Jenna Miscavige Hill Explained

Jenna Miscavige Hill
Notable Works:Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
Birth Date:1 February 1984
Birth Place:Concord, New Hampshire, United States
Spouse:Dallas Hill
Relatives:David Miscavige (uncle)
Ron Miscavige Jr. (father)
Ron Miscavige Sr. (grandfather)

Jenna Miscavige Hill (born February 1, 1984) is an American former Scientologist. After leaving the Church of Scientology in 2005, she has become an outspoken critic of the organization. She had been a third-generation Scientologist, the granddaughter of Ron Miscavige Sr. (who also left the church in 2012), the daughter of Elizabeth "Bitty" Miscavige and Ron Miscavige Jr. (who left in 2000) and the niece of Scientology leader David Miscavige.[1] [2] Her book Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape, recounting her experience growing up and living within the Scientology movement, was published by HarperCollins in 2013. She now runs a website which she co-founded with other ex-Scientologists which provides support and discussion for people either in the church or who have left.[3]

Early life

Jenna was born in Concord, New Hampshire on February 1, 1984. Her mother was Elizabeth "Bitty" Blythe, and her father was Ronald "Ronnie" Miscavige, Jr the older brother of David Miscavige. She has two brothers, Sterling and Justin.

Her parents joined Scientology's Sea Org just before Jenna turned two years old. From then on she spent most of her childhood apart from her parents and says she was only allowed to see them once a week.[4]

Life in the Sea Org

At age eight she signed her own billion-year contract with the Sea Org, effectively agreeing to follow their rules for life.[5] [6] One requirement of the Sea Org was that families be separated and that "children over the age of six would be raised communally at locations close to Sea Org bases";[7] at age six she was moved to the Cadet Org (Sea Org for children[8]) school called "The Ranch". At the Ranch, Hill states that in addition to rote learning of the works of L. Ron Hubbard[6] she was expected to do heavy manual labor for 25 hours a week.[9] [10] She described her experience from ages five to twelve thus: "We were also required to write down all transgressions[...] similar to a sin in the Catholic religion. After writing them all down, we would receive a meter check on the electropsychometer to make sure we weren't hiding anything, and you would have to keep writing until you came up clean."[11]

After leaving the Ranch in 1997, she began training in the Commodore's Messenger Organization, where Hill claims she was given repeated "security checks", investigations looking for confessions of misdemeanors (known as withholds) from past and present lives.[6] After several months, she was told that her parents had left the Sea Org and requested that she be allowed to leave too. Hill claims she was considered a potential risk to Scientology's public profile as David Miscavige's niece, and the confessions were taken to use against her later if she spoke out publicly.[6] [12]

Hill was 16 when her father and mother left Scientology in 2000. Hill states that due to the Scientology-ordered practice of disconnection with relatives and friends who do not support Scientology or are hostile to it, letters from her parents were intercepted and she was not allowed to answer a telephone for a year.[13] [14]

Leaving the church

Hill met her husband, Dallas Hill, also a Scientologist, in 2001. They married soon afterwards, and later had two children.[15] In 2004, they were sent to Australia on a church mission where they were finally able to access TV and internet and became aware of criticisms of Scientology.[16] One such website was Operation Clambake, dedicated to publishing critical articles and exposés of the Church of Scientology.[17] Shortly afterwards, the couple decided to leave the church. Jenna claims this was made difficult by the Scientology organization, which threatened Dallas with disconnection from his own family still within the church.[6] [16] [15] She further claims they were pressured to sign agreements which would entitle the church to claim $10,000 each time she spoke out publicly against the church, which she refused.[4] In 2005, they finally left the church.

Outspoken critic

In 2008, Hill first spoke publicly against the Church of Scientology's practice of disconnection in an open letter to Karin Pouw, the official Scientology spokesperson, in which she details how ex-members are prevented from communicating with family still in the church. The open letter was in response to Pouw's statement refuting allegations about disconnection made in the book .[13] In the letter Hill wrote:

Hill, along with Kendra Wiseman and Astra Woodcraft (both also raised in Scientology), founded exscientologykids.com in 2008—a website designed to provide a forum and information for people who have either left the church or those still within Scientology who are looking for information.[18]

She has been interviewed about her experiences within Scientology by a number of media outlets, including ABC's Nightline in April 2008,[19] [20] and Piers Morgan Tonight in February 2013 discussing details of the church.

On February 8, 2013, while appearing on radio's Opie & Anthony Show, she stated that she first learned about the story of Xenu from watching the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet".[21]

Memoir: Beyond Belief

In 2013, Hill published her book Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape under the William Morrow imprint of HarperCollins.[22] Jointly written with Lisa Pulitzer, a former correspondent for The New York Times, the book recounts her experience of Scientology in detail.

Hill told James Naughtie, host of BBC Today programme, about her book and her life in Scientology's most secretive inner core, the Sea Org.[23]

Writer Catherine Wessinger called Miscavige Hill's writing an "informative, and critical, portrait of the Church of Scientology."[24]

Personal life

Jenna and Dallas Hill have two children.[15] In an August 28, 2023, interview, Jenna said she was getting a divorce.[25] As of 2024, she is in a relationship with former Scientologist Aaron Smith-Levin.

