Tom Cruise once claimed Scientology had solved humanity’s greatest challenges. To which Shannon and Tashmica say, “What now?”

The Popaganda Podcast kicks off season 2 with a conversation about “Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise, Scientologist”. An American actor, producer, and celebrity Scientologist, Tom Cruise is the lead in major blockbuster films like Top Gun and the spy series Mission: Impossible. As latchkey kids, we will never forget him jumping on Oprah’s couch over his love for Katie Holmes. Long since divorced under questionable circumstances, Cruise has given millions to a religious organization despite repeated accusations of abuse and he’s never been canceled. How does he do it?

*insert Kate Bornstein + Leah Remini sideeye*

Tune in as cohosts Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok discuss how cults, communes, and even nonprofit organizations can use power and control dynamics to hurt people. Could a healthy practice of accountability change everything? Let's talk about it!

Come for the pop culture. Stay for the abolition.

For more information, visit www.popagandapod.com.

Pop Culture Homework:

• Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise, Scientologist
• Mission: Impossible
• Kate Bornstein
• My Scientology Movie
• Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief
• Leah Remini, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
• Are our Movements Cults? Just Sex: Mapping Your Desire Podcast with Jamie Grant featuring Shannon Perez Darby 

People + Practices We Love:

• BEAM: Healing and Accountability Wheel
• Power and Control Wheel

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Sponsored in part by: Accountable Communities Consortium and The Firecracker Foundation.

Access: Transcript now available on Apple Podcasts!

Content Warning: The Popaganda Podcast explores the intersections of transformative justice, prison abolition, and pop culture. We will be talking in general about the existence of domestic violence, sexual violence, and state violence and our experiences with these forms of violence throughout the season. In this episode in particular, we will be talking about these themes and our own survivorship. We will not be talking in high levels of detail about specific experiences of violence. We invite everyone to use this information to make choices about what is right for you.

Credits:

• Executive Producers: Shannon Perez-Darby and Tashmica Torok
• Audio Production: Shannon Perez-Darby
• Show Notes + Art: Tashmica Torok