Wednesday 15 February 2017

Disney stars who fell off the face of the earth

Erik von Detten

With that shaggy blond hair and those smoldering good looks, Erik von Detten was the real deal in the late '90s and early 2000s. He was a Disney Channel regular, appearing in a multitude of its shows and movies, including Brink! (1998), Odd Man Out (1999-2000), So Weird (1999-2001), and the ever-popular The Princess Diaries franchise.

Unfortunately, von Detten left our lives as quickly as he came in. He has steered clear of Hollywood since 2004, except for reprising his role as Sid in Toy Story 3 in 2010. Thanks to that gig, von Detten made a rare appearance at the film's premiere—only to prove that he's still a total babe. While the movie premiere was his last appearance promoting a personal project, von Detten was spotted out in 2016, when he attended the premiere of Adventures in Babysitting with his two adorable children—who clearly have inherited some of their dad's great genes.

Christy Carlson Romano

Christy Carlson Romano is now the type of "perfect" that her characters in Even Stevens (2000-2003), Kim Possible (2002-07), and Cadet Kelly (2002) always wanted to be. The actress is a happily married woman, a teen novelist, a Columbia University graduate, and a Broadway alum, having starred as Belle in the stage production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. She's also racked up quite the resume in voice acting, including as the voice of the Disney board game "Scene It: Deluxe Edition." In recent years, Romano appeared in the television movies Deadly Daycare (2014) and Christmas with the Andersons (2016) as appeared in Wes Craven's thriller The Girl in the Photographs (2015). Romano became a mother in December 2016, when she and her husband—producer Brendan Rooney—welcomed their first child, a daughter named Isabella Victoria.

Adam Lamberg

If you were a fan of Lizzie McGuire (2001-04), then Gordo (played by the adorable Adam Lamberg) was probably one of your favorite characters. As much as we would have loved to see more of Lamberg on the big or small screen, it just wasn't in the cards. Except for a couple of appearances in small-budget films in the late 2000s, Adam opted to walk away from Hollywood. The Disney star graduated in 2008 from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in geography. According to his LinkedIn profile, Lamberg completed a master's degree in public administration from Baruch College and works as a developmental associate at the Irish Arts Center in New York City.

Ashlie Brillault

Ashlie Brillault's casting as mean-girl Kate Sanders in Lizzie McGuire seemed like a perfect fit, but the feeling wasn't mutual, because after playing Kate for the last time in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), Brillault gave up acting. According to her LinkedIn profile, she briefly worked as a volunteer attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Jails Project, before going on to become a criminal defense attorney for a private law firm.

At the time of this writing, Brillault was living with her daughter and husband out of the limelight. "At the moment I'm focusing on being a mom to this amazing little human being and in the next few months I plan on looking for a job as a lawyer in the civil rights or criminal defense field," she told MTV News in 2015. "My ultimate goal is to work on issues related to criminal justice reform." It's a far cry from Hollywood, but with so much going for her these days, we're pretty sure Brillault is living "fabulously ever after."

Alana Austin

Alana Austin was every young tomboy's idol when Motocrossed premiered in 2001. She was sporty, pretty, and got the hot guy in the end. While many girls considered signing up for motocross after the movie aired, Austin was signing out of the acting world. Her last role was in 2006 where she played a small part in the TV series Close to Home. At the time of this writing, Austin appears to be focusing on a writing career. She's quite active on both Instagram and Twitter, sharing pictures of her travels with friends and calling herself a "Full time Muggle, part-time unicorn," which sounds like an awesome job description, in our opinion!

Nick Spano

Nick Spano, better known as Donnie Stevens from Even Stevens, was and still is a total babe. After The Even Stevens Movie in 2003, Spano popped up in some small television roles, particularly in crime dramas such as Cold Case and NCIS. According to his Facebook, he studied English literature at UCLA and taught acting classes for the John Robert Powers acting agency. These days, he's busy with his L.A. community organization, Re/Creation Cafe—a creative space to "recreate oneself through play."

