Bethany Joy Lenz starred in 'One Tree Hill' for 9 seasons. She said that she lost $2 million of her TV show earnings to a Christian cult.

• Bethany Joy Lenz said that a cult took $2 cardinal from her checking account, leaving $220,000.
• Lenz wrote astir her acquisition successful nan Big House Family cult successful her memoir released Tuesday.
• Lenz told People mag that it was "incredibly difficult" figuring retired really to bounce backmost financially.

"One Tree Hill" prima Bethany Joy Lenz said that nan cult she was portion of for 10 years took $2 cardinal from her checking account, leaving her pinch $220,000 and struggling to make ends meet.

Lenz wrote astir her acquisition successful nan organization, which she refers to arsenic nan Big House Family, successful her memoir "Dinner For Vampires: Life connected a Cult TV Show (While Also successful an Actual Cult!)," released Tuesday.

The character is champion known for playing Haley James Scott connected each 9 seasons of "One Tree Hill," which aired connected The CW from 2003 to 2012. The play centered connected half-brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) navigating precocious schoolhouse and relationships successful nan fictional municipality of Tree Hill, North Carolina. "OTH" is wide regarded arsenic 1 of nan astir iconic, quintessential TV shows of nan early 2000s.

At nan aforesaid clip that Lenz starred successful "OTH," she was besides portion of nan Big House Family organization. Throughout her memoir, she referred to nan statement arsenic a cult. In nan author's note, Lenz said that she changed identifying specifications of her acquisition "for clarity, brevity, aliases privacy," including nan names of individuals.

Lenz first became acquainted pinch nan group erstwhile she attended a Bible study arsenic a young character successful Los Angeles. Through nan cult, she met Michael Galeotti Jr., whom she joined from 2005 to 2012. In nan memoir, Lenz referred to him arsenic "Quiet Boy" aliases "QB." Galeotti is nan boy of Michael Galeotti Sr., a pastor who founded Wild Branch Christian Ministries and is referred to arsenic "Les" successful Lenz's book.

Lenz and her now ex-husband welcomed a girl named Rosie successful 2011. The pursuing year, erstwhile Rosie was 11 months old, Lenz decided to time off nan cult and divorcement Galeotti.

While starring successful "OTH," Lenz said that she perpetually traveled backmost and distant betwixt LA, Wilmington, wherever nan show was filmed, and Idaho, wherever "Les" moved nan group to a ample house.

In her memoir, Lenz said that nan millions she earned from "OTH" supported her hubby and daughter, positive "the extended Family's various endeavors, including a motel, a restaurant, and, astir importantly, a ministry."

Lenz said that while she was "on nan outs" pinch nan remaining members of nan Family post-divorce, she was informed of "shady" business dealings involving nan restaurant.

When she reviewed her equilibrium astatine nan bank, she was astounded to spot that her checking relationship was drastically little than expected.

"It couldn't beryllium right," Lenz wrote. "I had been making astir a cardinal dollars a twelvemonth for respective seasons."

Even pinch authorities taxes, paying her team, yearly expenses, and $200,000 going toward nan restaurant, Lenz estimated that she should person had $2.4 cardinal successful her account. Instead, location was $220,000 remaining.

"I knew $200,000 was much than galore group would spot successful their full lives," Lenz said. "But I'd spent 20 years building a career."

The character said she was filled pinch feelings of self-loathing aft building up her acting career, only for her net to past beryllium depleted by nan cult.

"It was really horrifying," she told People magazine.

"Not knowing really I was going to make rent because each nan money was gone, it was legitimately incredibly difficult," she said.

Additionally, Lenz said that nan cult controlled her profession and Les deterred her from accepting an connection to play Belle connected Broadway, which was her "biggest theatre dream for years."

Lenz said that Les convinced her that pursuing her Broadway dream would beryllium "at nan expense" of her soul. She ended up turning down nan offer.

"It felt shallow to moreover consider," Lenz wrote. "The reply had to beryllium Family."

Since leaving nan cult, Lenz landed roles connected shows for illustration "Dexter" and "Grey's Anatomy," arsenic good arsenic a assortment of vacation movies for Lifetime and Hallmark. She's besides nan co-host of nan podcast "Drama Queens" pinch "OTH" costars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton.

Galeotti Sr., Lenz's erstwhile father-in-law, reacted to nan allegations successful Lenz's book successful an question and reply pinch DailyMail.com, published connected Tuesday.

"Everybody sees things a small otherwise and she's going to cling to nan fame," he said. "Good for her. She's going to make a sanction for herself. But it's not nan measurement it went down."

Lenz's ex-husband besides said to nan publication and said that he was unsure "what to make of this memoir aft each this time."

"I person a girl who's really important to me," Galeotti Jr. said. "I don't want it to impact her. It's excessively much. I don't really want to origin immoderate problems for her."

Lenz, Galeotti Sr., and Wild Branch didn't instantly respond to a petition for comment.