Scientology rings in 2025 in Los Angeles: The photos! TONY ORTEGA JAN 1

[Karen#1]

​

A big thanks to Apostate Alex who, about an hour after we had rung in the new year here in New York, sent us a message that he had noticed Scientology had put up at its website a slideshow and press release for its celebration of 2025 arriving.
“365 DAYS OF EXPANSION,” the press release announced, and it’s dated December 31, 2024. But we want to remind you, the event you see portrayed in these photos actually took place on December 14 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
It’s Scientology’s custom to tape this event a couple of weeks early so they can show the video at the orgs around the world on December 31.
So that date on the press release is a bit deceptive.
And what else might not be on the up and up?
Well, as always we’re curious about the number of attendees that they claim.
“More than 6,500 attendees streamed into the Shrine Auditorium,” the press release claims.
“The total capacity of the venue is 6,300,” Alex pointed out. Oh, that stickler.

​

Alex also noted that if you looked carefully at the photos Scientology posted, you could see some sections on top were not at capacity.

​

Ah well. Who knows. Whether it was at capacity or not, it was a sizable crowd there to hear church leader David Miscavige deliver another message about how Scientology is on fire and expansion is going through the roof.
As always, however, we were curious to see which of Scientology’s celebrities might have made the scene.
We were only able to spot a couple in the front row along with the international folks being recognized for handing out pamphlets, or whatever.
Actress Marisol Nichols, for example, was next to a contingent being recognized for running a WISE business that builds cell towers in Rwanda.

​

And Simpsons voice actress Nancy Cartwright was with some WISE guys from Argentina who ran a steel concern.

​

Other than those two celebrities, the other faces we recognized belonged to the usual big donors you see at these things.
A couple who run a Hubbard College of Administration in Taichung, Taiwan were flanked by old standby Craig Jensen on the left, and Steve Fabos on the right, whose outfit was impressively festive!

​

Read more:

Scientology rings in 2025 in Los Angeles: The photos!

A big thanks to Apostate Alex who, about an hour after we had rung in the new year here in New York, sent us a message that he had noticed Scientology had put up at its website a slideshow and press release for its celebration of 2025 arriving.

tonyortega.substack.com