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It's allegedly to honor late wife Kelly Preston, but Scientology gives it a different context.
By John Sundholm — Written on Feb 16, 2023
Since the tragic 2020 death of his wife of 29 years Kelly Preston, John Travolta has mostly kept a low profile — enough so that his recent appearance in a T-Mobile Super Bowl ad was a huge surprise.
If recent reports are true, it seems Travolta, 68, has been laying just as low in his personal life — the actor has reportedly sworn off romance forever as a way to honor Preston's memory.
But Travolta has been dogged by credible rumors about his sexuality for decades, with many attributing his unwillingness to come out as gay to the demands of the Church of Scientology and its views on homosexuality.
Given the history of allegations against the Church, of which Travolta has been a member for decades, it's hard not to wonder if there's more to Travolta's rumored new approach to his love life.
John Travolta has reportedly taken a 'vow of celibacy' since Kelly Preston's death.
According to an unnamed source whom Radar Online says it spoke with, Travolta "won't even look at" another woman, despite his friends urging him to get back to dating.
"John still considers himself married and says he will stay loyal to Kelly until the day he dies," the source reportedly told Radar.
The source went on to say that Travolta is struggling to move forward from Preston's passing, and considers it "a betrayal of Kelly's memory" to search for someone new.
"It's sad, but he's essentially taken a vow of celibacy for the rest of his life," the source claimed. "He simply can't wrap his head around ever falling in love again."
Preston's passing from breast cancer at age 57, of course, is not the only tragedy Travolta has suffered in recent years.
Travolta and Preston lost their son Jett in 2009 at just 16 years old.
Jett Travolta passed away after a fatal seizure related to his diagnosis of both autism and Kawasaki disease, both of which can cause seizures.
Radar's source says Preston's death has brought Travolta's grief over Jett's loss back to the surface, and that he "has never stopped mourning" his son.
There's no denying that Travolta's grief over the loss of his wife and the mother of his three children Jett, daughter Ella, 22, and son Benjamin, 12, must be overwhelming.
But a "vow of celibacy" by someone like Travolta comes with a very distinct context — the Church of Scientology's alleged anti-LGBTQ stances.
Former Scientologists like Michelle LeClair have reported being shunned and told being gay was a mental disorder, and have compared the Church's supposed "cures" for homosexuality to conversion therapy.
The HBO documentary "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," based on Lawrence Wright's book, says Travolta's homosexuality is key to his continued membership in the Church.
And similar to allegations about fellow Scientologist Tom Cruise's marriages to Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes, there has long been speculation that covering up his gay identity was a factor in Travolta's 1991 marriage to Preston.
Former Scientology official Mike Rinder says he witnessed John Travolta's gay relationships and it was his job to cover them up.
Rinder was a high-ranking officer in the Church for decades and has since partnered with actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini to expose the Church's alleged misdeeds in podcasts and TV series like "Scientology and the Aftermath."
As detailed in the clip below, Rinder says in his 2022 memoir "A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology" that he witnessed Travolta kissing a male massage therapist during his marriage to Preston.
Rinder also said it was part of his job to cover up Travolta's sexuality and retaliate against media outlets and former lovers of Travolta's bent on exposing him.
"The threat of a story describing a Scientologist as gay would cause panic internally," Rinder writes, "because for a Scientologist, not being ‘cured’ of homosexuality would indicate that [Scientology] doesn’t work."
Sexuality is a spectrum, and neither Travolta being gay nor bisexual nor Scientology's alleged homophobia mean his love for Preston wasn't sincere.
Ultimately, Travolta's sexual orientation is nobody's business but his own. And when it comes to the accusations against the Church of Scientology, we're unlikely to ever know for sure what the truth is.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.