'Ruthless' Leader David Miscavige's Dad Admits 'Abuse' To '20/20'
April 27 2016, Updated 7:48 p.m. ET
Tom Cruise's best friend and the leader of Scientology, David Miscavige, is coming under fire yet again — from his own dad!
David is fighting the publisher of Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me, the tell-all written by his father Ron Miscavige that claims to reveal his son's "brutal approach to running the organization."
David, who was the best man at Cruise and Katie Holmes' lavish wedding in Rome, was introduced to L. Ron Hubbard's cult-like religion when he was just nine years old and his father says that changed his life.
"After 45 minutes, David walks out, smiling, bright," Ron tells ABC's 20/20 in his first interview about his book. "That moment decided his life, and mine."
Ron explains in the interview that his son wasn't born "ruthless," as the title of his book suggests.
"He wasn't always that way. When he was kid he was a lovable kid. He had a great sense of humor. We got along great."
As a child David suffered from asthma, but his father said that after his first Scientology experience his allergies decreased "considerably."
"Of course, that's what the auditing handled, the actual psychological phenomena of it. I think it was at that moment that he decided he's going to do something with this," he claimed.
David's father said that he was first introduced to Scientology in 1968 and he allowed his son to leave home at 16 to join the church's "Sea Org," group.
"He advanced very rapidly in the Church," Ron told 20/20 "He really decided at a very young age to make it his career and his mission."
David has been accused of extreme cruelty toward lower level Scientology members over the years, but no charges have ever been filed against him, and the church strongly denies all allegations.
His sisters have alleged that their father abused them and their mother when they were young, but according to ABC, Ron said his daughters' version of events as a flat-out lie. He did admit, however,"There was some domestic abuse, which I don't feel good about."
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
The church has sent legal letters to the UK publisher of the book as well as the US publishers, demanding that they not put Ruthless on sale, but both companies have declined to stop the publication.
Humfrey Hunter, the UK Silvertail Books publisher, told The Hollywood Reporter that they are not heeding Scientology's threats.
"My plans for the book haven't changed at all since I received the letter. Full legal due diligence has been carried out on the manuscript and I am both confident in its integrity and very proud that Silvertail is publishing it. Ron's story is an important one, and he is a brave man to be telling it."
