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John Stamos has revealed that he was “kicked out” of the Church of Scientology for messing around too much during the auditing process.
The 61-year-old Full House star recalled how he almost joined the controversial religion in the Eighties on a new episode of Matt Friend’s Friends in High Places podcast.
“I was in an acting class and there was this hot girl,” Stamos recounted. “She said, ‘You know, we’re all meeting at this address on Hollywood Boulevard, come after [class]!’ I was working at my dad’s restaurant at the time and I said, ‘Dad I gotta, I gotta go.’ So I went and it was the Scientology building. I was 16, 17.”
He remembered being brought into a room where he met with an auditor who hooked him up to the infamous E-meter machine, “a religious artifact that helps the auditor and preclear locate areas of spiritual distress or travail,” according to the organization’s website.
“You’re holding these two cans, so I started, you know, ‘Hello… Peabody in the Wayback Machine!’” the Glee alum said, mimicking an old-school cartoon character. “You know, Sherman and Peabody,” Stamos added in reference to the time-traveling characters of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Stamos said the auditor “didn’t like that.” “I was just f***ing around so much that they said, ‘Get out. Get. Go.’ They just kinda kicked me out.”
Podcast host Friend jumped in, joking that the General Hospital actor was “too annoying” to be a part of Scientology, with Stamos agreeing, saying: “That’s pretty bad, I must have been terrible.”
Stamos first discussed his close call with Scientology in his 2023 memoir, If You Would Have Told Me. In his written account, he remembered the auditor asking him questions about committing crimes and “if I have negative thoughts about Scientology or [founder] L Ron Hubbard and probes into some strange sex inquiries.”
“The Wayback Machine needle jumps in the corner, and Mia looks disappointed. Apparently, I’m not Scientology material. Darn it.”
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Founded in 1954 by Hubbard, Scientology has long been a source of intrigue and controversy. Though categorized as a cult in Germany, the Church of Scientology is considered a religion by others and has generated headlines about teachings that many deem restrictive.
The group and its leader David Miscavige have been accused of bilking supporters for cash, separating members from their loved ones, and harassing and threatening journalists and critics.
This has not stopped several Hollywood A-listers from advocating for the religion, including Tom Cruise, its most high-profile member.
John Travolta was also a member, having joined in 1975. He is quoted on the Church’s website as saying: “I would say Scientology put me into the big time.” It’s rumored that the Grease actor split from the religion in 2020 following the death of his wife, Kelly Preston, from breast cancer.
