Actor and musician John Stamos shares his intriguing encounter with the Church of Scientology, revealing his initial attraction, bizarre experiences, and ultimate disillusionment.
In the glittering world of entertainment, John Stamos has enjoyed a storied career. However, few people know about his brief dalliance with the Church of Scientology, a chapter in his life that has remained largely under wraps—until now.
In a recent episode of the "Friends in High Places" podcast, Stamos shed light on his brush with Scientology, which began when he was just 17 years old. Intrigued by a "hot girl" and the enigmatic John Travolta, Stamos found himself drawn to the church's allure.
John Stamos' Brush with Scientology: Intrigue, Disillusionment and a John Travolta Obsession
"With me, I was in an acting class and there was a hot girl [who] said to me, ‘You know we’re all meeting at this [place] on Hollywood Boulevard, you should come after [class],’" Stamos recalled. "I was working at my dad’s restaurant at the time and I said, ‘Dad, I gotta go.’ So, I went and it was the Scientology building."
Travolta's iconic role in "Grease" had left a profound impact on Stamos, who yearned to emulate the actor's charisma and success. "Seeing ['Grease'] was like, ‘I wanna be that,'" Stamos said. "I wanted to be John Travolta, I still do. Well, minus the whatever it is that they do."
John Stamos' Brush with Scientology: Intrigue, Disillusionment and a John Travolta Obsession
Upon his arrival at the Scientology building, Stamos was introduced to the church's E-Meter device, a tool used to measure spiritual energy. However, Stamos's playful antics with the device, including imitating the voice of Sherman from the classic cartoon "Peabody and Sherman," did not sit well with the church officials.
"I was doing a ‘Peabody and Sherman’ [impression] and they didn’t like that," Stamos admitted. "Then, I was just f---ing around so much, they said, ‘Get out [and] get going.’ They just kicked me out."
John Stamos' Brush with Scientology: Intrigue, Disillusionment and a John Travolta Obsession
Host Matt Friend suggested that Stamos's "annoying" behavior may have ultimately prevented him from joining the church. Stamos concurred, saying, "That’s pretty bad, I must have been terrible."
In his 2023 memoir, "If You Would Have Told Me," Stamos detailed his brief experience with Scientology, describing how he was given a "brick-sized" book to read and questioned about his personal life in a confrontational manner.
"I’m walking to my car and Mia runs out and hands me my workbooks," Stamos wrote, per US Weekly. "‘Hey, you forgot these.’ She adds an extra book, the size of a brick, to my stack. ‘Start with this one,’ she says, smiling. ‘I think it will open your eyes to some amazing things.’"
Despite his initial curiosity, Stamos soon realized that the church was not a place where he belonged. "It's creepy as f---," he said in the podcast. "They ask you into this room, which is like a small room, it's like a closet. And you got this guy sitting there with an E-Meter and he's like, ‘We are a process-oriented organization. You can ask questions and we can answer them, but don't ask questions about the organization or what we believe in.’"
Stamos's brief encounter with Scientology taught him a valuable lesson about the importance of critical thinking and the dangers of blind adherence to ideologies. Today, he remains a successful actor and musician, far removed from the enigmatic world of organized religion.