Steven Anthony Lawrence

If you saw Steven Anthony Lawrence today, you'd be forgiven for not recognizing him as Beans, the Even Stevens character he played on the Disney Channel. What I'm doing now is actually teaching mainly," he told The Huffington Post in February 2015. "I get a really big kick out of it." He's also led seminars at various California colleges, including USC, Berkeley, and Pepperdine.

In late 2015, Even Stevens fans who happened to be visiting the Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord, Calif. got quite a surprise when they spotted Lawrence working as a Santa's helper at the popular mall. That unexpected gig might be related to Steven's upcoming project. He is slated to star in a 2018 holiday movie about two bumbling elves titled Holly, Jingles and Clyde 3D.

Katie Volding

In her early years, Katie Volding made a name for herself on Disney as an annoying little sister with a gigantic heart. In addition to starring in Brink! (1998) and Smart House (1999), Volding also appeared in the Au Pair series of films—the last of which hit theaters in 2009. However, it seems her desire to continue acting faded as she aged because her role in Au Pair 3 was her last acting credit, according to her IMDb page.

Chez Starbuck

When The Thirteenth Year premiered in 1999, Chez Starbuck was the hunkiest merboy we'd ever seen. In 2011, he made a cameo as himself in The L Word, lost 50 pounds, and appeared on Live Big with Ali Vincent to tone up his bod. Since then, Starbuck has gotten into bodybuilding, at least by the looks of his Instagram account. He's also a talented artist, creating unique and pop-art inspired pieces for commission, and he started a business creating custom kitchen and pantry organization solutions for homeowners. At the time of this writing, Chez and his wife live in Austin, Texas and are currently expecting a baby as well as the release of The Long and the Short, Chez's first movie role in more than a decade.

Cara DeLizia

Cara DeLizia played the memorable, and very inquisitive, Fi on So Weird from 1999 to 2000. After her character was written off in the show's second season, DeLizia went on to appear in Boston Public and guest star on NYPD Blue and The West Wing. She retired from acting in 2012, and according to her Facebook page, now serves as the executive director of the Pou Timoun Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping Haitian children at the Foyer de Sion orphanage in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti.

Ricky Ullman

As the title character in Phil of the Future (2004-06) Raviv "Ricky" Ullman captured kids' imaginations as a futuristic teen accidentally transplanted into 21st century America. While Raviv hasn't completely abandoned acting, his roles in recent years have been smaller, and Ullman has largely transitioned to a career on and off Broadway in stage roles. In 2015, he appeared in the dark comedy play Bad Jews. Ullman also plays in the band Reputante, which put out an EP called Oceanside in 2013.

Will Friedle

You know him as Eric Matthews, the popular (and occasionally moronic) older brother on Boy Meets World (1993-2000) and the spin-off Disney series Girl Meets World (2014-). Friedle was also a regular voice actor on the Disney animated series Kim Possible as the character Ron Stoppable. What's Friedle up to today, and more importantly—does he still have that amazing hair?

At the time of this writing, Girl Meets World is still airing new episodes, so if you have a hankering for some Friedle in your life, you should definitely check it out. Beyond that, he has focused much of his recent career on voice acting, bringing to life popular characters from comic books and video games, including Deadpool, Nightwing, Splinter, Bumblebee, and Seifer. Friedle keeps much of his personal life private, but in 2016, he did share a photo with a beautiful woman—at their wedding! While we don't know the identity of the lovely lady, we wish her and Friedle all the best.

Brandon Baker

In the Disney Channel movie Johnny Tsunami (1999) and its sequel Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board (2007), Brandon Baker snowboarded his way into our hearts as the teenage grandson of a surfing legend. But what has Baker been doing since he outgrew those roles?

He keeps a fairly low profile, but Baker has continued to act, and while he doesn't post on social media frequently, a look at his Instagram indicated that he loves to travel, having shared photos from Norway, Estonia, and the Hoh Rainforest.

