Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Raised Mormon
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We’ve discussed celebrities who left Scientology, despite being raised in it from their families. We’ve also discussed so many celebrities’ faiths and how it shaped them, but today, we’re talking about celebrities who were raised Mormon.
Before we get started, for those who don’t know, the Mormon faith is a religion of the Latter Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity, which was founded back in the 1800s. They “embrace Christianity and Joseph Smith’s teachings,” per History, and many rules come from the faith. For instance, Mormons have to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and more. Many focus on being honest and friendly, while some focus on the more restrictive rules in the faith. It all ranges.
Now, quite a few celebrities have talked about their upbringings. While some have called out some of the teachings, others claim they were happy with what they were taught as a kid from the religion.
From very unlikely comedians like Chelsea Handler to Oscar-nominated actors like Amy Adams and Ryan Gosling, there are quite a few celebrities who were raised Mormon (and probably way more than you think)!
Check out which surprising celebrities were raised as Mormons below:
A version of this article was originally published on Oct 2023.
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Dan Reynolds
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons recently opened up to People about how he was raised Mormon, but left to follow his own truth. He recalled that he was raised in a “really conservative” Mormon household, but he has since left the religion. “There’s obviously parts of the Mormon religion that I feel pretty strongly are harmful, especially to our gay youth,” he said. “At times I feel pretty isolated from my family, but I also love them and am close to them and see them, and there’s no animosity there. I’m on a different path. I have to love myself enough to follow my truth.”
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera was actually raised Mormon, since both of her parents were devout members of the Church. They even married at the Washington DC Latter Day Saints Temple, and Aguilera decided to drift from the religion when she grew up, and became a Roman Catholic, per Talko.
Chelsea Handler
So Chelsea Handler’s mother was Mormon and her father was Jewish. When she grew up, she decided to focus on her family’s Jewish faith, saying to Yahoo: “I chose Jewish obviously. Mormonism is so ridiculous. But I related to … that conflict of religion for both parents.”
Jewel
Like quite a few stars, Jewel belonged to the LDS faith but left much earlier than others. While her family practices, she left at around eight years old when her parents’ divorced.
Derek Hough & Julianne Hough
Dancing siblings Derek Hough and Julianne Hough were raised as Mormons. While Julianne was a member until 2013, Derek left earlier (but both have praised the church in the past)!
Amy Adams
Unlike quite a few stars, Amy Adams looks back happily on her time being raised as a Mormon. She previously told Belfast Telegraph that she’s taken away quite a few teachings today, “What I still feel and rely on from that kind of teaching, is how you can bring a lot of joy to the people around you by being positive and hopeful.”
Katherine Heigl
Like Amy Adams, Katherine Heigl looks back happily on her childhood faith. She told Good Housekeeping: “That [Mormon] structure and discipline was really good for me… I had a childhood that was a childhood. I listened to my parents. I respected the rules.”
David Archuleta
American Idol alum David Archuleta was a devout Mormon ever since his childhood, and even took a break from singing in 2012 to do a trip for the Latter Day Saints (LDS) gospel, per Insider. However, he spoke about how he stepped back from the religion after coming out, per GMA.
Pat Priest
The Munsters alum Pat Priest started acting when her mother wrote for the Mormon Church.
Eliza Dushku
While Eliza Dushku was raised in the Mormon faith, she no longer practices it, and she left soon after she started working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her family disapproved of her character faith, and she left, saying to Daily Intelligencer: “My problems with the church have to do with its stance on homosexuality, and other things.”
Donny & Marie Osmond
Both Donny and Marie Osmond were raised Mormon and continue to practice the religion today.
Ryan Gosling
Like Christina Aguilera, both of Ryan Gosling’s parents are Mormon and because of this, he wasn’t allowed to watch a bunch of films and shows growing up. However, that didn’t stop his acting dreams. He previously talked about the restrictions he faced as a kid.
“We were brought up pretty religious,” Gosling said to the Telegraph. “My mother admits it. She says, ‘You were raised by a religious zealot.’ She’s different now, but at the time, it was a part of everything – what they ate, how they thought.”
Brendon Urie
Brendon Urie revealed back in 2016 that he was raised Mormon but left when he became an adult. He said to Genius, “I still use a lot of good values from growing up in the church, and there was a sense of community. But you were also being heavily judged by people that wanted to look down on you for not being as great as they are.”
Win Butler
Arcade Fire’s Win Butler was also raised a Mormon by his mother, per TheTalko.
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