John Travolta accused of not facing up to ‘abusive’ Scientology practices by leader David Miscavige’s father
THE dad of Scientology leader David Miscavige has claimed John Travolta failed to face up to what he calls "abusive practices" in the church.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Ron Miscavige hit out at his son as a "corrupt ruler" and told how he was allegedly banned from seeing his two daughters and grandchildren after leaving the Church.
He also alleges he was trailed by private investigators, who even looked on as they thought he was having a heart attack.
Callously, Ron claims the PI's were told to leave him to die.
After hearing Ron's harrowing story, the Grease star refused to believe it, Ron said.
He then apparently remarked: "Staff members can come and go, but as long as I can get my auditing, I can be happy."
Speaking from his home in Wisconsin, the 84-year-old told how he left the Church in 2012 - and was instantly treated as an outcast.
He tried to stay in contact with his other children, David’s twin sister Denise and other sister Lori, but he believes Miscavige refused to let this happen.
"All I wanted to do when I left was to get on my life, but I had private investigators following me, being paid $10,000 a week to report on all of my doings between eight in the morning and eight at night," he said.
"When I was being followed, I was shopping at a grocery store near my house, it was a summer's day and I had a pocket t-shirt on.
"I opened the door to put the groceries in, bent over, my cellphone was in the left-chest pocket and I thought it was going to fall out, so I grabbed my cell with my right arm, unbeknownst to me were two private investigators watching in a blacked out van, and one said: 'It looks like the target is having a heart attack, I’m going to call in.'
"He called Greg, the name of his handler, he said he’ll get someone on the phone, a few minutes later a person came on the phone, and said, 'Listen, if it’s his time to die, don’t intervene, don’t do anything, let him die.'
"On my website we have that interview with the PIs telling the story of that actually happening."
In 2015, the Los Angeles Times revealed a police report that Miscavige had paid private investigators to follow Ron after he left the Church.
The news story made global headlines - and now we can reveal that it was one-time Scientologist Lisa Marie Presley who leaked the story to the press to seriously wound Scientology and help her old friend Ron.
The following year, Ron wrote his No 1 New York Times Bestseller entitled Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me.
Ron says he heard that Travolta "didn’t bat an eyelid" after hearing the story, presumably because he could not believe it.
"I was told that John found out about the story of my daughters being disconnected, the meeting with Denise and Lori, the episode of the PIs thinking I was having a heart attack, the whole story," he said.
"And at the end of it, John said: 'Staff members can come and go, but as long as I can get my auditing, I can be happy.'"
Now Ron and his wife of 30 years Becky Bigelow, 57, speculated whether it might be the time for the actor to re-think if Scientology is really working for him - following the death of his wife from breast cancer last month and his autistic son Jett, who died in 2009 at the age of 16.
David Miscavige's response
A lawyer for Miscavige denied the claims, saying in a statement:
"Ron’s assertion that he was 'harassed by private investigators hired by his son' is fallacious. Mr. Miscavige never hired, had anything to do with the hiring, or communicated with, any private investigator in general, or regarding Ron in particular.
"Ron's assertion that the woman whose name he drops wanted a 'showdown' with Mr. Miscavige, and Mr. Miscavige then arranged a confrontation between his sisters and that woman, while “secretly videoing the whole episode,” is also concocted. The woman requested no "showdown" with Mr. Miscavige; Mr. Miscavige never arranged a confrontation between his sisters and anyone, much less the woman named; and there was no videotape, secret or otherwise."
Becky said: "Now that Kelly has passed, one would hope that John would come to his senses and leave Scientology.
"She was a major influence, she got right up to Operating Thetan Level Eight, which is the highest level you can get, whereas he would just get his sessions. He would never step away because she was so active."
Ron also talked about his close friendship with Elvis's daughter, 52, whose 27-year-old son Benjamin Keough tragically shot himself in a bathroom at their Calabasas home on July 12.
Ron met Lisa Marie on the Scientology ship, Freewinds, in 1989 and they became good friends.
After leaving in 2012, Ron remained in contact with Presley and when she found out Ron had been made an outcast, Presley demanded a meeting with Miscavige while she was at the global headquarters, called Flag Base, in Clearwater, Florida.