Tiffany Thornton

As the self-obsessed Tawni Hart, who eventually becomes Sonny's best friend on Sonny with a Chance (2009-11) and So Random! (2011-12), Tiffany Thornton quickly rose to prominence among the Disney Channel's group of young stars. She's appeared in a few roles and voice acting jobs in the years since, blogs for Disney Baby, and was a morning radio host for the Hot Springs, Ark. radio station KLAZ. In late 2015, Thornton's husband was tragically killed in a car accident, leaving Thornton to raise their two children alone. She's been focused on raising her family and serving as a worship leader, traveling around the country to conferences about youth ministry.

Orlando Brown

As Eddie Thomas on That's So Raven (2003-07) Orlando Brown frequently played the "big brother" figure to Raven-Symoné's character, making sure to point out when she ignored his advice: "Told ya! Told ya twice!" Since the show's conclusion, Brown has kept busy both making music and acting, recently appearing in the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton (2015).

Outside of his career, Brown has faced some personal struggles in recent years. He was arrested on battery and other charges in February 2016, and in a November 2016 interview, fans wondered if the former child star may be mentally impaired after he used graphic sound effects to describe his alleged past relationship with Raven-Symoné. Perhaps not surprisingly, Raven-Symoné announced that "Eddie" has been recast for the Disney Channel spin-off That's So Raven 2.

Jason Earles

Jason Earles has always had a baby face, making him a great choice to play younger characters. Earles was 29 years old when Hannah Montana (2006-11) began, making him 13 years older than the character he played on the series—Miley Stewart's 16-year-old brother, Jackson. When Hannah Montana went off the air, Earles kept himself busy with various voice acting roles and by playing the lead martial arts instructor on the Disney XD show Kickin' It (2011-2015).

Jennifer Stone

Jennifer Stone charmed her way into our hearts as Harper, the non-magical best friend of Alex (Selena Gomez) on Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-12). For four seasons, Harper served as the voice of reason to Alex's crazy schemes, and we loved her for it. After Wizards went off the air, Stone effectively retired from acting for several years. Recently, she has appeared in a couple of TV episodes, and at the time of this writing, her IMDb lists her among the cast of the upcoming comedy The Perfect Night. You can also catch Stone on Instagram, where she shares photos of her awesome artwork—some of which is for sale on her Etsy shop!

Kirsten Storms

In one of the best early Disney Channel original movies, Kirsten Storms plays the unforgettable Zenon Kar, who saves a space station (her home) from destruction at the hands of a dastardly bad guy. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999) was so popular it spawned two sequels and landed Storms additional acting work—both as a regular character on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives and voice acting on the Disney animated series Kim Possible. At the time of this writing, she's playing the role of Maxie Jones on the soap opera General Hospital.

What Disney Channel stars look like today

 What Disney Channel stars look like today

Stacy Ferguson

Long before "My Humps" and super-stardom with The Black-Eyed Peas and as a solo artist, "Fergie" was just Stacy Ann Ferguson, a cast member on Disney's Kids Incorporated (1984-93). As part of the show's "fake" band, Ferguson was one of the longest-running cast members on the series, appearing in six seasons. She later formed the girl band Wild Orchid with fellow Kids Incorporated star Renee Sandstrom and two other ladies. The rest is "Fergalicious" history.

Mario Lopez

While it was most definitely his appearance as A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell (1989-92) that propelled Mario Lopez to fame and fortune, he got his start with Disney, alongside Ferguson on Kids Incorporated. From 1984 to 1986, Lopez appeared as a "drummer," backup dancer, and singer on the show. The dancing experience would later serve him well during his performances as a contestant on the third season of Dancing with the Stars. Since his Disney days, Lopez has built up a very respectable Hollywood resumé, with roles on dozens of shows, TV movies, and films, including his hosting gig on the entertainment news magazine Extra.

Jewel Staite

You probably know her best as Kaylee Frye from Firefly (2002-03) or Dr. Jennifer Grant on Stargate: Atlantis (2004-09), but Staite got her start in Hollywood as a child star, and her first major role was on the very first Disney Channel original series: Flash Forward (2009-10). In the show, Staite plays 13-year-old Becca Fisher, who does her best to navigate the obstacles of eighth grade.

