Today is Shelly Miscavige’s 62nd birthday.
She has been disappeared for the last 15 years — one confirmed sighting at her father’s funeral (with a handler) in 2007 and nothing certain since.
Once a fixture of the scientology world, at her husband’s side virtually everywhere he went, she suddenly vanished in 2005. I write about her and her vanishing from the Int Base in my book A Billion Years. Shelly is not the only person at the senior echelons of scientology who has been erased from public view (so too the President of scientology Heber Jentzsch, Executive Director International Guillaume Lesevre, CO CMO International Marc Yager, head of CST Russ Bellin, Senior C/S International Ray Mithoff, Executor of Hubbard’s Estate Norman Starkey to name just a few) but she is the most well known and perhaps the most concerning because of her unique situation.
I met Shelly in 1973 when I arrived on Hubbard’s ship Apollo. She was 12.
Like the other young people on the ship (she was younger than most of us who were in our later teens), we hung out and became friends. It was a very small world. Shelly has an older sister, Clarisse who was also on the Apollo and was part of the “gang.” Clarisse is on the right below, along with two other friends (Doreen Smith/Gillham and Gale Reisdorf/Irwin):
Shelly grew up as a “Messenger” — one of the young people who worked directly for L. Ron Hubbard. Her mother and father were not on the Apollo, Hubbard and his wife Mary Sue were her de facto parents.
In December 1982 Shelly married David Miscavige. Not long thereafter she became his “Assistant” (A title that had not existed in scientology previously) and joined her husband in Los Angeles when he was the head of Hubbard’s “literary agency,” Author Services Inc.
Over the next 20+ years, Shelly was with “COB” (he transferred his title of COB ASI to COB RTC when he took over that organization in 1986) pretty much 24 hours a day: when he was working inside scientology buildings and when he was out in public attending movie premieres or other events.
Ultimately, Shelly met the same fate as Hubbard’s wife, Mary Sue. Hubbard believed Mary Sue had betrayed him and saw her as a threat to his well-being. David Miscavige came to believe Shelly was not operating in his best interests when she questioned his judgment, and like he had with everyone else he considered to be a threat to his power, he removed her from the equation. He was right to be concerned about Shelly, she was perhaps the only person who could have led any sort of effort to remove him from power. Many of the senior officials of scientology had known her for longer than they had known Dave and they trusted her judgment as someone who had been hand-picked and trained by Hubbard.
Shelly’s absence from the “Wedding of the Century” between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes was so out of the ordinary, it prompted Leah Remini to ask where she was and why she wasn’t present. This set off a chain of events that ultimately saw Leah leave scientology and subsequently file a missing person report with the LAPD. The hashtag #WheresShelly has been used by many for years, and was recently given global prominence by Jerrod Carmichael at the Golden Globes.
I hope that the pressure to produce Shelly continues to build such that her husband is forced to produce her to prove that she is alive and well and able to act of her own free will.
Don’t let the memory of Shelly Miscavige fade into insignificance.
Is it true that Shelly’s uncle (on her mother’s side) was the former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fike)? If so, I wonder if this side of the family ever had any contact with Shelly or her sister.
Not heard of this before…
Seems like a match according to multiple record searches like this: https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-Barnett/6000000041991825521
I hope she gets out someday. Is her sister Clarisse still in?
Yes
Off topic:
In the preface of a book I was recently reading I came across a few lines from a well known person which gave me an unexpected feeling of inner peace.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable.
Be honest and transparent anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt.
Give the world your best anyway.
—MOTHER THERESA
Happy Birthday, Shelly.
Happy birthday, Shelly.
If you can see this, may you liberate yourself.
Happy birthday Shelly and thanks Mike for showing that it’s never too late. Here’s to all kids born into high control families and groups, and to everyone stuck today. It’s not easy leaving anything you were born into, especially something so punitive. Good on everyone who’s gotten out and living the rest of your life now.
I feel that the Tom Cruise wedding is where Scientology opened a big can of worms. When Leah innocently asked about Shelly, Tommy Davis could have come up with something glib like Shelly was on post or not feeling well and so couldn’t attend but sends her love and wishes. Instead he had to scream in her face and ultimately bring down a truckload of black pr on Scientology.
Having said that, Happy 62nd birthday, Shelly and I hope you’re all right.
