Is Beck A Scientologist? 5 Facts About Beck's Claims He Was Never A Member Of The Church Of Scientology
He's gone back and forth on his statements.
Instagram Is Beck a Scientologist? Rock singer Beck — real name, Beck Hanson, but born Bek David Campbell — is often identified as being a devout member of the Church of Scientology. In a recent interview, he clarified that he is not.
Beck first rose to fame in the 1990s, pioneering a neo-lo-fi sound of music that is considered influential today. His mother is Bibbe Hansen, a rock manager and an acclaimed rock stalwart in her own right; Bibbe is the daughter of Al Hansen, a German artist.
And while rumors have swirled around his spiritual beliefs for a long time, people are still wondering if Beck is, indeed, a Scientologist. Here's what we know about the rumors, as well as a few facts about his alleged faith.
1. Is Beck a scientologist? In 2008, Beck stated he was Jewish.
In a cover story in September 2008, Beck claimed he was raised Jewish, though his father, David Campbell, was a practicing Scientologist. "My father was doing Scientology in the ’60s, so it’s something that has been around for most of my life. But the only time I hear anything negative about it is in interviews. In the real world, people I know, they don’t give a s**t. I was raised celebrating Jewish holidays, and I consider myself Jewish. But I’ve read books on Scientology and drawn insights from that," he said.
2. But Beck later said he was a Scientologist in a different interview.
Beck's second wife, Marissa Ribisi, is a second-generation Scientologist. As a result, when Beck and Marissa were expecting their second child, some headlines read "Scientologists Beck and Marissa Ribisi expecting their second child." Later on, in a different interview, Beck again identified himself as a Scientologist. "Yeah, I'm a Scientologist. My father has been a Scientologist for about 35 years, so I grew up in and around it and stuff," reported the outlet.
3. Beck then backtracked on his statement
However, just a few days ago, Beck backtracked again and saidt he was not, in fact, a Scientologist. "I think there’s a misconception that I am a Scientologist. I’m not a Scientologist. I don’t have any connection or affiliation with it. My father has been a Scientologist for a long time, but I’ve pretty much just focused on my music and my work for most of my life, and tended to do my own thing. I think it’s just something people ran with," he said.
4. But a former Scientology executive says that Beck was always a Scientologist.
"There is no doubt he was a Scientologist. But it’s a way of avoiding questions like ‘Why did you leave?’ For him to actually distance himself is indicative he cannot say nothing any longer and just how toxic it is to be identified as a Scientologist," said Mike Rinder, a former Scientology executive.
5. Leah Remini is calling shenanigans on Beck's back-and-forth claims.
"He’s acting like he was never a Scientologist, which is his way of not publicly speaking out and therefore not getting labeled like us and attacked like us. Pussy move. You can quote me on that,” Leah Remini said to a website run by Tony Ortega, who is an outspoken critic of Scientology.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, BET.com, and more.