Shia LaBeouf

Long before Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) or the Transformers movie franchise (2007-), Shia LaBeouf was a favorite among the younger crowd thanks to his role on Disney's Even Stevens (2000-03). His performance as the mischievous and boisterous Louis Stevens earned LeBouf a Daytime Emmy Award in 2003. He transformed from Disney kid to the big screen with his appearance on the adventure comedy Holes in 2003 and has continued to make waves both on and off-screen.

Hilary Duff

As the title character on the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire (2001-04), Hilary Duff was propelled to superstardom in the early 2000s. The success of the series earned her legions of fans and a multitude of other projects for the network, including movies such as Cadet Kelly (2002) and a musical career. After hitting adulthood, Duff shifted her focus to independent films and wrote several successful fiction novels. At the time of this writing, she's been playing the 20-something Kelsey Peters on the popular comedy-drama TV series Younger (2015-).

Keri Russell

When Disney decided to revive one of its oldest shows with The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in 1989, it packed the cast with a horde of potential young stars. Keri Russell was among the new squad, appearing on the series from 1991 to 1993. She went on to become a household name with her role as the title character on the television drama Felicity (1998-2002). In recent years, she's returned to the small screen, appearing as Elizabeth Jennings on the FX period drama The Americans (2013-), a role which has earned her both Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

JC Chasez

JC Chasez became world famous as one-fifth of the superstar boy band *NSYNC, but before the group made it big, he was a Mouseketeer on the rebooted version of Disney's The Mickey Mouse Club. After ruling the pop charts with bandmates Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Lance Bass, Chasez shifted into a solo musical career and returned to television as a judge on America's Best Dance Crew (2008-15).

Brenda Song

Brenda Song got her start in show business as a child fashion model, and at 14, she signed a contract with Disney and appeared in two of its original movies, Get a Clue (2002) and Stuck in the Suburbs (2004). In 2005, Disney cast Song as the wealthy and clueless London Tipton in its hit sitcom, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005-08), launching her into the big time alongside co-stars Ashley Tisdale and twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse. After Suite Life, Song continued her success in Hollywood with appearances in films such as The Social Network (2010). At the time of this writing, she's making a splash on the CBS medical drama Pure Genius (2016-)

Moisés Arias

As Rico Suave on Disney's smash hit series Hannah Montana (2006-11), Moisés Arias was the antagonist you loved to hate. When the show wrapped, he continued his acting career with a multitude of various roles in TV and film. Most notably, Arias appeared as the hard-nosed Bonzo Madrid in the film adaptation of Ender's Game (2013) and as Dismas in Ben-Hur (2016).

David Henrie

While perhaps best known to most audiences as Ted Mosby's future son on the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005-14), David Henrie is well-known to Disney fans for his recurring gig on That's So Raven (2003-07) and his leading role as Justin Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-12). After Henrie and Disney parted ways, he continued to work in film and television. At the time of this writing, he's slated to play a young Ronald Reagan in the upcoming biopic, Reagan.

Sterling Knight

If you've been watching Disney in recent years, Sterling Knight is probably a familiar face. He portrayed Chad Dylan Cooper on the teen sitcom Sonny with a Chance (2009-11) and its spin-off, So Random! (2011-12). Since then, Knight has appeared in a handful of TV shows and movies and played the role of Nate on the short-lived NBC sitcom Crowded (2016).

Debby Ryan

Like fellow Disney starlets Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, and Selena Gomez, Debby Ryan practically grew up on the Disney Channel. She was introduced to audiences through her role as Bailey in The Suite Life on Deck (2008-11), before landing an even bigger gig in the TV movie 16 Wishes (2010). Ryan dabbled in music and behind-the-scenes production before landing her own show, Jessie (2011-15), in which she plays a small-town Texas girl who moves to the Big Apple in search of stardom. Ryan even directed an episode of Jessie, making her the youngest director of a Disney production. At the time of this writing, she's working on the VH1 drama series Daytime Divas, which premieres in 2017.

