The term "cult" has many different connotations and can mean lots of things to different people.
In general, cults typically include a religious component and some level of isolation from
the rest of the world.
The following celebrities grew up in cult-like situations, some more intense than others,
but all outside the mainstream.
The Arquettes
Actor David Arquette was born in a Subud commune in Virginia, where he lived briefly with sisters
and future fellow thespians Patricia and Rosanna along with their parents.
Subud is a nonsectarian Indonesian spiritual based in meditation.
On an episode of WTF with Marc Maron, Patricia s aid her family left the commune — which
had no electricity, bathrooms, or running water — when its members' true colors started
to reveal themselves.
"'Oh, that dude has a real anger management problem,' and 'this person's an alcoholic'
and that other thing, and 'this person's greedy' and 'What are we doing here?'"
After leaving Virginia, Patricia said her family returned to Chicago before settling
in Los Angeles.
Rose McGowan
In 2011, Charmed alum Rose McGowan revealed to People magazine that she spent the first
nine years of her life growing up among the Children of God sect in Italy.
At first, she claimed the setting "was really idyllic", but she later rebelled against the
cult's hippie lifestyle and rigid gender roles, saying, quote, "I did not want to be like
those women.
There were basically there to serve the men sexually."
Things took a turn for the worse when McGowan's father reportedly feared his daughter might
be molested by members of the group, prompting their family to escape and flee to America.
Glenn Close
Close's family joined the radical, conservative missionary group called "Moral Re-Armament,"
when she was just 7.
The actress told the Daily Beast that she lost her sense of individuality during this
time.
"It's cult living where you're told what to say and how to act.
It's very sexually repressive and yet you're supposed to be re-making the world … As
a child, it's catastrophic because that's where you're trying to figure out who you
are."
She escaped the situation at the age of 22 but told The Hollywood Reporter that the experience
negatively affected her for years afterward, forcing her to doubt her instincts.
Toni Braxton
In her Unbreak My Heart memoir, the famous R&B singer revealed that she joined Pillar
of Truth, a Pentecostal Apostolic group, with her family as a young girl.
She said her family fell into "religious extremism," where women and their nakedness had to be
covered up in full and almost everything was considered evil, including going to the movies.
The group allegedly required its members to speak in tongues, which Braxton reportedly
faked at 8 years old just to keep up.
According to the Daily Mail, the Braxtons subsequently joined "two more repressive churches"
before finally joining a more mainstream congregation.
Angel Haze
The Detroit-based rapper was raised in the Pentecostal Greater Apostolic Faith commune.
The lifestyle was reportedly extremely insular, with its members all living in the same community,
within 10 minutes of each other.
"I wasn't allowed to listen to music, or have friends that were outside of it, or, generally,
like, associate with other people."
Haze says she also wasn't allowed to wear jewelry, to eat certain things, or go on dates.
She went to church three days a week, unless there was a "revival," which required daily
church attendance.
She told the Guardian she "used to just crawl under [a] bench and try to sleep."
"Anybody can say anything to you, and if you're like, weak enough, or dumb enough, or just
don't care enough to believe it, then they're gonna exploit you."
Joaquin Phoenix
In the 1970s, the Phoenix family was also part of the Children of God, which is now
known as The Family International.
Joaquin spoke about his experience in a 2014 interview with Playboy: "My parents had a
religious experience and felt strongly about it … I think my parents thought they'd found
a community that shared their ideals … [B]ut I think the moment my parents realized there
was something more to it, they got out."
Joaquin's family moved to California and changed its last name from Bottom to Phoenix after
leaving the community.
The actor cautioned against passing judgment on his family or other members of the group,
saying, quote: "I think it was really innocent on my parents' part.
They really believed, but I don't think most people see it that way.
I've always thought that was strange and unfair."
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