Happy Birthday Shelly Miscavige. Ron M would have turned 87 tomorrow. It was always fun having the two of them have birthdays so close together. Shelly knows nothing of life outside of Scientology. Probably thinks that she couldn’t make it at 62 years of age because she has no education and no skill set and has been mentally beaten down into a pulp at her little prison up at CST. Miss you Shelly.
Many people have posted “Happy Birthday Shelly”.
I know you all wish her well and just can’t come up with anything else to wish her.
But, I figure she is pretty much living a life in solitary confinement and there is no way she will have any happy birthday under these conditions.
Most people would be close to completely crazy after 15 years of solitary confinement.
I’m certain that most people – including myself – are very angry that in the USA today, this Miscabbage creep can get away with placing his wife into these conditions and keeping her there for 15 years.
And the reason he can get away with this? Is it because this wealthy criminal organization gives a few thousand dollars to the LAPD each year?
I don’t live in the USA. If I did, I would hope to find a way to get a few hundred (or even a few thousand) people to demonstrate in front of one of the best known cult buildings in L.A. and protest against holding Shelly in conditions equivalent to solitary confinement.
I think the timing could be very good considering that recent awards show where a comedian drew a lot of attention to Shelly’s plight.
I fear that if people don’t organize some kind of noisy and highly visible protest now, we may never see Shelly outside of her confinement again.
He’s terrified about the many secrets Shelly knows about him and, like I’ve always said, his being gay and still in the closet is most likely in the top five five things he could not countenance being in the public sphere.
@GL,
Wow! That’s quite a shot you’re taking there.
Any evidence to share, or is this your opinion based on an association with him, or, someone you know who associated with him, or…or…?
No wrong answers here, btw!
I’m neither attacking you nor defending him!
Just immensely curious, is all 🙂
That said, if candor would compromise you in any way, just ignore my question.
Not worried in the least at what you said. It’s more of a feeling/vibe that he’s gay. So, yes, it’s an opinion. As a quick example: Just look at the way he sycophantically fawned (and almost obsessively imitated his style of dress and had same bikes and poses) and drooled over little Cruise. That’s the actions of someone in love, even if it’s unrequited.
Will I change my view? No. Everything I’ve read and seen about the Midget Monster always leads me to the same conclusion. He’s a (and I mean no disrespect to any other gay person) closet gay and terrified of being outed. Just think what it would do for his standing as “leader” of $camology if it became general knowledge because of the unspoken anti-gay stance of the corporation (religion…bah!).
Until someone can conclusively prove otherwise it will remain my opinion that he’s gay.
Whenever I see mention of Davey I always think of the song Men in Tights –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc1am3KyYgA
Now I’m off to watch John Carpenter’s movie Dark Star.
@GL,
Thanks for your totally honest response.
Its very interesting to me.
I get vibes about people and situations too, sometimes.
Quite strong ones.
And without any real evidence.
When they occur, its like they come out of nowhere! And when they occasionally occur, I have no idea why! There’s no particular reason or issue.
I used to ignore these – these “whatever you call them”s.
But I learned (the hard way) NOT to ignore them. I learned to pay attention to them!
When I get these gut feelings, or vibes, or instincts, or premonitions about something going to happen or something NOT going to happen – they don’t occur that often, but when they DO occur, I’ve learned to listen to them! Not for the purposes of accusation – no! But just to pay attention to them. Because I found out later that these gut feelings, seemingly coming from out of nowhere turned out to be dead on accurate! With the evidence, the proof, coming AFTER the gut feelings.
Its hard to explain, but paying attention to them means merely that. My eyes open regarding that person, that situation because of the gut feeling.
Now, I don’t want to paint myself as some kind of SEER here. I mean, if I were THAT good I’d give up working and simply go to the race track or something and make a living that way 🙂
That’s interesting. I now wonder if dm calling other people gay is in fact another sign of his own projection. Such as Marc Jaeger, Gillaume, the other S.O. member, who had to wear a sign on her neck that she was gay, and got tormented about it, his comments about John Travolta, and there may be more instances.
I know people who have loudly protested such things, as a smoke screen, only to find out later on, it was a way to hide their secret.
Nothing wrong with being gay, but they don’t want it out there for whatever reason. Just like the character in the movie “American Beauty,” played by Chris Cooper.
When the media does cover her disappearance they always leave out that she isn’t just his wife. She’s his competition. This is a really important detail that must be communicated more on social media. As she was also trained directly by LRH himself. DM’s authority has hung on this very same thread, his entire time in power. All of DM’s competition either vanished, left, aged or faded away.
DM has snuffed out the CofS with his greed, vanity and general insanity.
