13 Going On 30 star Christa B. Allen claims that she escaped from a cult after falling in love with its ‘wealthy leader’.
The 33-year-old, who shot to fame for her role alongside Jennifer Garner in the 2004 film, says that she is now ‘rebuilding her life’ after her ordeal.
In a post shared on social media, the actor said that she ‘[fell] in love with a charismatic wealthy cult leader’ but has since left.
Christa B. Allen on escaping from a ‘cult’
Allen, who also starred in TV show Revenge, broke the news in a TikTok video in which she could be seen spinning around outside.
The caption read: “How it feels rebuilding your life after being in love with a charismatic wealthy cult leader who burned it to the ground.
“Let me be very clear: Nobody can burn down your life unless you give them access to it. That's the part I've had to own.”
Discussing her time in the unnamed ‘cult’ further, she explained: “So I've sat with the hardest questions: Why did I trust him? Why did I hand over my power? Why did I silence my own inner knowing?
“The truth is, he was selling fairytales and from luxurious penthouses and private jets, I foolishly bought in.
”What I learned is that even if you spend every waking moment with someone — studying, eating, traveling, working, building, dreaming — you still may not KNOW them.
“Especially when you're dealing with someone who lies as easily as they breathe,
“That realization shattered me, but it also forced me to rebuild from the ground up. And fire is also cleansing.”
While she has not revealed any further details about the cult, she did later accuse him of ‘lying [to] and manipulating’ her.
Allen and the mysterious cult leader met online
She went on to say that the pair met on social media after ‘the algorithm brought us together’ through a mutual ‘spirituality’.
After three days, the pair moved in together, which she admits was ‘not a great idea in hindsight’.
Allen said that the man was involved in ‘all of the extracurriculars that are putting everybody's health at risk’ and that those activities involved ‘a lot of people’ and ‘especially famous girls’.
This claim seems to have been referenced in an earlier video in which she wrote: “When the ‘spiritual’ guy you were dating forced you to quit your job because he promised to take care of you...
“Then left you with zero income while cheating and sleeping around with countless women while lying about it all...
“But then you remember — he knows the laws of the universe, and the universe don't miss.”
Since she shared these videos, Allen has confirmed that she is doing ‘great’ after getting out of the alleged cult and leaving her former lover behind.