eagerly anticipating gifts, fast cars, high-end motorcycles, and loud music."

Miscavige was immensely focused on material possessions. As per the account detailed in the "Daily Mail," he distributed a wish list for birthday and Christmas gifts annually, and church members were obligated to buy him the extravagant items listed, such as $700 shirts or high-priced cameras. "He was given a custom Mustang worth more than $100,000 by members of Flag (Church of Scientology's Flag Service Organization in Clearwater, Florida), among others," added the 74-year-old.

What's happening with Tom Cruise? "He's completely in the matrix"

Brisker also spoke about the relationship between the leader and Cruise, who has been part of the Church of Scientology since the late '80s. The latter joined under the encouragement of his first wife, Mimi Rogers. "They're like twins separated at birth. (...) For Tom, I believe it's a legitimate friendship, almost admiration," he suggested and added: "Tom Cruise, in my opinion, is Scientology's principal victim. Some might disagree, but it seems he's immersed in a distorted reality. He's entirely lost in the matrix."

The former Scientologist also broached the subject of Shelly Miscavige, colloquially referred to as the "first lady of Scientology." She was last publicly seen in 2007. Since then, her whereabouts have been the topic of investigation and speculation. There were concerns about being held against her will or having encountered harm. However, Brisker refutes these notions. "In my understanding, Shelly isn't missing nor is she detained," he asserts. He firmly believes she resides in a covert base akin to a bunker in Crestline, California.

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What to Know About Shelly Miscavige, the Wife of Scientology Leader David Miscavige

Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, hasn’t been seen publicly since 2007

Claudio and Renata Lugli 

Editor’s note: This article has been updated and reflects a statement provided to PEOPLE by the Church of Scientology and other reporting.

Shelly Miscavige has sparked intrigue for years.

She married David Miscavige in 1982 and they rose together in the Church of Scientology as members of an elite group called the Commodore’s Messenger Organization. She was rumored to have played a large role in the church alongside David until 2006.

Six years after Shelly's last public appearance, actress Leah Remini left the church in 2013 and filed a Missing Persons Report with the Los Angeles Police Department. However, after an investigation, the LAPD announced they had found her to be "alive and safe," and were not pursuing the case.

Nonetheless, her whereabouts have continued to be the subject of controversy and Remini has continued to question what happened to the woman she has described as her former friend.

So where is Shelly Miscavige? Here’s what to know.

She was last seen publicly in 2007

The last time Shelly was seen in public was at her father’s funeral in 2007. Pictures of her attending the function surfaced online. However, she has not been photographed since.

The church denied that she had disappeared and said she was fine and was merely a private person. “ She is not a public figure and we ask that her privacy be respected,” a Scientology spokeswoman said in 2013.

Marc Headley, a former Scientologist who has since spoken critically of the church, told Vanity Fair in 2014 that Shelly was once a top aide for the religious group but was stripped of her duties and carefully watched by a handler during her father’s service. When another church member followed Shelly into the bathroom and asked her for help, Headley alleged Shelly said, “Listen to me, I f----- up, and I’m not going to be able to help you.”

The Church of Scientology, in a statement to PEOPLE, called Headley a "fully discredited source" whose past legal claims against the Church were dismissed by a federal district court judge in 2010.

Leah Remini started raising questions about Shelly in 2006

While attending Scientology member Tom Cruise ’s wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006, Remini says she noticed Shelly wasn’t present — which the actress found odd considering her husband David was the best man.

When Remini raised the question to wedding attendees, the guests didn’t respond, she told PEOPLE in 2015. “I kept asking throughout the night, ‘ Does anybody know where Shelly is ?’ ” she said.

Remini turned to top church official Tommy Davis next, who, she claims, replied: “‘I don’t think you have the f------ rank, quite honestly, to ask where Shelly is.’ It was a little bit shocking to hear that answer. That sort of sparked something in me.”

Davis denied saying that through his attorney, who told PEOPLE, “This claim is an invention,” adding that Davis and his wife, Jessica, a Scientology staffer who was also at the wedding, “recall observing Ms. Remini’s repeated rude behavior which became so blatant it was a topic of dismayed discussion among other guests, including friends of Ms. Remini.”

Remini claimed that as a consequence of her questions, she was subsequently sent to a church facility in Clearwater, Florida, where she underwent a “Sec Check, Truth Rundown and Reprogramming," which she alleges involved "intensive and exhaustive forms of interrogation” that could last up to 12 hours a day. 

Leah Remini filed a missing persons report in 2013

Just weeks after Remini left the church in 2013, she filed a missing person report with the LAPD.

The LAPD stated that they met with Shelly and concluded “there was not sufficient grounds” to go through with the investigation. Remini told PEOPLE the police told her Shelly “did not want to talk.” 

On November 11, 2022, the LAPD issued a statement repeating that conclusion, saying that Missing Persons Unit detectives in 2014 "went to Shelly Miscavige's location and personally made contact with her and her attorney. Detectives found her to be alive and safe, and subsequently closed the missing persons investigation."