Happy Birthday, Shelly. All power and strength to you and none to your oppressor.
Happy Birthday, Shelley. I wish I could explain just how incredible it feels to be 62 years old and OUT of that place. The world is far more wonderful than anyone ever let you believe. I wish nothing but the best for you.
The odds are good that Shelly has no access to phones or computers. She most likely never has a moment alone perhaps even when she goes to the bathroom and to bed at night. She always has a ‘minder’. If she isn’t crazy by now she is a much stronger person than I.
What bothers me most about all of this is that we have prisoners and for lack of a better word ‘slaves’ here on US soil (and all over the world) and because they are members of a religious organization no one in government will touch them. Why is this? Not because of fear of $cientologys litigiousness per se but because of the repercussions that will echo to other religions who are also just as guilty albeit of many different but just as heinous crimes. Plus if the feds ever were to raid the secret compounds of Scientology would what happened at the FLDS raid happen all over again? A huge blowup of federal agents pulling screaming children out of their mothers arms and women being held in isolation…if anything this scared the FLDS women even worse. Even those that had wanted to leave were terrified and none ‘volunteered’ to leave. The whole fiasco was done completely wrong which seems to be just another day for the US gov’t. So if Shelly is to be rescued it has to be done by not only herself but she needs the help of others who are in the same boat with her…those resigned to CST. It can’t be a glorified position in the SO to be on this detail.
I feel that only the most trusted of Mickies Sea Org are given detail at CST. So it will be almost impossible for her to escape on her own. BUT as we all know Mickies right hand people have escaped several times and we are here discussing this on one of their blogs so there is hope. Scientology’s biggest lie is that anyone can leave the RPF or any other SO compound at any time all they have to do is ask. It has been shown time and time again that asking to leave is a joke. Shelly knows too much and Dave knows that making her sign a million sheets of legal papers may not keep her quiet. What good would suing her do…she has nothing.
She has been IN her whole life. She personally knew LRH. She knew LRH much better than DM. That alone gives her a lot of power in the organization. He knows people that are IN will listen to her. That’s why he’s going to do everything in his power to keep her a prisoner. The fool didn’t seem to realize the best place for her was right by his side as a loyal wife. By imprisoning her at CST he has possibly made sure that if she ever gets out she’ll turn the tide against him. How this man who has made so many bad decisions has remained at the top of this organization boggles the mind.
A real testament to the power of mind control.
To clarify my above post, I meant the ability for anyone to take their spouse and keep them confined in a state like “solitary confinement” for 15 years and get away with it …
That is a testament to the power of mind control.
I can’t imagine any power that would enable someone to do that more powerful than mind control.
I can’t believe the US Congress and/or the Senate has sat back for the past 15 years and allowed this state of affairs. That is just outrageous. In any sane democratic system of government, Shelly would have been taken out of her prison and given some kind of freedom a very long time ago.
It is just unbelievable that this has been allowed to stand in the USA in 2022 for the past 15 years.
FUCKING UNBELIEVABLE!
Happy birthday, Shelly!
Happy Birthday Shelly! Does anyone know if we, as people who don’t personally know Shelly, can send an email/letter to a politician or the LAPD to dig deeper into her disappearance? If they can get her alone, it could be life changing for her.
Would be great if we could get a Billion Years put in the bookstores and hardware stores in Twin Peaks to jarr her into reality if she comes out to buy something. Wouldn’t cost much to do. With an Aftermath card on top of the book somewhere where she can at least grab that card.
Happy Birthday Shelly! Wherever you may be, know that people care and are concerned for you.
Keep up the good work Mike
Every true leader needs at least one person who is close to them that will tell them the truth about themselves. Whether it is pretty or not. Leaders are not perfect. None of them are.. We are all human and make mistakes. Every one of us.
The really good leaders will accept that they are not prefect, that they have made a mistake, and will fix their mistakes. scientology does not have a leader. I has a cult dictator. From what I have learned about him, he can not and and will not accept the reality that he makes mistakes and does not know everything.
Happy birthday Shelly. May you one day escape this hell hole of a prison and see that life is better on the outside. lron didn’t know it all either. He was simply a science fiction writer. And not a good one.
I’d say Happy Birthday, but no one should be punished for doing their job. (But that’s my opinion.)
Happy Birthday, Shelly. I’m very much rooting for you as well.
Happy Birthday, Shelly. I’m rooting for you.
Fred
(Scientologist from 1977 to 2014)