Adam Hicks

As a Disney Channel star, Adam Hicks was one of the network's top young, male actors. He was involved in multiple Disney shows and movies, including Jonas (2009-10), Lemonade Mouth (2011), So Random!, and Pair of Kings (2010-13). Hicks is perhaps best known to Disney fans for his role as the aspiring skateboarder Luther on the series Zeke and Luther (2009-12). He's still acting but has definitely moved away from the family-friendly fare. His most recent projects include the erotic thriller The Boy Next Door (2015) starring Jennifer Lopez and the Hulu original horror series Freakish (2016-)

Raven-Symoné

While she first stormed into the spotlight on The Cosby Show (1984-92) as the precocious Olivia, Raven-Symoné gained legions of new fans when she made the transition to Disney as a teen. She started out with a voice-acting role as Monique on Kim Possible (2002-07), before landing her own live-action Disney series, That's So Raven. She had also been nurturing a budding musical career, and the Disney original movie The Cheetah Girls (2003) became the project that launched her to super-stardom as both an actress and a singer. She voiced Iridessa on Disney's Tinker Bell movie franchise, then became a host on The View in 2015. At the time of this writing, she's focused on a That's So Raven spin-off scheduled to premiere in 2017.

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens made it big when she appeared in Disney's smash High School Musical (2006) movie with co-stars Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale. The instant fame opened doors in the entertainment industry. Hudgens returned to Disney for High School Musical 2 (2007) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), then graduated from the Disney sphere and dove into stage productions such as Rent and Gigi. In 2016, she played Rizzo in the FOX production of Grease: Live, and at the time of this writing, she stars in the NBC comedy series Powerless (2017-).

Bridgit Mendler

While Bridgit Mendler first became a familiar face on Disney with her recurring role as Juliet on Wizards of Waverly Place, it wasn't until she earned her own Disney show, Good Luck Charlie (2010-14), that she became a household name among younger crowds. A starring role in the Disney movie Lemonade Mouth and a record deal with Disney's Hollywood Records soon followed. Her career is still going strong. In 2016, Mendler released her second album, was cast in the CMT television series Nashville, and graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in anthropology.

Kimberly J. Brown

She played the plucky heroine Marnie Piper in Disney's Halloweentown (1998) movie alongside Debbie Reynolds, but unlike many of the other Disney stars on our list, her role on the channel did not propel her to fortune and fame. Since her appearance in the second Halloweentown sequel in 2004, Brown has collected only a handful of acting credits. In 2013, she appeared in the AMC crime drama Low Winter Sun, but we're still waiting for her comeback to dawn.

Tony Lucca

Another alum of The All New Mickey Mouse Club, Tony Lucca was on the reboot from 1991-1994. Along with castmates Aguilera and Gosling, Lucca would go on to bigger and better things after the show's cancellation. He launched a mildly successful music career that enjoyed a big boost when he appeared on Season 2 of The Voice in 2012. Lucca is still pursuing music, and according to his Twitter account, he's touring in 2017.

The crazy things Tom Cruise has done for Scientology

The crazy things Tom Cruise has done for ScientologyThat "recruitment" video

During a ceremony to award Cruise the prestigious Freedom Medal from the International Association of Scientologists, the Mission Impossible star appeared in a pre-recorded video. That footage, which was leaked online in 2008, claims Cruise introduced the church's "technology" to more than one billion people. Wearing a black turtleneck and addressing the camera confessional-style, Cruise manically rambles about the benefits of the church, switching rapidly from what feels like forced laughter to fire-eyed intensity. The effect makes him come off looking like he might be on another planet entirely.

The statements he makes about the abilities of Scientology practitioners are equally out-of-this-world. In addition to "getting people off drugs using the mind, rehabilitating criminals, and uniting cultures," Cruise also uses a hypothetical car accident to exemplify what sets a Scientologist apart from everyone else. According to Cruise, if you're a Scientologist you have to stop to render aid at the accident scene because "you know you're the only one that can really help." So, jokes on you if you've been studying to become an EMT.