Remini, however, has said police refused to give her more information when she followed up. “When I asked the officers, ‘Did you see her with your own eyes? Is she alive and safe?’ their response was, ‘We cannot give you that information, ma’am,' ” Remini said. “I still don’t have an answer.”

The Church of Scientology then released its own statement, blasting Remini as a “bitter ex-Scientologist" and writing, “Ms. Remini also continues her bizarre efforts to harass the Church of Scientology’s leader and his wife, whom Ms. Remini has been obsessed with and has stalked for years.” In a statement to PEOPLE this week, the Church accused Remini of engaging in a "publicity stunt motivated by hate and money."

The question of what happened to Shelly is still raised in Hollywood

During the 2023 Golden Globes, host Jerrod Carmichael took a shot at the Church of Scientology when introducing speakers Jay Ellis and Glen Powell, who starred alongside Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick .

Carmichael walked onto the stage with three Golden Globes in his hands and said, “Backstage I found these three Golden Globes Awards that Tom Cruise returned,” referring to when the actor gave back his statues in 2021 in protest of the lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which is the voting body for the awards.

Carmichael continued, “I'm just a host briefly or whatever, but I have a pitch. Maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige."

The joke came a couple of months after Remini raised the question of Shelly's whereabouts in light of an investigation about Cory Palka, captain of the Hollywood division of the LAPD where she filed her report.

The LAPD responded with a statement that said, “The Missing Persons Unit handles adult missing cases throughout the City of Los Angeles and work out of LAPD’s Detective Bureau. This case was not investigated by Hollywood Division personnel and had no involvement by retired LAPD Commander Cory Palka.”

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Scientology’s missing miscaviges: where are leader david and his wife, shelly.

The hunt is on for David Miscavige, the fiery, controversial and elusive head of Scientology, who’s being sought by lawyers in a  civil child trafficking suit  brought by former church members in federal court.  

The case involves three plaintiffs who once belonged to the sect’s notorious military-style Sea Org and who allege they were forced into the church as kids and had to work into adulthood for almost no pay . Valeska Paris, along with married couple Gawain and Laura Baxter, filed the complaint last year after quitting Sea Org more than a decade ago.

According to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, process servers have tried 27 times over four months to serve Miscavige in both Los Angeles, where Scientology has a formidable presence, as well as its headquarters in Clearwater, Fla.,  the Tampa Bay Times reported , citing court records. Security guards have repeatedly refused the documents, saying they don’t know where he is. A federal judge in Tampa  listened to attorneys from both sides on Jan. 20  and said she will issue a ruling sometime in the future about whether Miscavige can be considered served.

“Miscavige cannot be permitted to continue his gamesmanship,” one plaintiff’s attorney, Neil Glazer, wrote in a court filing last month.

Former top-ranking Scientologists told The Post that 62-year-old Miscavige, who  seized power after Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986 , is deathly afraid of going to court and will do anything to evade the tenacious attorneys who have been trying to serve him with papers. Veteran Scientology watchdog Tony Ortega reported as far back as 2019 that Miscavige may have “gone to ground” to avoid being served in a myriad of pending legal cases — including the Danny Masterson rape mistrial .

But he is not, they say, with his long-missing wife, Shelly —  who hasn’t been seen in public since August 2007  and is believed to still be living at Scientology’s isolated and heavily guarded fortress, the Church of Spiritual Technology (CST), in rural Twin Peaks, California. Sources told The Post that David Miscavige is allegedly living in the gated Hacienda Gardens complex in Clearwater, which is owned by Scientology.  

Numerous Scientology experts say Miscavige’s current situation parallels that of Hubbard, who, after years of legal battles with the government and being on the receiving end of numerous civil suits, went on the lam in his motorhome and at a house in Northern California, where he was surrounded by security until he died.

“Miscavige is a recluse now — the same way Hubbard was at the end,” said Mike Rinder, the former media spokesman for Scientology and one of its highest-ranking executives before he left the church in 2007 in protest of Miscavige’s leadership style, pointing out how rarely Miscavige is seen in public or at church events.

“Hubbard abandoned his wife and never saw her again after 1982,” Rinder, the author of last year’s “ A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology ,” told The Post. “Hubbard turned her into a pariah and Mary Sue was kept in a house where [Scientologists] reported on her every day to Miscavige.”

Hubbard’s third wife, Mary Sue, once a major power in Scientology, took the fall for the organization in 1978 in the aftermath of the infamous “ Operation Snow White, ” a massive effort by the church to infiltrate the government by flooding the IRS with undercover Scientologists. She served a year in prison and spent her last years under virtual house arrest in Los Angeles.

“Miscavige is completely echoing Hubbard,” said Karen de la Carriere, another former high-ranking Scientology executive of 40 years who was trained by Hubbard and who was married to Huber Jentzsch, the former longtime president of Scientology. “But unlike Hubbard, there is no successor lined up. Miscavige, in his lust for power, smashed to a pulp any possible rivals. So there is no one to lead if anything happens to him.”

De la Carriere said Miscavige is his own worst enemy.