Jenna has rebuilt her relationship with her parents, Bitty and Ron Miscavige Jr, who left the church in 2000,[13] and her grandparents Becky and Ron Miscavige Sr. who left in 2012. In 2016 Ron Sr. wrote his own memoir, ; he passed away in 2021.[26] Jenna's two half-brothers, Justin "Miscavige" Tompkins and Sterling Tompkins (who are twins), have both left the church.[24] [27]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brian . Braiker . The Passion of 'Anonymous' . . February 8, 2008 . March 8, 2008 .
  2. Web site: David . Sarno . Scientology taking hits online . . March 3, 2008 . March 8, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080312021644/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/newmedia/la-et-scientology3mar03%2C0%2C4668513%2Cfull.story . March 12, 2008 . dead .
  3. Web site: Who we are. Ex-Scientology Kids. September 26, 2012 . October 12, 2016.
  4. News: Allemang. John. Is Jenna Miscavige Hill Scientology's most powerful opponent?. The Globe and Mail. October 18, 2016. gam2016.
  5. Web site: Wakefield. Margery. Margery Wakefield. Understanding Scientology. Religio.de. October 12, 2016.
  6. Grossman. Wendy. Clear and Fear: Scientology Under Review. Skeptical Inquirer. May 2013. 37.3. May/June 2013. October 12, 2016.
  7. Web site: Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1st, 2013. Kirkus. Kirkus Media LLC. October 12, 2016.
  8. Web site: Paris. Melissa. Scientology's Grip on the Mind. Village Voice. August 20, 2012 . October 12, 2016.
  9. Web site: Jenna Miscavige on Scientology Inc. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/d8r14dIMjKo . December 21, 2021 . live. 10News:WTSP. October 12, 2016.
  10. Web site: Tremonti. Anna Maria. Anna Maria Tremonti. The Current. CBC Radio. CBC/Radio-Canada. October 12, 2016. cbc2016.
  11. Web site: Family feud in Scientology's upper ranks exposes more oddities . Monsters and Critics . February 6, 2008 . March 8, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080313095246/http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1390185.php/Family_feud_in_Scientologys_upper_ranks_exposes_more_oddities . March 13, 2008 .
  12. Web site: Childs. Joe. Tobin. Thomas C.. Niece of Scientology leader describes rocky youth in church. Tampa Bay Times. October 18, 2016. tbt2016.
  13. Web site: Jonny . Jacobsen . Niece of Scientology's leader backs Cruise biography . . January 28, 2008 . March 8, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080307065203/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5heELOXbk_8qWowwJGtd3RrEXdqgQ . March 7, 2008 .
  14. Web site: Anti-Scientology Protests Continue in Dupont . The Hoya . . April 25, 2008 . April 15, 2008 . Krone . David . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080514022100/http://www.thehoya.com/node/15864 . May 14, 2008 .
  15. Web site: McCarthy. Spencer . I feel brainwashed – a robot of Scientology . . February 2, 2013 . August 6, 2015 .
  16. Web site: Weaver. Clair. Jenna Miscavige Hill: "How I escaped Scientology". Women's Weekly. December 3, 2015. Bauer Media. October 18, 2016.
  17. Web site: Ortega. Tony. Tony Ortega (journalist). Jenna Miscavige Hill on her Uncle, Scientology's Leader: A Bully Too Afraid to Show His Face. The Underground Bunker. October 19, 2016.
  18. News: Olsen . Dawn . Jenna Miscavige Hill Helps Out Children Trapped By Scientology With New Site ExScientologyKids.com . January 2, 2011 . Technorati . March 1, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101230222032/http://technorati.com/entertainment/glosslip/article/jenna-hill-miscavige-helps-out-children-trapped-by-scientology-with-new-site-exscientologykidscom . December 30, 2010 .
  19. Web site: Niece of Scientology Leader Shares Her Story: Watch the Interview With Jenna Miscavige Hill Tonight on 'Nightline'. ABC News. Nightline. April 24, 2008. Fletcher . Lisa. Lisa Fletcher. April 24, 2008.
  20. Web site: Ex-Scientology Kids Share Their Stories: Former Scientologists, Including Church Leader's Niece, Share Stories With 'Nightline'. ABC News. Nightline. April 25, 2008. April 24, 2008. Fletcher. Lisa . Ethan . Nelson . Maggie . Burbank.
  21. Web site: What's the Most Secretive Aspect of Scientology?. .
  22. News: HarperCollins to publish controversial memoir on Scientology. Voxy.co.nz. September 26, 2012. September 26, 2012.
  23. News: Ex-scientologist: I was brainwashed . . March 8, 2013 . July 17, 2013.
  24. Review: Beyond Belief: My Secret Life inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape by Jenna Miscavige Hill with Lisa Pulitzer, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, "Scientology: A War without Guns." ABC Television 20/20 . Catherine . Wessinger . May 2017 . . 20 . 4 . 116–121 . 10.1525/nr.2017.20.4.116. 26417731 .
  25. LIVE w/ Jenna Miscavige . August 28, 2023 . YouTube . 7:55.
  26. News: A father speaks out against his son, David Miscavige, revealing deep rifts in Scientology's first family. Tobin. Thomas C.. Tampa Bay Times. April 30, 2016. April 30, 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160503061950/http://web.tampabay.com/news/scientology/a-father-speaks-out-against-his-son-david-miscavige-revealing-deep-rifts/2275403 . May 3, 2016.
  27. Former Scientology Sea Org Member: Sterling Tompkins . August 16, 2023 . YouTube . 1:30.