Ron said: "It’s devastating what happened with Ben, she was above anything else, a mom. Her kids are her world. I’m sure this is the most devastating blow ever, that’s her baby boy.’"
He added: "My experience with Lisa Marie is that I met her for the first time on the Freewinds, I was there for one of the anniversaries of its Maiden Voyage, 1989, I think.
"We started talking and we hit it off. We just enjoyed each other's company and have been friends ever since. We had a wonderful relationship, straight and open.
"She’s a very caring person, she’s the one who couldn’t believe that David had my two daughters and our grandchildren disconnected from me, and she wanted an explanation. She cares about people, she likes to help.
"So she was at Flag Base doing a Purification Rundown, she wanted to confront David, but instead he sent my two daughters and they were just ranting at her, telling her what a terrible person I was. They’re brainwashed.
"Denise and Lori pounded the desk, Lisa couldn’t believe that she couldn’t speak to David. Michael [Lockwood, her ex-husband] said: 'It’s almost like David put on a wig and put on that performance.'
"I guess Lisa was blinded to it until then.
"When David wouldn’t speak to her, she drove away, I felt at that time she was done with it, she couldn’t believe the abusive tactics of the Church. She wouldn’t make anyone do that, she’d never make someone disconnect from their family, David did that. They say they’re all family orientated, that’s all horse s**t.
"Unfortunately, I’m the one who got everyone in, now I’m paying the price."
Wife Becky added: 'The irony of that day was that Flag Base was promoting 'family day', so that moms and dads can see their children in the Sea Org, so Lisa thought that Denise and Lori should be allowed to see their dad, and this whole thing blows up on that day, which is unreal.
Scientology's response
The Church of Scientology also rejected Ron's claims saying in a statement:
"As to the alleged incident with the daughters—Ronald’s story is pure fiction.
"The allegation that David Miscavige orchestrated a confrontation between his sisters and the individual you name, while 'secretly videoing the whole episode' is false and absurd.
"The incident never occurred. Further, the insinuation that two grown
women, mothers and grandmothers, are incapable of making their own decisions about their families, their lives and the lives of their children is demeaning.
"Ronald’s daughters wanted nothing to do with him and long-ago published a statement describing exactly how they feel about Ronald: 'We know what is right and moral, and what is evil. Evil is Ronald T. Miscavige. We reject him.'
"Ron’s statement that he was 'harassed by private investigators hired by his son' is equally false. His son never hired, or directed the hiring of, any private investigators and never spoke, or communicated in any manner with any private investigators, which means, of course, that he never told any investigator, or anyone else the nonsense Ron claims or any other statement about a medical emergency or that no one should intervene to help.
"As for the second name Ronald drops, how vile to say such despicable things in the face of the loss of a loved one."
"Denise was acting like a mini-David and I remember her telling us that she was ranting and raving and screaming and at the end of the whole episode, Lisa was sat next to Michael and said: 'Bravo, now that should be an Academy Award', because David was having the whole thing filmed.
"She was in the Religious Technology office and she said there were cameras set up in the room to film her reaction.
"David wouldn’t come into the room and see her, he’d sent his two sisters, they put on this show, it was mostly Denise, his twin sister.
"That’s what p***ed Lisa off."
Ron now runs his own website and interviews former Scientology members on a podcast.
He says he only does this to try "destroy" Scientology and his son, who he claims as changed beyond recognition into a "corrupt ruler".
He says: "I’m doing this podcast as my family has been taken away from me. I went down to see my daughters to try and get back in communication with them, and I spoke to one of their husbands and he said: ‘We’re through with you and Becky forever’, and that’s why I wrote the book in 2016.
"I now interview other people to expose the Church's abusive handling of people...That’s the only reason I do any of this, I want people to get enlightened, so they know the truth and it doesn’t ruin their life.
"It’s really an odd thing to come to the realization that David is not what he used to be, that’s a matter of fact.
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"When he was a child, he was a totally different person. I think power has corrupted him."
A spokesperson for Scientology said Ron's "assertions are unequivocally false."
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The Sun reached out to representatives for John Travolta who did not respond.