“He is so paranoid,” she told The Post. “He sees the FBI in his soup. He expects a bullet in his chest by someone somewhere, so he has an entourage like a Third World dictator. He doesn’t make a move without his security entourage. He has a very grandiose image of himself.”

As for Shelly, de la Carriere said she’s been in the cult since she was a child and may not want or know how to escape the Twin Peaks bunker, even if she were allowed. De la Carriere first met her on Hubbard’s ship, the Apollo, which cruised around the Caribbean and other ports in the 1960s and ’70s.

“Shelly was on the Apollo with me when she was 11 or 12 years old [she’s now 62]. She studied with Hubbard,” de la Carriere said. She is like someone from the FLDS [fundamentalist Mormon sect]. They want to be a sister wife. They don’t know any better. They don’t think outside the box.”

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael called out Tom Cruise during the Jan. 10 awards show,  joking that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association should use the actor’s  three returned gongs  to help locate Shelly Miscavige.

Holding up Cruise’s Globes — which the “Top Gun” star famously returned to the HFPA in 2021 — Carmichael quipped: “I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige …”

At about the same time, former Scientologist Aaron Smith-Levin showed resurfaced drone footage on his  Growing Up in Scientology  YouTube channel of one of the church’s top secret bases in Twin Peaks, California.

“This is literally one of the most secretive Scientology bases in the world, and we can take a tour of it with drone footage. Incredible,” said Smith-Levin, a  former Scientologist , about the Google Earth footage, which was originally posted on YouTube channel Angry Thetan five years ago.

Speculation about Shelly’s whereabouts and status have been rife for at least a decade.

Actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini, a prominent critic of the organization, filed a missing person report about Shelly with LA police in 2013. A few days later, the LAPD said they located Shelly and stated that she was not actually missing, so the case was closed. Attorneys for Scientology have claimed over the years that Shelly continues to be a dedicated  Sea Org  member and lives a private life.

“Today is Shelly Miscavige’s 62nd birthday,” Remini tweeted Jan. 18 . “The last time Shelly was seen in public, she was 43. I hope I can wish Shelly a happy birthday in person one day. Until then, I will keep fighting for my friend’s freedom no matter what Scientology tries to do to me.”

One of the reasons for Remini’s departure from Scientology  in 2013 is because she had first asked about Miscavige’s wife’s absence at the marriage of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in November 2006,  according to Ortega, who broke the story in 2013.  “When she asked about it, she was told to shut up, as if the question itself was out of line,” Ortega reported, adding that a church spokesperson told Remini: “You don’t have the f–king rank to ask about Shelly.”

Geoffrey Levin, 77, a music composer who left Scientology in 2018 after joining 46 years ago at age 18, said he underwent a serious depression for three years before his departure. He said he has heard from church members that Shelly may be enduring the same kind of depression. He said that, based on his experience, Scientology has no means to handle mental illness.

Levin remembers meeting Shelly way back before she vanished.

“She was way in the background when they were together,” said Levin, whose documentary, “ Brothers Broken ,” about the years he spent cut off from his brother who left Scientology, is showing at festivals. “Miscavige was so dominant. At the same time he could be very charming. He was a classic narcissist. His personality could just flip.”

Ortega recenly reported that, when Shelly lived with David on Sublett Road in Gilman Hot Springs, home of Gold Base, Scientology’s massive international headquarters 80 miles east of LA, she always had four or five beagles.

After Shelly vanished from public view in 2007, the dogs were still living there and cared for by Scientologist crew members. A former Scientologist familiar with the situation said life must be very tough for Shelly without her dogs.  

“I’m sure she was devastated,” the source told Ortega. “She was crazy about animals and nature. She preferred animals to people.”

“I saw her get in trouble,” former Scientologist John Brousseau told Remini on the actress’s “Aftermath” show about Scientology. “[Shelly] would disappear during portions of the day, and I sort of surmised that she was being security checked. I could see the terror in her eyes. I think she said something and Miscavige found out … and that was it. The ax fell. And then she just sort of disappeared very shortly thereafter. He’ll do everything he can to keep her wherever she is until she dies.”

Unless, of course, David Miscavige dies first — or is somehow unable to lead the church.

The ex-Scientologists say that the pending child trafficking lawsuit may have Miscavige on the run, and the church may regret not grooming an heir.

“Miscavige was never actually Hubbard’s heir,” Rinder said. “Miscavige seized his position. He was not given that position. He took it and eradicated everyone who was a rival to him. There is no line of succession in Scientology, no plan if Miscavige got run over by a bus or had a heart attack. There would be mass confusion. Most potential candidates are old and have been disappeared.”

But don’t count Miscavige or Scientology out quite yet, warned de la Carriere.

“This won’t necessarily be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” she said. “Instead what we’ve been seeing in the last 10 years is death by a thousand cuts. Then again, what we’re seeing with the child trafficking claims is hitting an artery with this cult, not just a little vein.”

The Church of Scientology did not respond to emails and calls from The Post, nor did Miscavige’s Washington, DC-based lawyer Joseph Terry.

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