During an exclusive interview with People, The Orange Is the New Black and That ’70s Show star Laura Prepon revealed that she has left Scientology. “I’m no longer practicing Scientology,” she said. “I’ve always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I’ve prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I’ve studied Chinese meridian theory. I haven’t practiced Scientology in close to five years and it’s no longer part of my life.”
Her reason? Her two children she shares with fellow actor Ben Foster. “If motherhood has taught me anything so far, it’s that something can work out for a period of time and then you move on and evolve from that,” she explained. “As a new mom, I was riddled with anxiety that I had never experienced before. My friends who were mothers with older kids said, ‘Laura, this is a phase, you’ll move on and then it will be something different.’ And that has transcended into other parts of my life. We’re all evolving. I always see that with my kids.”
A New Journey
Prepon explains that her two children are “changing every day now,” and that is something she is actively encouraging. “My daughter is outgoing and wonderful and obsessed with mermaids — it used to be unicorns,” she said. “She’s also very determined and does not give up. My son is beginning to socialize with kids more in small classes. He’s much more calm and observant.”
Instead of the practicing the teachings of Scientology, Prepon states that she and her husband “meditate daily” and the journey inward is paying dividends. “It’s something that helps me to hear my own voice and it’s something we can do together,” she explained.
Laura Prepon: “I Was Forced To Look At A Lot Of Things In My Life That I Wasn’t Looking At Before”
In the end, motherhood changed her perspective on life. “As a brand new mother, I was reflecting so much on my own upbringing and the way I was mothered,” she said. “I was forced to look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn’t looking at before.”
