High-profile ex-Scientologists to gather for HowdyCon conference this weekend

Several high profile ex-Scientologists are set to speak at an event in New London, Connecticut later this week hosted by former Village Voice Editor-in-Chief Tony Ortega’s online community, The Underground Bunker.

Ortega has been covering Scientology and its affairs, as well as offering survivors of abuse within the controversial Church a voice for more than thirty years. He has appeared in numerous documentaries and TV shows, including the Emmy-Award winning A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Now, a community of his readers are set to gather at a special ‘HowdyCon’ conference in Connecticut, which is set to include several high profile defectors sharing their personal stories from inside Scientology.

Sessions listed on the agenda include ‘How We Recover From The Most Destructive Cult in the World’ with cult expert and Scientology Business conrtibutor Chris Shelton, MSc; ‘A Life Without Permission’ with Claire Headley, who was an expert witness in the recent trial of That 70s Show actor and celebrity Scientologist Danny Masterson; and ‘Journalism, Activism & Legislative Change’ with Scientology Business Editor and survivor Alexander Barnes-Ross, who has been leading efforts to change relevant laws in the United Kingdom to better support survivors.

The conference will take place across Friday, Saturday and Sunday at a variety of venues throughout the town, and is being organised in support of The Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit which supports people in establishing independent lives after leaving Scientology. Those unable to attend, but who wish to support the Foundation are encouraged to take part in an online auction set up for the event.

Ortega told us in a statement, “I’m particularly pleased that the return of HowdyCon will not only bring the readers of the Underground Bunker together, but that it will also benefit the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation. This is an organization that works so hard to be a soft landing place for people who are coming out of Scientology and feel bewildered about the modern world and re-adapting to it. Because of the crucial work that the Foundation does, it often can’t speak publicly about the people it is helping, but there’s no question that it has become an extremely important institution for people struggling to leave Scientology, and it continues to grow. I’m glad we can help with proceeds from HowdyCon 2026.”