Last week, we posted this photo, which was buried in Scientology’s slide show from its March 14 event celebrating founder L. Ron Hubbard’s 115th birthday in Clearwater, Florida. (Hubbard, actually born on March 13, 1911, died in 1986.)
You can clearly see that Scientology celebrities Tom Cruise and John Travolta were in the front row, cheering church leader David Miscavige, who presided over the nearly three-hour event.
But in other photos at the slide show that were more prominent, Cruise and Travolta were missing. Former London Scientology staffer Alex Barnes-Ross says he’s found evidence that Cruise and Travolta were scrubbed from the images.
So that left us with a question. We’ve seen Travolta numerous times at the Birthday Event in recent years, and Cruise was at the last big three meetings: the IAS gala in England in the fall, the New Year’s event in Los Angeles, and now the Birthday bash. (This is the first time we’ve seen them both at the same birthday event since 2019.)
Church leader David Miscavige clearly wants Travolta and Cruise at these events. But why wouldn’t he want the rest of the world to know it? Why scrub the church’s two most famous ornaments from the most visible slides?
Was it Cruise and Travolta who asked to be left out of the photos, and Dave went along with it?
We decided to ask an expert. Claire Headley worked closely with Miscavige when she was a high-ranking executive in the church. Here’s what she told us…
I think a reasonable justification for why Cruise and Travolta were photoshopped out of those photos likely falls under two responses:
1. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit that they asked not to be included and,
2. Miscavige likely went along with this, as including them could be classed as “out-security.” He would never agree to that just to placate them. On the contrary, I’ve heard him call celebs “out-ethics, off-purpose, and PTS” who asked not to be included in photos before.
In Scientology, “out-security” refers to anything that exposes internal operational information, invites scrutiny, or exposes contradictions between the internal reality and the external image they’re trying to maintain. It’s not about truth, it’s about control of optics.
Yes, Miscavige absolutely would have demanded that both Tom Cruise and John Travolta attend. Their presence still serves an internal purpose. It reinforces status, loyalty, and the idea that Scientology is supported by high-profile figures. Inside the event hall, that matters.
But outside that hall is a different calculation.
Both Cruise and Travolta are now extremely high-liability public figures when it comes to Scientology. Their long-standing, very visible endorsement of the organization ties them directly to its growing reputation as abusive and coercive. That creates risk, not benefit, in broader public-facing materials.
So removing them from publicly released photos can be understood as justified by the need for security. It limits additional scrutiny, avoids reigniting criticism, and prevents new media cycles focused on their involvement, and particularly would eliminate the justification of facing Cruise and Travolta with some really tough albeit important questions relating to their continued support.
All of that said, nothing happens without Miscavige’s approval, and if he agreed, it would be because it serves a broader strategic purpose.
Internally, their presence still signals endorsement. Externally, their absence helps reduce exposure. One version of reality for those inside, another for everyone else.
And to your broader point, events like this are not meant to rely on celebrities to draw people in. Scientologists are expected to attend because they are “on purpose,” not because of who else might be in the room. Celebrity involvement is more about internal influence than external promotion at this stage, in my opinion.
Last but not least, if Cruise is in the event photos, the “Cruise is leaving Scientology” headlines that always seem to surface right before he releases a new movie would lose any last remnant of efficacy in trying to convince the general public they should go watch his movie.
— Claire Headley
A HowdyCon update: The agenda!
If you were listening to the Group Therapy podcast Sunday, you heard Alex deliver the news about HowdyCon: We have an agenda! Here’s what he revealed…
The HowdyCon 2026 Agenda is Here!
The first wave of tickets have now officially sold out, but don’t worry, more will be released soon. In the meantime, we are excited to announce the agenda for this year’s event. The full list of talks is on view at the convention website!
You heard previously that this year’s guest speakers include Alex Barnes-Ross, Claire Headley, Phil Jones, Patty Moher, Chris Shelton. and of course, Underground Bunker author Tony Ortega. Now we can share what the weekend will entail. Here’s the brief rundown of what to expect:
FRIDAY 18th SEPTEMBER
Arrivals, registration a panel discussion and plenty of time to socialize. Two hours of bottomless pizza is included in your ticket price but you’ll have to get your own drinks.
SATURDAY 19th SEPTEMBER
Four keynote speeches and panel discussions from some of the world’s biggest SPs, a silent auction raising money for The Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation and an after party packed with fun activities. A late buffet-style lunch will be provided, and is included in the cost of your ticket.
SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER
Breakfast and departures
HowdyCon will be taking place at multiple venues throughout New London, CT and in order to minimize potential interference from Scientology, the details will be shared exclusively with those who have purchased a ticket.
Want to help?
Please consider joining the Underground Bunker as a paid subscriber. Your $7 a month will go a long way to helping this news project stay independent, and you’ll get access to our special podcast series…
Group Therapy: Our round table of rowdy regulars discussing the week’s news, which drops each Sunday at noon.
Also, you can support the Underground Bunker with a Paypal contribution to bunkerfund@tonyortega.org, an account administered by the Bunker’s attorney, Scott Pilutik. And by request, this is our Venmo link, and for Zelle, please use (tonyo94 AT gmail). E-mail tips to tonyo94@gmail.com. Find us at Threads: tony.ortega.1044 and Bluesky: @tonyortega.bsky.social
For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:
Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history
Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea
Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time
Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology
Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain
Here’s the link for today’s post at tonyortega.org
And whatever you do, subscribe to this Substack so you get our breaking stories and daily features right to your email inbox every morning.
I agree with Claire. She is in a position to know, having worked in RTC when Miscavige was at the Int Base fairly regularly. Whatever else you can say about him, he is consistent.
What is sad about this saga is the rotten photoshop work. Ted Baker, Film and Equipment In-Charge for Hubbard for decades, is a master in the darkroom. I knew his wife, Lynnea, pretty well. All through the 90s and into the 2000s he did all those event shots on film. Large format. That's why you used to see bursts of flash during key moments in the videos, he had a completely separate flash lighting setup that would go off when he took a shot.
I'm sure he is the one who took Hubbard's second wife who never was out of the historical photos. Those are well done.
Either he escaped or he finally succumbed to the modern age and is now doing hack digital work. Sad. In Hubbard's old house at the Int Base, over the fireplace, was a matte composite he did of the young Roanne Horwich over a star field. Reaching for the universe. Stunning art.
Got to ask Alex if there are still flash pops going off at the IAS event. If not, they've succumbed to the digital age.
I love how Tony refers to Cruise and Travolta as 'ornaments'. Any high profile celebrity or affluent business person in Scientology are merely pawns in a Scientology chess game, to be subtle. To be blunt, they're puppets controlled by puppet master Miscavige. To be even more blunt, they're what Vladimir Lenin referred to supporters of communism as 'useful idiots'.