Actress Bethany Joy Lenz Reveals How She Lost Millions In A Cult: ‘It Was Horrible’ (Exclusive)

‘One Tree Hill’ star tells how she lost almost all the money she made on the show to a cult and had to start over: ‘I spent a lot of nights crying on the floor’

John Russo

Bethany Joy Lenz in her cover shoot for PEOPLE, September 2024″ src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/rXjg_ZbvNWNuOp6Ni0hm.w–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https:/ /media.zenfs.com/en/aol_people_articles_471/5d65fcc4f25ee589b8941d254194db81″ class=”caas-img”/>

When Bethany Joy Lenz was filmingOne Tree HillOver the course of nine years, she never imagined that all the money she made from the series would end up with the leader of a small Christian cult that she had been drawn to throughout the decade.

In his new memoirs Dinner for the Vampires: Life in a Cult TV Show (Albeit an Actual Cult!)published on October 22, talks openly about how it felt to escape both his marriage and the cult, only to discover that his bank account had been wiped of nearly $2 million.

“It was really horrifying,” she tells PEOPLE for a story in this week’s print issue. He explains that he basically had to start from scratch, despite being in one of the most popular teen dramas of the early years.

Related: How One Tree Hill Star Bethany Joy Lenz Was Lured In For A Decade Cult And How She Got Out (Exclusive)

“Leaving a TV show after nine seasons, leaving all my friends (from the cult) that I had known for the last 10 years, leaving my marriage, leaving the state, all at the same time … and then it was just me and my baby in Hollywood, like, ‘Rent me, anyone?’ Not knowing how I was going to make the rent because all the money was gone … it was legitimately incredibly difficult.”

She says that during her darkest moments, she would just burst into tears.

“I had many, many nights of crying on the floor, just trying to figure out how to handle it and what I was going to do and what to do with my emotions, the anger, the injustice, all that stuff,” she. adds

John Russo

Bethany Joy Lenz in her September 2024 PEOPLE cover shoot” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/531fHrFbtYvO23iSZze91g–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjk-/https://media.zenfs.com .com/en/aol_people_articles_471/b5959b98f94b376659eba1ed6f79d934″ class=”caas-img”/>

“There’s a part of me that still says, ‘Oh my God, it’s so absurd to talk about money.’ don’t do it And there are so many people who wouldn’t even imagine seeing that kind of money, let alone what I had left. with the bank account, which eventually all went to the lawyers, but it was very hard.”

Despite her initial shame and regret over her experience in the cult, Lenz says she now understands that her struggle was for the greater good.

“I wouldn’t have my daughter in the first place. It was worth it for her,” he says. She had married Michael Galleoti, another member of the “family” in 2005, and the two welcomed daughter Rosie in 2011. They divorced in 2012, the same year Lenz left the group.

“But more than that, it’s worth it because I’ll be able to share (my story) with so many people who have been through this and don’t know what to do with their shame. Or who may be currently experiencing it and don’t quite know how to identify the that they feel, but maybe they can recognize and see something in what I’m saying that will make them turn on a light bulb.”

He adds: “It could also help people who might otherwise get into something like this, and now they know what red flags to look for.”

These days, Lenz says he has finally found peace.

Related: Bethany Joy Lenz Has ‘Fantastic Fun’ And Cheese! — in Paris for his new Hallmark movie (exclusive first look)

“There are days when I feel happy. There are days when I’m grumpy and not happy and frustrated with life…but I’m fine. I’m going to be fine,” she explains. “I feel like I’ve straightened myself out. It’s like one of those things that gets messed up, you put it on the desk, and it always gets right. I was wobbly and I feel like I’ve straightened myself out.”

To read more about Bethany Joy Lenz and how she finally managed to leave the cult, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday.

Dinner for the Vampires: Life in a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!) is out on October 22nd and is available for pre-order now, wherever books are sold.

For more Gent news, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.