339: How One Tree Hill Star Bethany Joy Lenz Broke Free From a Cult
Preacher Boys Podcast
Eric Skwarczynski
4.6 • 701 Ratings
🗓️ 17 November 2024
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
📚 Get a Copy of Bethany’s memoir, Dinner for Vampires, here: https://amzn.to/3O7AAiB
In this deeply moving episode of the Preacher Boys Podcast, I sit down with Bethany Joy Lenz—actress, singer, and New York Times bestselling author of Dinner for Vampires. Best known for her decade-long role on One Tree Hill, Bethany shares her extraordinary story of resilience, breaking free from a high-control Bible study-turned-cult, and finding healing after years of manipulation and abuse.
We dive into her new memoir, Dinner for Vampires, which unveils her secret double life: starring on one of TV's most beloved shows while enduring the suffocating grip of "The Big House Family." Bethany’s inspiring journey reveals how she reclaimed her autonomy and faith, offering profound lessons for anyone navigating life's darkest moments.
Topics We Cover:
– The hidden dangers of cults disguised as safe spaces
– How her evangelical upbringing made her susceptible to manipulation
– Balancing the highs of One Tree Hill with the lows of life in a cult
– The pivotal role of motherhood in her decision to leave
– Practical advice for spotting and avoiding high-control groups
About Bethany Joy Lenz:
Bethany is a multi-talented artist who rose to fame as Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill. She has also starred in Guiding Light, Grey’s Anatomy, Charmed, Felicity, Suits, Dexter, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. A passionate musician, Bethany has released several albums, cohosts the hit podcast Drama Queens, and serves as founder/editor-in-chief of the broadsheet newspaper Modern Vintage News.
📚 Order Bethany’s memoir, Dinner for Vampires, here: https://amzn.to/3O7AAiB
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small commission from purchases made through the links in this YouTube description.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations. |
| 0:06.1 | Listener discretion is advised. My name is Eric Skrinski. As a former religious fundamentalist, |
| 0:13.0 | I'm shedding light on the dark side of the church, from the pulpit to the pews. But I'm not |
| 0:18.5 | doing it alone. Each week, I'm sitting down with survivors, |
| 0:21.8 | advocates, authors, and more to uncover the inner workings of these abusive religious groups |
| 0:27.3 | to give tactical tips on how to escape and to find out what we can do to take them down. |
| 0:34.3 | You're listening to the Bridge Boys podcast. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the show. I am so |
| 0:39.4 | excited to welcome Bethany Joy Lentz to the podcast today. Now, many of you might know Joy from |
| 0:45.1 | her portrayal of Haley in almost a decade long run on the cult TV show called One Tree Hill, |
| 0:51.3 | but what you might not know is that during her time on this show, |
| 0:54.9 | she was actually involved in a real-life cult. As a former fundamentalist myself, I just knew I |
| 1:01.0 | need to have a conversation with Joy about her experiences. We had a great conversation about |
| 1:05.2 | her early childhood as an actor, how she was drawn into this particular cult, and of course, our favorite part of all |
| 1:12.1 | these stories, how she left and how she has healed since leaving a high control group. |
| 1:17.9 | This conversation was fantastic, but if you want to go deeper into Joy's story, I highly |
| 1:22.5 | encourage that you pick up a copy of Dinner for Vampires, wherever books are sold. |
| 1:26.9 | It's a New York Times bestseller for her |
| 1:28.7 | reason. It's an absolutely fantastic book, and I know that all of you in my audience are going to |
| 1:32.9 | resonate with aspects of her story. But that's enough for me for now. Go ahead and grab a copy |
| 1:37.5 | of the book. And while you're doing that, let's get started with my conversation with Bethany Joy Lutz. Joy, thank you so much for joining me on today's episode. |
| 1:45.3 | Thanks for having me. This is so cool. I'm thrilled to be here. Thanks, Eric. I have to get a |
| 1:49.5 | selfish question out of the way first. Okay. I'm a huge horror fan, and I have to ask you |
... |
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