Needless to say, the leaked video became publicity nightmare to the notoriously press-shy church. It reportedly scrambled to get the clip removed from YouTube, which only intensified the buzz about it, and even sparked a protest by the hacktivist group, Anonymous. The video remains online for all to see and is generally considered a jumping-off point for anyone seeking to understand the alleged benefits of Scientology.

The church may have helped destroy his marriage to Nicole Kidman

According to former Scientologist Bruce Hines, actress Nicole Kidman gave Scientology a shot. In a Vanity Fair expose, Hines said he audited Kidman. "Auditing is a very big deal in Scientology," reported the magazine, describing the process as a sort of "Roman Catholic confession" meets "lie detector" test. Kidman supposedly reached the church's O.T.II level, which was just one step below Cruise and his fabled O.T. III level, which is also known as the "Wall of Fire." According to Vanity Fair, church members at that level get to read founder L. Ron Hubbards "secret writings" that reveal—Are you ready for this?—"how 75 million years ago a galactic emperor named Xenu sent millions of frozen souls on spaceships from his overpopulated kingdom to the bases of volcanoes on Earth; the volcanoes were hydrogen-bombed, and today the scattered and reincarnated spiritual beings, or 'thetans,' pick up human bodies as 'containers' to inhabit."

Around this time, Cruise allegedly "followed Kidman's lead away from the organization," Vanity Fair reported, and that supposedly did not sit well with Scientology head David Miscavige, who allegedly spearheaded an effort to bring Cruise back into the fold. Miscavige succeeded in "driving a wedge in Cruise and Kidman's marriage," according to a panel of former Scientologists and the filmmakers behind the HBO documentary, Going Clear. In the film (via Vanity Fair), another former high-ranking Scientologist-turned-whistleblower named Marty Rathbun alleged that "at Tom's behest," Miscavige ordered him to "go and tap Nicole Kidman's phone." Granted, that's hearsay upon hearsay, and, of course, the church vehemently denies it all, but there is no doubt that Kidman is no longer associated with Scientology and hasn't been since the breakup of her marriage to Cruise. Something happened there, and we're willing to bet it was a fundamental disagreement over whether or not to believe the human race is actually made up of ancient, frozen, alien souls.

Did he enlist the church to 'cast' him a new girlfriend?

Included in the aforementioned Vanity Fair investigation is a detailed breakdown of the "audition process" the church supposedly used to find Cruise a girlfriend. The so-called casting call was allegedly sparked by Cruise lamenting to Scientology head Miscavige that he "didn't have a girl." Supposedly, Miscavige put his wife, Shelly Miscavige, in charge of something we're calling Mission Should Be Very Possible: Find Tom Cruise a Date. According to Marc and Claire Headley, more former high-ranking Scientologists who worked closely with Shelly, the Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi was hand-picked for Cruise.

Though her romance with the Vanilla Sky (2001) leading man was a whirlwind—Boniadi supposedly even moved into Cruise's lavish mansion—the courtship was strange from the start. According to Vanity Fair, Boniadi was scrutinized and monitored by church officials and subjected to instructions about how to behave around Cruise and how to alter her physical appearance. (Cruise allegedly brought in a hair stylist for her and also wanted her incisor teeth filed down.) Their tryst was brief. The perplexing final straw apparently occurred over Boniadi asking Miscavige to repeat himself in conversation (she is not a native English speaker), which for some reason enraged Cruise past the point of reconciliation. He supposedly then shipped her away to a Scientology center in Florida where she performed grueling manual labor (e.g. scrubbing toilets with toothbrushes) to atone for her "errors."

You can't make this stuff up, or maybe you can, but that's the way the story was reported in Vanity Fair. A Scientology spokesperson told the magazine, "The Church does not 'punish' people, especially in [that] manner."

