Bethany Joy Lenz’s new memoir details her experience in a cult.
In Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!), which is out now, the One Tree Hill actress writes that when she first moved to Los Angeles in the early 2000s, she sought community by attending a Bible study with other actors. Soon, “Les” — a “domineering minister” swooped in, luring her and others into a small, new ultra-Christian group called the “Big House Family,” Lenz wrote. She claimed he controlled her finances, career and life.
Lenz married Les’s son, who she claimed was controlling. She was bilked out of more than $2 million by the cult. She left the group and divorced her husband in 2012.
Lenz’s memoir details how she became involved with the group, lost millions and broke free
After finding success on TV’s Guiding Light as a teen, Lenz left the New York-based soap opera to pursue a primetime career in L.A. An only child whose evangelical Christian parents had split, the 20-year-old felt very much on her own, disconnected from her parents, not knowing many other people and insecure about her career.
In the book, brothers Harker and Abe start the Bible study. Harker is a rising actor and the brothers are in an indie rock band. Lenz’s roommate, Mina, introduces her to them. Mina, 30, later marries Harker, 20, who is 10 years her junior. When they moved with Les to the Pacific Northwest, the house they lived in was owned by Harker and Abe’s parents. Harker became disillusioned by Les around the time Lenz did.
Jackson is a five-time Daytime Emmy winner for General Hospital. He and his brother, Richard Lee, started a Bible study group. The brothers also founded the band Enation, which Lenz’s ex-husband was once in. Vultaggio was Lenz’s roommate when she moved to L.A. Jackson married Vultaggio, who was 10 years his senior. Around the time Lenz left the Big Family, so did Jackson and Vultaggio, who converted to Orthodox Christianity in 2012.
An article in the Columbian deep-dives into how Lenz, her ex-husband, Jackson and Vultaggio lived in Battle Ground, Wash. The story said that “they’ve helped each other meet their spouses, are in business together, worship together and live within a few miles of each other.”
The article talks about Jackson hearing “Pastor Mike Galeotti’s sermon tapes and [being] drawn to his message and delivery.” The pastor was invited to the Burbank Bible study at Jackson’s request, “which is how Michael, the pastor’s son, and Bethany … met.”
The article notes that “Battle Ground’s celebrity circle started with the Jackson family,” who were longtime residents. Once Jackson and Vultaggio were married, they relocated from California to Battle Ground and it “created a ripple effect among their Burbank Bible study group,” who moved there too. It details many business adventures together and their faith.
A representative for Jackson, who recently returned to General Hospital, has not responded to Yahoo’s request for comment about the book or his past association with the Galeotti family and ministries.
Lenz’s book press tour
Lenz has done a series of interviews for her book.
She appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Oct. 16 and talked about how her ex-husband “hated” that her job as an actress involved kissing other men. On Good Morning America, she talked about how her daughter inspired her to leave the cult.
➕ Read more
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult!) is on sale now.
