Celebrities that are members of the Church of Scientology have a tendency to court controversy,
and John Travolta is no exception.
Strangely mispronounced names?
Feuds with Tom Cruise?
Keep watching to see the shady side of John Travolta.
It was a moment of Oscars infamy that will go down with the likes of David Niven expertly
getting a laugh at the expense of an opportunistic onstage streaker and the confusion around
the best picture award for "Moonlight."
At the 2014 Academy Awards, John Travolta got on stage to introduce "Let It Go" singer
Idina Menzel.
But there was audible confusion when Travolta declared that "Adele Dazeem" would perform
the song.
What makes this bizarre moment even stranger is Travolta's reasoning for messing up the
"Frozen" singer's name.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he blamed the mistake on being starstruck by the "sexy,
beautiful" Goldie Hawn and her "amazing" lips while "hugging and loving her up."
Not only was getting Menzel's name completely wrong embarrassing, but it was inappropriate
to blame it on his supposed lust for another actor.
Since 1975, John Travolta has been a prominent member of the highly controversial Church
of Scientology.
But if insider dissidents are to be believed, his authority within the organization seems
to extend far beyond the powers of most religious groups.
There are rumors that Travolta has reached a high rank within the Church, which allegedly
enables him to act like the mob boss he has portrayed on screen.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, ex-Scientologist Jeffrey Augustine made some alarming claims
about the power Travolta wields within the Church.
Augustine said that Travolta has "a dark side and he's reckless."
He alleged that the actor's status within Scientology has enabled him to remain blissfully
unaware of the numerous abuses that have reportedly occurred.
Augustine revealed:
"People at his level never see the ugly side of the church.
Plus, he's got [Scientology's Office of Special Affairs] as his own private Mafia if he gets
into trouble."
These claims appear to have been corroborated by other ex-Scientologists.
According to Leah Remini, Travolta can get away with murder due to his special title
of "Khakhan."
Remini told Joe Rogan,
"You can kill another human being.
If you are Khakhaned, you're gonna look the other way."
In the late '80s and early '90s, the "Look Who's Talking" movies provided a vehicle for
John Travolta and Kirstie Alley to show off their palpable chemistry.
It seems that their rapport was down to more than good acting.
The pair, who are both Scientologists, became very close.
And according to Alley, they may be more than just good friends.
In a 2018 interview, Alley alleged that she and Travolta "sort of fell in love with each
other" and were tempted to embark on a tryst, only forgoing an affair due to her loyalty
to her then-husband Parker Stevenson.
Although Alley insisted that they never slept together, she said their relationship was
"even worse" than an affair because of how deeply she was in love with Travolta and how
long the infatuation lasted.
The "Cheers" star added that Travolta only resumed his relationship with Kelly Preston
once it became very apparent that their flirtations would not lead to anything steamier.
However, Alley hinted to Howard Stern that Preston remained suspicious about the nature
of the pair's relationship.
Tragically, John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, died in 2009.
Jett was believed to have suffered a fatal seizure.
Following the youngster's untimely passing, Travolta refused to discuss that his son had
autism, leading to intense criticism from autistic advocacy groups.
Eventually, Travolta did concede that his son was autistic.
As former Scientology minister Bruce Hines has said, the revelation was particularly
controversial.
He told CBS News,
"[Scientologists] believe that the only reason a person can get ill is because they are in
some way connected to a suppressive person, and a suppressive person is someone who is
opposed to Scientology."
When interviewed on "The Doctors," Preston acknowledged that her son had autism and Kawasaki
disease.
She said that both she and her husband believed that certain chemicals contributed to their
son's condition, a largely debunked hypothesis that still persists in some communities.
When John Travolta was cast in the 2007 remake of "Hairspray" as Edna Turnblad, a role traditionally
played by drag icon Divine, there was a huge backlash.
Kevin Naff of the Washington Blade argued that Travolta "has no business reprising an
iconic gay role," citing Scientology's reported use of conversion therapy.
Travolta defended his role in the remake by telling The Times,
"There is nothing gay in this movie.
I'm not playing a gay man.
Scientology is not homophobic in any way."
However, the original "Hairspray" was written and directed by the openly gay John Waters.
And as the Philadelphia Gay News suggests, the 1988 film is undoubtedly an ode to LGBTQ
culture.