He attacked Scientology's nemesis: psychiatry

Aside from the time he jumped all over Oprah's couch like a nerd who just convinced the Homecoming Queen to be his date to the dance, Cruise's most infamous TV appearance has to be his fantastically bizarre reprimand of Matt Lauer on NBC's Today. What sparked the confrontation was Lauer's simple suggestion that psychopharmacological drugs couldn't be entirely evil if some people experienced a benefit by using them. It's important to note here that Scientology founder Hubbard despised the field of psychiatry so much that the church has a dedicated division called the "Citizens Commission on Human Rights," which claims to be a "watchdog investigating and exposing psychiatric human rights violations."

With that in mind, it becomes a little more clear why Cruise, who was defending his criticism of actress Brooke Shields for using drugs and psychiatric therapy to treat her postpartum depression, would go so far as to declare psychiatry "pseudo-science." What's not so clear is why Cruise became so irritated with Lauer, calling the famous news anchor "glib" for not doing extensive research on Ritalin and the history of psychiatry.

We can't help but ask: why would either man be expected to do that? Let's be real: Lauer hosts a fairly light morning news program and Cruise starred in Days of Thunder (1990). Everybody could use a little medical advice from Cole Trickle, right?

Did he exile his 14-year-old niece from the family?

Since the Going Clear documentary debuted, Scientologists have been defecting left and right, and some have spoken out in-depth about their allegedly traumatic experiences with the church. Nick Lister is one of those defectors, and he has a particularly disturbing claim about his friend, Jamie Lesavoy, being "disconnected" from her family. Disconnection is the policy by which church members are instructed to cease all communication with people who are deemed an enemy of the church or a "suppressive person." Sadly, this policy also applies to family members, which has resulted in the fracturing of many families for many years.

Lesavoy is Tom Cruise's niece, and according to Lister, she committed the egregious sin of kissing a boy at Cruise's house when she was 14. She was caught on security cameras, which Cruise and others observed. According to Lister, (via The Underground Bunker), Cruise considered Lesavoy's behavior "unbecoming of a Scientologist and out-PR" (creating a bad image for oneself or Scientology)." Consequently, she was allegedly banished to a Scientology center and then sent to live with another family to work on "lower ethics conditions," which are "a series of steps one does to make amends for having done wrong," according to The Underground Bunker. This reportedly took two years, and Lesavoy was allegedly limited to only phone contact with her mother until she was deemed fit to return to her family. Lesavoy is supposedly still a Scientologist, to which we have to ask: what are they serving at the annual Cruise family potluck that made suffering through that kind of treatment worth it?

He may have offered to help discipline insubordinates

Church leader Miscavige has a reputation for a fast temper and for utilizing brutal tactics to enforce his interpretation of the religion. With Cruise's intense devotions, as well as the fact that he and Miscavige are extremely close, it's no surprise the Eyes Wide Shut (1999) star allegedly offered to "beat the living [beep]" out of some insubordinate members for improperly preparing the church's Hemet, Calif. compound for his visit. These claims were made public by Marty Rathbun, another former high-ranking Scientologist, who detailed the incident in a letter to Cruise's lawyer, Bert Fields, which was then excerpted by the New York Daily News. Allegedly, three men were "incarcerated" and repeatedly beaten by Miscavige and others after Miscavige threatened that Cruise was on his way to take part, as reported in the Daily News. The church has denied up and down that the punishment even occurred or that Miscavige threw Cruise's name into the mix.

Did he let the church assign Katie Holmes a chaperone?

We've already established that Scientology played an unusually large role in Cruise's love life, so it should come as no surprise that Cruise's entire marriage to actress Katie Holmes was peppered with strange church-related anecdotes, including the one about Holmes and her "Scientology chaperone." That's right, human adult and successful actress Holmes allegedly had a woman following her around all the time for the purpose of—you know what? There is no good explanation for that.

