A report this week claimed that Cathriona White, Jim Carrey’s girlfriend, was studying Scientology before her death on Monday from an apparent suicide. The Church of Scientology has blasted the report, calling it exploitative.
Tony Ortega, a journalist who focuses on Scientology, reported on Wednesday that White was a Scientologist and that Carrey was aware that she was a member of the controversial religion when they first started dating in 2012. Ortega claims that two of White’s friends told him that she was taking classes at Scientology’s Hollywood Celebrity Centre. Carrey is not a Scientologist.
A church spokesperson sent a statement to E! News, criticizing Ortega for publishing a story around the time of White’s death and assuming there was a link between her suicide and Scientology. The statement did not confirm if White was a member of the religion.
“Saying that somebody was studying Scientology in the past and connecting that to a suicide is like saying a person who had previously studied the Bible committed suicide,” the spokesperson told E!. “It is sad and reprehensible that a paid anti-Scientologist like Tony Ortega is exploiting this terrible tragedy involving a young woman: it's a sign of outright bigotry.”
White, 28, was found dead in her Sherman Oaks home on Monday. In a statement on Tuesday, Carrey said he is “shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my sweet Cathriona.”
Police have said that White possibly died from an overdose, although an autopsy hasn’t been completed yet. Carrey has reportedly met with her family, who plan to bury White in her native Ireland.