Singer Joy Villa is opening up about her decision to leave the Church of Scientology after being a member of the organization for 15 years.
“During my years inside Scientology, I reached career heights most artists only dream of. I walked the Grammy Awards red carpet multiple times. I had Billboard number-one hits. I appeared on countless national and international news outlets,” Villa, 39, wrote in an essay for Evie published on Monday, January 5. “I was visible, successful and influential. And Scientology took credit for all of it.
According to Villa, every achievement she made “was attributed not to God, not to talent, not to perseverance, but to auditing, donations and loyalty to the organization.”
“My success became propaganda,” she continued. “My life became marketing. What no one saw was the cost.”
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By the time Villa — who famously wore a “Make America Great Again” dress to the 2017 Grammys — chose to leave the Church of Scientology, she claimed she donated nearly $2 million and gave her time, voice and platform to spread some of the organization’s biggest messages.
“When I left physically, I still had not left spiritually. But distance saved my life,” she wrote. “Back in the United States, surrounded by friends and family, something began to happen. For the first time in years, I was not being monitored. Not audited. Not evaluated. Not extracted from. And God began to heal me.”
One day, Villa claimed she cried out in prayer, asking if she would ever go back to the Church of Scientology.
“He answered me with unmistakable clarity,” she wrote. “Leave Scientology. No confusion. No fear. No bargaining. Just truth.”
In response to Villa’s eassay, the Church of Scientology released a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 5.
“When Ms. Villa came to the Church, she was grappling with profound personal difficulties. She was given counseling and community support to rebuild her troubled life,” the statement read. “She now seeks to exploit those who supported her during her darkest moments in hopes of making a buck. How un-Christian. We urge Ms. Villa to move forward with her life and cease these false claims.”
The Church of Scientology said it “remains committed to helping all individuals achieve spiritual growth and personal betterment. The Church is a worldwide force for good, recognized by thousands of officials, civic and religious leaders. We provide indiscriminate help through our Scientology Volunteer Ministers; The Way to Happiness, a common-sense guide to better living made available to more than 140 million people; Our United for Human Rights campaign that promotes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and the Drug-Free World’s drug education campaign that has empowered hundreds of millions with the truth about drugs. We invite the public to seek the truth at www.scientology.org.”
When Villa first joined the Church, the health coach said she wasn’t looking for relevance. Instead, she said she entered as a “driven faith-raised woman searching for truth, healing and purpose.”
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“I was raised Christian. I loved Jesus,” she said. “And Scientology told me I could keep Him. That lie kept me inside for fifteen years.”
Villa isn’t the first high-profile celebrity to leave the Church of Scientology. In 2013, former King of Queens actress Leah Remini exited the organization and wrote about her experience in a memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology.
She also starred in the Emmy-winning A&E docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
The Church of Scientology later issued a statement on its website, claiming the actress was “expelled” from the organization because of her “repeated ethical lapses.” The organization also accused the actress of harassing her former church.
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Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Jenna Elfman and other stars continue to be members.
Before ending her essay, Villa had a message for those who may be having doubts about the organization.
“You are not weak. You are not broken. You are waking up,” she wrote. “Leaving cost me years I will never get back. But it gave me something infinitely more valuable. My soul. My faith. My freedom in Jesus Christ. And I will never go back.”