Travolta also courted controversy for his depiction of an autistic man in "The Fanatic."
Many critics felt that Travolta's portrayal of an autistic man was offensive, which was
made even worse given his son Jett's diagnosed struggle with the condition.
"I wish that Freddie Krueger would come and chop off your head."
As two of the most powerful figures in Scientology, one could reasonably believe that John Travolta
and Tom Cruise have a lot in common.
Unfortunately for Travolta, it would appear that Cruise is more adept at reaching the
higher echelons of the organization, which has created tension between the two.
Sources have alleged that Travolta and Cruise have a significant rivalry.
In particular, Travolta is allegedly jealous of Cruise and his preferential treatment within
the organization.
Former Scientologist Brendan Tighe said that,
"Cruise is the only celeb with a direct line to [church leader David] Miscavige.
Travolta and Kirstie don't have that."
Subsequently, this has led to rumored animosity from Travolta.
The "Grease" actor reportedly "doesn't get anything free" and has grown increasingly
resentful of Cruise, who seemingly took his place as the "favorite son" of Miscavige.
Tighe also claimed that,
"It's no secret that Cruise and Travolta despised each other.
Travolta wasn't invited to Cruise's wedding with Katie Holmes, it told me everything."
Additionally, Travolta was allegedly extremely angry when Cruise was awarded Scientology's
highest honor, the Freedom Medal of Valor.
In 2017, Radar Online reported that John Travolta had been accused of sexually assaulting a
21-year-old masseuse in 2000, which led to a sexual battery lawsuit.
The man alleged that Travolta made crude remarks and exposed his genitals during a massage.
A second man claimed that Travolta attempted to have sex with him at a hotel in 2012.
Travolta has denied the claims as "baseless," and two of the alleged victims eventually
dropped their lawsuits.
There have been other accusations over the years, but to this point, they have remained
unfounded.
John Travolta had a complicated relationship with his former friend and Scientology celebrity
liaison Spanky Taylor, who struggled to leave the controversial religion.
Taylor was allegedly cut off from Travolta more than once, and the actor eventually quit
communicating with her.
In the book "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief," author Lawrence
Wright suggests that Travolta may have played a role in Taylor's ostracization.
He wrote,
"...she realized she had been declared a Suppressive Person.
Nobody had bothered to tell her, but from now on, no Scientologist would be allowed
to talk to her."
It's alleged that Travolta's passionate promotion of the organization has been instrumental
in discouraging members of the church from leaving.
Responding to criticisms of his religion, Travolta has remained evasive.
In 2015, he did not plan to view the "Going Clear" documentary based on Wright's book.
He told the Tampa Bay Times:
"I've been so happy with my [Scientology] experience in the last 40 years that I really
don't have anything to say that would shed light on [a documentary] so decidedly negative."
Instead, he said that it "would be a crime" to speak negatively about his religion.
We all remember Tom Cruise educating Matt Lauer on the so-called "pseudoscience" of
psychiatric medication.
"Matt, Matt.
You don't even…you're glib.
You don't even know what Ritalin is."
This is in line with Scientology's reported "worldwide war against psychiatry," as outlined
in a 2014 study.
John Travolta agreed with Cruise's stance, telling W Magazine in 2007,
"I don't disagree with anything Tom says.
... I still think that if you analyze most of the school shootings, it is not gun control.
It is [psychotropic] drugs at the bottom of it."
In Travolta's case, his reported opposition to medication allegedly could have had dire
consequences.
The New York Post reported that Travolta's late son, Jett, may have been negatively impacted
by his parents' possible refusal to give him medication.
Instead, for his Kawasaki syndrome, Travolta and Kelly Preston allegedly sent Jett to "detoxification,"
which involved saunas and dieting as a means of "purification."
According to a source for CBS News, Jett was initially on an anti-seizure drug, but his
parents took him off it, supposedly due to the possibility of organ failure.
But as The Atlantic argued at the time,
"If Jett Travolta's seizures remained untreated for theological reasons, the debate is just
starting."
When Kelly Preston died of cancer, some people speculated about whether she, too, had been
denied life-saving drugs.
Regardless, Travolta is known for his interest in alternative medicine.
As Josh Brolin recounted to The New Yorker, Travolta allegedly once "cured" Marlon Brando's
leg pain using psychic healing powers, an incident which Travolta's lawyer denied.
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