15 Celebs Who Were Involved With A Cult Or Even A Cult Leader

Cults have a way of hiding in plain sight until someone famous gets pulled in and the story suddenly feels even stranger. From secretive groups to larger-than-life leaders, the line between curiosity, loyalty, and control can get blurry fast.

This list looks at celebrities who got involved with cults, cult-like groups, or cult leaders, sometimes before fame, sometimes at the height of it. The names range from music legends to Hollywood stars, and a few of the stories are still hard to believe.

From Mel Gibson to Elvis Presley, here are the celebs who crossed paths with cults in one way or another.

R. Kelly

In 2021, it was found that R. Kelly was guilty of eight counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering, which is defined as an organized scheme to profit from crime. In his case, it was through accruing a harem of young women through abuse and coercion.

The methods by which he ran his alleged 'sex cult' included recruitment, isolation, surveillance, and threats.

Andrew Steinmetz/ Wikimedia Commons

Michelle Pfeiffer

When she was young and had just moved out to Hollywood in the 80s, Pfeiffer got mixed up with a cult of 'breatharians.' They believed that the most spiritually advanced people can live without food or water.

At first, Pfeiffer thought they were just harmless personal trainers, but soon they began to control all her time and take all her money. It wasn't until she was researching cults for her then-husband's role in a film that she realized she might be in a cult and that it was time to get out.

Towpilot/ Wikimedia Commons

Dennis Wilson

After some of the more attractive members of the family were picked up by Wilson while hitchhiking, he became close with Charles Manson. He encouraged Manson's music career, and at one point, he even let the family live in his home before they got their ranch.

Wilson claims he cut ties with Manson when he witnessed him murder a man, which he suspiciously didn't report and which almost certainly didn't happen.

Universal Pictures/ Wikimedia Commons

Neil Young

Through Wilson, Neil Young also met Manson and became a frequent guest at the ranch. He even apparently dated one of the family members.

Young compared Manson to Bob Dylan and tried his best to get him a record deal, but then Manson turned to murder.

Mark Estabrook/ Wikimedia Commons

Elvis Presley

Former members of the Self-Realization Fellowship describe it as a yoga cult that requires its most devoted followers to give up everything to become gods through stretching. Surprisingly, in the 60s, they almost convinced Elvis to join their ranks.

According to Elvis's ex-wife, he wanted to start a commune for the group. In the end, Elvis wasn't willing to make the commitment because he just loved bacon too much.

Unknown/ Wikimedia Commons

Shirley MacLaine

Kilmer is a Christian Scientist who doesn't really believe in medicine and prefers to pray away sickness, often with not-so-encouraging results.

When Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer, he planned to do just that—pray it away. He believed it was just an outward manifestation of a spiritual cold.

When his family finally convinced him to get treatment, it was too late, and he required a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. He's pretty upset about it, not the cancer, which he believes he prayed away, because he insists it's what's causing his suffering.

Hans Gerber/ Wikimedia Commons

And if you think cult allegations are the only legal bombshell, Diddy’s sentencing developments tied to sex trafficking and racketeering are no small update.

Val Kilmer

Kilmer is a Christian Scientist who doesn't really believe in medicine and prefers to pray away sickness, often with not-so-encouraging results.

When Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer, he planned to do just that—pray it away. He believed it was just an outward manifestation of a spiritual cold.

When his family finally convinced him to get treatment, it was too late, and he required a tracheotomy and a feeding tube. He's pretty upset about it, not the cancer, which he believes he prayed away, because he insists it's what's causing his suffering.

Georges Biard/ Wikimedia Commons

Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson believes in his faith so much that even the Catholics weren't Catholic enough for him, and he started his own church that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles refuses to recognize.

The church is quite private and somewhat secretive, and what's known about them is that they really love sticking to the oldest of the old-school ways. Some members apparently don't even believe in the Pope.

Georges Biard/ Wikimedia Commons

Orgonites

In 2014, a couple of celebs like Willow Smith, Kylie Jenner, and Jaden Smith posted photos of themselves making orgonites, which are manmade healing crystals. They were also seen reading books by a cult leader whose theories about 'orgones,' a vague type of energy derived from orgasms, led to the concept of the crystals.

It's not clear how much they actually knew about the sex cult they were unsuspectingly aligning themselves with, but hopefully, it's fine.

OfficialWillow/ Twitter

The Source Family

The Source was a famous LA vegan restaurant featured in Annie Hall. It was also run by a cult headed by a man with 13 child brides.

Despite that, it was still popular with celebrities. One of their most frequent patrons was John Lennon, who was said to engage in deep conversations with the waitresses/cult members, and whose son even made a music video inspired by the guru.

Joost Evers/ Anefo/ Wikimedia Commons

Jane Fonda

Fonda has had her share of controversies before, but nothing as surprising as when she was found to be friends with Jim Jones leading up to the Jonestown massacre. At that point, she went from controversial to 'Wow, really?'

She ghosted him in time, of course, but only because of her husband's political aspirations.

Fonda apparently wrote Jones a letter of support swearing that he couldn't have been responsible for what he was accused of, and she stated that she 'recommit myself to your congregation as an active full participant—not only for myself, but because I want my two children to have the experience.'

Fortunately, her children didn't.

Georges Biard/ Wikimedia Commons

Russell Brand

Brand got into the Krishna movement in 2007, saying that it helped him deal with his mental health issues and overcome his various addictions. That's great and all if you happen to overlook all the racketeering, abuse, and murder, of course.

Eva Rinaldi/ Wikimedia Commons

Hillsong Church

The Hillsong megachurch family is composed of a group of churches and is quite popular with celebs like Chris Pratt, Justin Bieber, and some of the Kardashians. However, ex-members have described it as a toxic environment full of abuse, coercion, and isolation.

Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images

Jared Leto

Okay, as far as anyone knows, Jared Leto and his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, don't have their own cult, but they do hold an annual retreat in Croatia for fans to wear identical white robes, do yoga, and watch their master's movies.

Sven Mandel/ Wikimedia Commons

Andrew Keegan

Andrew Keegan, on the other hand, really has his own cult. It even has its own California temple and everything. Their beliefs are vague, and they rely heavily on crystals and illegal kombucha, but what everyone can agree on is that Keegan has a knack for attracting followers.

ArtModerne/ Wikimedia Commons

It's really surprising to see the names of a few famous celebs cozying up to these kinds of groups, but well, that's the world for you. You never really know what they're getting into behind the spotlight, after all.

This is a lesson to learn for everyone, though. Before getting yourself involved with some sketchy organization, how about making sure they're not a cult first?

Want more Hollywood shockers like the memoirs that expose fame as “everyday weirdness”? Read these celebrity tell-alls that ditch the gloss.