#WalkAway Founder Interview - "Scientology Took Kirstie Alley's Life": Former Scientologist Breaks Silence

Singer and political activist discusses childhood trauma, her friendship with Kirstie Alley, nearly $2 million spent during 15 years in Scientology, forced disconnection from Brandon Straka, and the Christian faith she says ultimately led her to leave.

NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singer, actress and political activist Joy Villa is opening up about what she describes as 15 years inside Scientology, and the childhood trauma she says made her vulnerable to it, in a revealing interview released Monday, August 10, on The Brandon Straka Show.

Villa, who drew national attention after wearing a "Make America Great Again" dress at the 2017 Grammy Awards, tells #WalkAway founder Brandon Straka that behind her public success was a private life shaped by family instability and, later, what she describes as increasing entanglement with Scientology.

A Turbulent Childhood

Villa says she was raised between deep faith and instability, the daughter of an evangelical minister father and a mother who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. She says she and her sister were sexually abused as children and that both parents died within several years of each other while she was in her 20s.

Villa says those experiences, combined with a difficult period in Hollywood, left her especially vulnerable when she encountered Scientology in 2011 following a mental breakdown and psychiatric hospitalization.

A Friendship With Kirstie Alley

Among the interview's most provocative moments, Villa discusses her friendship with Kirstie Alley, the acclaimed actress and longtime Scientologist who died in 2022.

"Kirstie Alley, that poor woman, she was suffering from, I think it was liver cancer or disease," Villa says before making allegations about Scientology's influence on Alley's medical decisions.

Alley's representative publicly identified her illness as colon cancer, and Alley's family thanked the doctors and nurses at Moffitt Cancer Center for caring for her.

Villa alleges that Scientology nevertheless influenced how Alley viewed illness and treatment, and she describes concerns about the use of Scientology spiritual practices known as "assists."

"It is demonic," Villa says of the practice. "It killed her ultimately... That's why she died. She should have been in a hospital getting actual treatment."

Asked by Straka whether she believes Alley would still be alive had she left Scientology, Villa responds, "A thousand percent."

Villa says she and Alley spoke regularly by phone and spent time together in person. She recalls Alley as isolated and depressed, while acknowledging that Alley did not directly blame Scientology for those feelings in their conversations.

"She was isolated. She was depressed," Villa says. "She would talk to me, but she wasn't saying it was because of Scientology."

Villa also discusses the significant financial contributions she says Alley made to Scientology over the years.

"She would get divorced because Scientology was the other man," Villa says.

Villa's statements regarding Alley represent her personal account, beliefs, observations and conclusions based on their friendship and Villa's own experiences within Scientology.

The Church of Scientology's published position states that Scientologists seek conventional medical treatment for physical illnesses and injuries and that its spiritual practices do not replace necessary medical care.

Nearly $2 Million Spent Over 15 Years

Villa says she and her former husband spent and donated approximately $2 million during their years in Scientology.

She describes intensive confession-style procedures, extensive ethics files, expensive spiritual courses and an environment she says became deeply connected to her finances, relationships and personal decisions.

Villa Says She Was Pressured to Disconnect From Brandon Straka

The interview becomes deeply personal when Straka asks Villa why she disappeared from his life following January 6, 2021.

Villa says that after publicly expressing support for Straka following his arrest, Scientology ethics officers pressured her to disconnect from him.

According to Villa, she complied because she feared losing her marriage, friendships, home, community and spiritual future.

Through tears, Villa apologizes to Straka during the interview, marking the first time the two publicly address what happened between them.

"There Is Hope on the Other Side"

Villa says her final years in Scientology included isolation, demanding work schedules, separation from family and increasing conflict between Scientology and her Christian faith.

During one of her darkest periods, she says she became suicidal.

Villa describes returning to Jesus Christ as the turning point that gave her the strength to leave.

Today, Villa operates the Fearless Joy Foundation, which she says has helped more than 100 people leave cultic environments, coercive systems and labor-trafficking situations.

Asked what she would tell her younger self, Villa answers simply:

"Break free."

Her message to others who may be afraid to leave:

"There is hope on the other side."

The complete interview with Joy Villa was released Monday, August 10, 2026, on The Brandon Straka Show.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eYIIJnmfo8

About The Brandon Straka Show

The Brandon Straka Show, hosted by #WalkAway founder Brandon Straka, features long-form conversations with political figures, cultural voices, activists and individuals whose experiences challenge conventional narratives.

New episodes premiere Mondays at 2:00 PM ET on Brandon Straka's YouTube channel and are also available on major podcast platforms.

Media Contact

#WalkAway Media Team
#WalkAway Campaign
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.walkawaycampaign.com/

SOURCE #WalkAway