Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Ron Miscavige's 'Ruthless' Chronicles His Escape from Scientology, and His Son David’s Rise

It was March 25, 2012 and Hemet residents Ron and Becky had loaded up their Ford Focus wagon to set out to start a new life in Wisconsin. It was not a typical cross-country move. In the months leading up to it, the couple had to slowly and surreptitiously mail most of their belongings to Becky’s mom.

  • rss
  • Share
By Madeleine Brand • May 23, 2016 • 1 min read

It was March 25, 2012 and Hemet residents Ron and Becky had loaded up their Ford Focus wagon to set out to start a new life in Wisconsin. It was not a typical cross-country move. In the months leading up to it, the couple had to slowly and surreptitiously mail most of their belongings to Becky’s mom. They couldn’t talk openly about their plans, they had to earn the trust of security guards, and then plot the best escape route to avoid a car chase. That’s because Ron and Becky were members of Sea Organization, or Sea Org, a militaristic religious order of the Church of Scientology. That’s Ron Miscavige’s personal story as he tells it in a new book, Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me. In it, Ron Miscavige writes about working in Sea Org for nearly 27 years, how he escaped the church, and how his son, David Miscavige, became the secretive leader of Scientology.

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Madeleine Brand

    Host, 'Press Play'

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Matt Holzman

    Producer, 'The Document'

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Anna Scott

    Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jolie Myers

    Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

  • KCRW placeholder

    Ron Miscavige

    Author of "Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me"

    News
Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand