Valerie Haney, a former Scientologist, revealed more details about a rumored program where the controversial church auditioned women to be Tom Cruise‘s girlfriends.
In a new interview with The Underground Bunker, where journalist Tony Ortega reports on Scientology, Haney discussed Cruise’s relationship with Scientology leader David Miscavige, saying, “They worshiped each other.”
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Haney then claimed Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, told her she was in charge of finding Cruise his next girlfriend in 2004. Cruise divorced Nicole Kidman in 2001; and eventually married Katie Holmes in 2006, who later divorced him in 2012.
“She thought it was ridiculous,” Haney said of Shelly’s feelings about the program. “She was just doing what Dave asked her to do. But it absolutely happened.”
After Cruise and Holmes divorced in 2012, rumors of “auditions” for Cruise’s next girlfriend began to appear. At the time, Vanity Fair reported that Nazanin Boniadi was “selected” to be Cruise’s girlfriend before he began dating Holmes. In June, former Scientologist Brendan Tighe claimed Scarlett Johansson auditioned to be a girlfriend for Cruise. Johansson later denied that in a statement to Vanity Fair.
“The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning,” Johansson said at the time. “I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships. Only a man, a.k.a. Brendan Tighe, would come up with a crazy story like that.”
In her interview with Ortega, Haney claimed Shelly was “perturbed” by her husband’s “bromance” with Cruise. Things came to a head during a birthday party Miscavige hosted for Cruise on his yacht, Freewinds in 2004.
“Shelly was getting sick of Dave’s lack of response to her, and of his arrogance and the way he was mistreating other people,” Haney claims. “On the Freewinds, he denigrated Shelly in front of the other executives. She was crying in her room.”
The relationship between the Miscaviages only got worse from there. “Shelly was pissed off all the time. Dave was raging at everyone day after day… And he had nothing for Shelly. So she was crying every night,” Haney claims.
Shelly has not been seen in public since 2007, and Leah Remini filed a missing persons report in 2013 with the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPD closed the case, classifying Remini’s report as “unfounded.” Haney claimed she last saw Shelly in 2006.
Haney was a member of the Church of Scientology‘s Sea Org for 22 years and was interviewed during the third season premiere of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. The church disputed Haney’s claims and released a video calling Haney “Leah’s Paid Liar.”
“The Church of Scientology stated that Valerie Haney is outright lying and making up stories, as part of her employment for Leah Remini,” Scientology said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
New episodes of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath air on A&E Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
Photo credit: Emmanuel Wong/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures
