20 Celebs Who Left Christianity and Why

Raised in the ultra-fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas by her grandfather Fred Phelps, author Megan Phelps-Roper walked away from the church and her Christian beliefs in 2012 after respectful Twitter conversations exposed contradictions in its doctrine.

Before launching Good Mythical Morning, comedy duo Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal were full-time missionaries with Campus Crusade for Christ. In 2020, both hosts detailed how studying historical criticism and evolution led them out of Christianity.

Once a prominent evangelical megachurch pastor and the bestselling author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Joshua Harris apologized for the harm caused by his purity-culture teachings and announced in July 2019 that by every measurement he is not a Christian.

As a founding member of the Christian folk-rock group Caedmon's Call, Derek Webb spent years challenging evangelical culture from within before publicly chronicling the deconstruction of his Christian faith and arrival at agnosticism through his solo albums.

Raised in a strict Plymouth Brethren household before converting to Catholicism and becoming a Dove Award-nominated Christian musician, Audrey Assad shared in 2021 that she had undergone a profound faith deconstruction and is no longer a practicing Christian.

Best known as one-third of the multi-platinum Christian trio dc Talk and later frontman for Audio Adrenaline, Kevin Max announced in May 2021 that he had spent decades deconstructing his evangelical upbringing and now identifies as an exvangelical.

As a foundational worship leader and songwriter for Australian megachurch band Hillsong United since the late 1990s, Marty Sampson sparked global headlines in August 2019 when he announced he was losing his faith over unanswered questions and church scandals.

A pastor's kid and longtime lead singer of the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, Jon Steingard stunned fans in May 2020 by sharing on Instagram that after years of wrestling with biblical contradictions and the problem of evil, he no longer believes in God.

Raised by two Pentecostal pastors, Katy Perry launched her career singing Christian gospel music under her birth name Katy Hudson. After moving to Los Angeles in her late teens and meeting people outside her bubble, she stepped away from Christian dogma.

Brought up in a Methodist family in Syracuse, New York, Richard Gere grew dissatisfied with Western religious answers in his twenties. After traveling to Nepal in 1978, he left Christianity to become a practicing Tibetan Buddhist and student of the Dalai Lama.

Raised in a devout Roman Catholic household, Tom Cruise was so committed to the church in his youth that he attended St. Francis Seminary in Cincinnati on a scholarship intending to become a priest, before leaving Catholicism for Scientology in 1986.

Brought up in an Anglican-adjacent household in England with early exposure to convent schooling, Dame Helen Mirren has long identified as an atheist. She has noted that she appreciates the pageantry of religious traditions without believing in God.

Raised in a Roman Catholic family in Cork, Ireland, Cillian Murphy was educated at a Catholic secondary school. He moved from agnosticism to atheism in 2007 after spending time with physicists while researching his sci-fi film role in Sunshine.

Raised with traditional Christian values, Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore transitioned to atheism after the sudden death of her mother in 2009. She shared that she could no longer reconcile personal tragedy with the concept of a loving God.

Spanish Academy Award winner Javier Bardem was raised in a traditional Roman Catholic environment in Spain. As he matured, he rejected religious dogma and became a vocal atheist, once quipping that he believes in Al Pacino instead of God.

Raised Catholic in Philadelphia, actor Kevin Bacon has stated openly that he does not believe in God. Alongside his acting and music career, he has spoken in favor of secular values and the strict separation of church and state.

Brought up in a traditional Irish Catholic family in Illinois, comedian Kathy Griffin left the church behind and became an outspoken atheist. She frequently uses stand-up comedy to joke about her departure from organized religion.

Raised in a Catholic family by her mother Marcheline Bertrand, Angelina Jolie eventually stepped away from organized faith. The actress and humanitarian has explained that she does not need a belief in God to guide her moral choices.

George Clooney grew up as a devout, practicing Roman Catholic in Kentucky and even served as an altar boy. As an adult, the Oscar winner distanced himself from organized religion and rigid church guilt, openly identifying as an agnostic.

Raised in a strict Southern Baptist household in Missouri that also attended charismatic revivals, Brad Pitt later stepped away from organized faith. He has stated he no longer believes in God, describing himself as mostly agnostic and partly atheist.