Holmes' chaperone was reportedly Jessica Rodriguez, a long-time, high-ranking member of Sea Org, "Scientology's elite religious order, whose members commit to the church for one billion years," according to W Magazine. Rodriguez served as Cruise's assistant for a while, but by 2005, she was reportedly spotted at every one of Holmes' public appearances (right around the time Holmes and Cruise got together.) Rodriguez was also present for a now infamous W Magazine interview in which she says she and Holmes are "just best friends," despite the fact that they'd only known each other for six weeks at that point. According to Fox411, Rodriguez was "front and center" at Cruise and Holmes' 2006 wedding, so even on the day she was marrying an allegedly controlling man, it seems Holmes still had to have an extra set of eyes on her. Did someone really want to drive home that whole "love and obey" vow?

He distanced himself from daughter Suri

After her straight-out-of-a-Lifetime-movie flight from their marriage—complete with burner phones, a clear exit strategy, and multiple lawyers in multiple cities—Holmes eventually agreed to a custody arrangement with Cruise. She has primary custody, and he apparently pretends to be a dad on those few days when he isn't shooting or promoting a movie. Okay, that sounds like a harsh generalization, but Cruise is so busy with film and Scientology commitments around the globe that he's admitted he doesn't see Suri often. In 2012, Cruise sued the publisher of various tabloids that claimed he'd "abandoned" Suri, which opened him up to depositions that, in turn, prompted him to confirm that "Suri and I saw each other in person in July, August, November and December 2012," according to People. Wow, four whole months out of that year, huh?

In the years that followed, his track record does not seem to have improved. In 2015, TMZ reported that Cruise may not have seen Suri in nearly a year. The Daily Mail went even further and put the estimate at around 800 days. In 2016, he was noticeably absent on Father's Day. Supposedly, the reason for his distance has less to do with Suri and more to do with Holmes having allegedly been declared a "suppressive person" by the church. That makes Suri's lackluster relationship with her blockbuster dad somewhat of collateral damage.

Of course, all this could just be tabloid fodder. Perhaps daddy and daughter are hanging out right now, away from the prying eyes of the press. For the kid's sake, we hope that's the case.

Church members worked for him for little or no pay

John Brousseau is yet another defected high-ranking Scientologist who spoke out about his direct dealings with Miscavige and Cruise. Brousseau was Miscavige's brother-in-law, so he supposedly had a front row seat to the exclusive treatment that Cruise enjoyed from the church. Speaking to the Village Voice about a Cruise and Miscavige family ski trip to Telluride, Colo., Brousseau said, "I made sure the servants knew what they were doing. They had to learn how to make things go right without being visible…I would show the staff that it's not your job to bump into Tom in the hallway. It's your job to make sure everything's right, but be invisible. Anticipate his every move. You had to be there with a salt shaker before he even realized he needed it." Servants. He used the word "servants." Wow.

Brousseau was also something of a craftsman, and over the years, he was tasked with many special projects pertaining to Cruise—projects that don't seem to have anything to do with spirituality. He claimed to have worked on the Honda Rune that Cruise and Holmes arrived in at the War of the Worlds (2005) premiere, as well as a custom Bluebird bus, Cruise's airplane hangar, a tricked-out Ford Excursion, and Cruise's home—and Brousseau has photos to prove it. Brousseau alleged that Cruise shelled out the cash for materials, but never a dime for labor, which was completed by church members. So, how much did the church compensate its laborers? "Only about $50 a week by the church, even though their hours could reach 100 a week," Brousseau said.

According to Forbes, Cruise made $53 million dollars in 2016 alone, and let's be honest, it wasn't his first year making that kind of scratch. And yet, if Brousseau's story is true, Cruise was okay with "servants" waiting on him hand and foot and facilitating his lavish lifestyle for a wage of roughly .50 cents per hour. That's not only crazy, it's downright criminal.

All that being said, Cruise has never acknowledged any of the aforementioned allegations and scandalous tales. For all we know, he could be a delightful Jerry Maguire-esque Scientologist who has simply become an easy target for a growing number of former church members, outsiders, and gossip hounds. Whatever the case, the actor undoubtedly remains the most famous and most embattled member of the institution.