A former security guard is sharing details about Scientology's two most famous members.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Apr 17, 2018
What's really going on with the Tom Cruise and John Travolta scientology feud? It’s no secret Hollywood and Scientology have a long and complicated relationship. The fringe religion (some, like Leah Remini and Paul Haggis, call it a cult) appeals to a lot of celebrities. That’s largely because celebrities appealed Scientology and sci-fi author founder L. Ron Hubbard. In 1973 he wrote, “Celebrities are very apecial people and have a very distinct line of dissemination. They have comm[unication] lines that others do not have and many medias [sic] to get their dissemination through.”
Which roughly translates to: “Famous people will get attention for this religion of mine.”
The recruiting and perks for famous people must work because It’s true: Lots of famous people have become Scientologists. The list includes people like singer Isaac Hayes, actress Elisabeth Moss, and vice of Bart Simpson Nancy Cartwright. But no two Hollywood A-listers are more closely associated with Scientology than Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
You would think sharing both a profession and a religion would give the two actors plenty to bond over. But it turns out that may be the exact opposite of how they really feel about each other. Former Scientology security guard Brandon Tighe tells the Daily Mail in a new interview all kinds of details about the places the two stars play in the Scientology universe.
Want to know more about the dirt Tighe is dishing on Tom and John? Read on!
1. Travolta was the first golden boy of Scientology.
John Travolta became a Scientologist in 1975 before he hit it big in Saturday Night Fever in 1978.
Back then he was a big time celebrity spokesman for the church, talking openly about his experience with the religion and crediting it with helping him on the path to success. The more famous he got, the more Scientology wanted him to be visible about his beliefs. Even into the late 90s, when he was staring in Pulp Fiction as part of his second act, he was giving Scientology good press. He and David Miscavige, the current leader of the Church of Scientology, were close and Miscavige was allegedly happy to have such a major star touting the church.
According to Tighe, “'The closest person Miscavige had ever said that about before was Travolta, who was told by Miscavige that he was he most dedicated Scientologist and had introduced more members than anyone.
2. Then along came Tom Cruise.
Travolta was an established star and and established Scientologist for years before Cruise even got into it. Cruise joined the church in 1980s on the advice of his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He says the church helped him overcome his dyslexia. At the time, he was 28 and a successful actor known for movies like Top Gun and Risky Business — so his dyslexia hadn’t slowed his roll too much up until then but hey. Maybe Scientology was the final fix for a lingering issue?
Cruise really started to climb the ranks of the Scientology world when he became friends with David Miscavige, the chief lieutenant to founder L. Ron Hubbard who took over the running of the church after Hubbard’s death in 1986. The two men are known to have an epic bromance with Miscavige catering to Cruise’s every whim and Cruise returning the favor by raising boatloads of money for the church.
3. So what’s Travolta’s beef with Cruise?
Travolta feels like he worked his way up through the Scientology ranks honestly and it rankles him that Cruise is Miscavige’s favorite. He hates the special treatment and perks Cruise gets, like special accommodations at Scientology facilities. According to Tighe, "'Travolta doesn't get anything free, no one is giving him absurd gifts like an airplane hangar, custom-made bikes, or over-the-top favors.'
4. What "over the top favors" does Cruise get?
According to Tighe, Cruise gets the best treatment of anyone at Scientology facilities. He describes the top floor of a church-owned hotel that was made over specifically to Cruise’s taste. Tighe says, 'On every other floor at the Osceola, there were seven or eight hotel rooms, but he had the whole floor. It was British colonial style. There were two four-poster beds, all African mahogany, hand made plantation-style shutters 8ft tall. 'Built-in, custom-made, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, two giant 8ft by 12ft wide entertainment systems and bead-board ceilings. They'd also put up special satellite dishes for his TV.”
And forget using a key or swipe card like everyone else. Tighe dishes, “It was beneath Cruise to have his own hotel card, so we had to make sure that he could go through all these doors and they would open and close perfectly. There's hundreds of doors, with magnetic locks and punch codes. If it took him 30 seconds to go down a hallway, no one else was allowed to use it, same with any public areas and even the urinals.”
5. What about the motorcycles?
Tom Cruise has a number of custom motorcycles. Rumor has it that the customizing was done by Scientology members at the instruction of Cruise’s BFF David Miscavige — and they had to do the work basically for free. Professional scientologists — known as Sea Org members — sign a billion year contract (yes, BILLION) and agree to work for the church for practically nothing. Sea Org members are the ones catering to Cruise’s particular whims, including making his custom bikes and cars.
6. And the airplane hangar?
Cruise has an entire airplane hangar to display his impressive collection of vehicles, Scientology made and otherwise. The hanger is custom decorated and all the labor was done by Sea Org members. A former Scientologist named John Brosseau who claims he did a lot of the work told Gawker, "All this trussing was part of tricking out Tom's hangar for him. Designing, fabricating and supervising the whole job was a gift from [Miscavige]."
"...Tom paid for all the materials, but 99% of the work was done by Sea Org members. And they were paid $50.00 per week by the Church while doing this. Huge 3 dimensional signs to hang from this truss system were designed and manufactured by Sea Org members. Hundreds of man-hours were spent doing this. Huge draperies to hang behind the signs were sewn at [Scientology's in-house] Golden Era Productions as well.”
7. But that’s not what really bothers Travolta.
The real bad feelings between the two men goes back to 2008 the Miscavige awarded Cruise with the Freedom Medal of Valor — the highest award in Scientology given to its most dedicated member. Travolta didn’t think Cruise was as dedicated as he was and fired off a letter telling Miscavige exactly how he felt.
Tighe recalls, “When Cruise got that medal Travolta was so p***ed off. The closest person Miscavige had ever said that about before was Travolta, he was told by Miscavige that he was he most dedicated Scientologist and had introduced more members than anyone, so it was like getting his title stripped, he was jealous. Travolta dictated a scathing letter to his chauffeur, who had to write to Miscavige asking, 'What the hell is this medal was all about?'"
8. How does Cruise feel?
Well, Cruise doesn’t talk about Travolta but Travolta wasn’t at his wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006. Tighe says, “Travolta wasn't invited to Cruise's wedding with Katie Holmes, it told me everything.”
9. But Travolta isn’t going to win this feud.
Tom Cruise is Scientology and Scientology is Tom Cruise at this point. David Miscavige has put so many eggs in the Tom Cruise basket that it’s hard to imagine him turning his back on the actor. Tom is Scientology royalty and he has the status to prove it, according to his former personal chef Sinar Parman in an interview with the Daily Mail in 2015, "Tom has his own office and staff and dedicated Sea Org members to look after his every whim from an in-house counselor to an assistant washing and waxing his cars all day long.
Parman goes on to say, "He was being loved. There were people working for him. If he needs cigars, anything, he can get it. He had an assistant, and a couple of people underneath them, plus a driver."
Travolta may wish for the Cruise treatment but he's not getting it and it looks like he never will.
Rebekah Kuschmider is a DC area writer with a background in non-profit management and advocacy Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and is a contributor the book Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox . She is a cohost of the weekly political podcast The More Perfect Union.
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