Paul Haggis spent roughly 35 years as a prominent Hollywood adherent of the Church of Scientology before publicly severing ties in October 2009 — a rupture that read less like a quiet resignation and more like an ideological grenade. His decision was provoked, in part, by the Church’s public support for California’s Proposition 8 and by the organization’s practice of “disconnection” and, Haggis alleged, the smearing of ex‑members. When Haggis wrote directly to Church spokesman Tommy Davis demanding a denunciation and received silence in return, he wrote back acidly: “Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.” The departure was a public relations headache for Scientology because Haggis, like Jason Beghe before him, was a recognizable Hollywood face whose exit undermined the Church’s veneer of celebrity stability.
Preparing the daily feature…
AI concept artworkArchive Record · 2000s
The Apostate: Paul Haggis’ explosive break with Scientology and the 2011 New Yorker exposé
Paul Haggis / 2000s
Paul Haggis spent roughly 35 years as a prominent Hollywood adherent of the Church of Scientology before publicly severing ties in October 2009 — a rupture that read less like a quiet resignation and more like an ideological grenade. His decision was provoked, in part, by the Church’s public support for California’s Proposition 8 and by the organization’s practice of “disconnection” and, Haggis alleged, the smearing of ex‑members. When Haggis wrote directly to Church spokesman Tommy Davis demanding a denunciation and received silence in return, he wrote back acidly: “Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.” The departure was a public relations headache for Scientology because Haggis, like Jason Beghe before him, was a recognizable Hollywood face whose exit undermined the Church’s veneer of celebrity stability.
The daily feature is taking an intermission. There’s still an entire archive to explore.