Tragic Details About The Life Of Hallmark's Bethany Joy Lenz
The Hallmark Channel is known for being the place to go when you want feel-good television. Whether it's a sweet spring film or a romantic Christmas flick, Hallmark has some of the best movies to watch when you're feeling down. But it isn't just the subject matter that delights viewers; the actors on Hallmark are just as charming as the films themselves. One actor that always cheers up any viewer is Bethany Joy Lenz.
Lenz has starred in some of Hallmark's best Christmas movies, such as "A Biltmore Christmas" and "Five Star Christmas," along with non-festive films like "Just My Type" and "Bottled With Love." Some fans might also recognize Lenz from her iconic role as Hayley James Scott on "One Tree Hill." While Lenz has been providing lighthearted movies and gripping teen drama for years, she's also experienced her fair share of struggles in her personal life, including a divorce, struggling with a late ADHD diagnosis, and healing after spending nearly a decade in a cult.
Bethany Joy Lenz's divorce ended in tragedy
Bethany Joy Lenz is no stranger to romance due to her experience on the Hallmark Channel, but in her personal life, things are a bit more complicated. Lenz met her future husband, Michael Galeotti, in 2002 when they both worked on the same Michelle Branch music video for her song, "Goodbye to You." They soon fell in love and tied the knot three years later in 2005. The couple welcomed their first and only child, daughter Maria Rose, in 2011.
Unfortunately, Galeotti and Lenz decided to divorce in 2012. Lenz shared the decision on her blog at the time, saying, "We remain friendly and dedicated to raising our beautiful girl in love and we appreciate your prayers and support during this difficult time. I feel immensely humbled and grateful that God works all things for the good of those who love Him." (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The tragedy didn't end with Lenz and Galeotti's divorce. Galeotti reportedly struggled with alcoholism during and after their marriage and suffered from hypertension and high cholesterol. In 2016, Galeotti died of atherosclerotic heart disease.
Lenz spent 10 years in a religious cult
During her time on "One Tree Hill," Bethany Joy Lenz kickstarted her career as an actor and gained lifelong friendships with co-stars like Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton Morgan, but it also overlapped with some of the toughest times in her life. Around the time that Lenz landed her role as Haley James Scott on "One Tree Hill," she explained to Variety that she started attending Bible studies in a new state and didn't realize how harmful the group's dynamic was until she was immersed.
"The nature of a group like that is isolation," she said, though she didn't confirm which cult it was. "They have to make you distrust everyone around you so that the only people you trust are, first and foremost, the leadership and then, people within the group if the leadership approves of them and isn't in the middle of pitting you against each other ... So you feel incredibly lonely."
As difficult as her time in the cult was, Lenz continued to explain that filming for "One Tree Hill" was ultimately what kept her from staying in the cult for the rest of her life. "In a lot of ways, 'One Tree Hill' saved my life because I was there nine months out of the year in North Carolina ... And I think that spatial separation made a big difference when it was time for me to wake up."
Lenz turned her cult experience into a memoir
Actor Bethany Joy Lenz has been open about her struggles with spiritual abuse she endured during her time in a cult, but she's gone one step further with her experience. In March 2024, one year after Lenz revealed that she had spent a decade in a religious cult, she announced that she would be writing a memoir documenting her experience, titled "Dinner for Vampires."
The idea for Lenz's book stemmed from a discussion she had on the "Drama Queens" podcast in 2023, which she co-hosts with "One Tree Hill" alums Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton Morgan. She explained that while she knew her story was important, Lenz held back from writing the book for a while because she wanted to make sure it was written to the best of her ability.
Lenz shared an Instagram post detailing her writing process and the message she tried to convey in the book. "This isn't the first book I thought I'd write publicly, but as difficult as this subject matter is to untangle, I'm grateful I get to share my story my way," she wrote in the caption. "We all make mistakes, and I hope 'Dinner for Vampires' reminds you that, no matter what weird roads you've gone down, you're not alone."
Lenz was diagnosed with ADHD later in life
With such a successful career in many different areas, including film, television, and music, it's hard to imagine Bethany Joy Lenz struggling to achieve any of her goals. However, the "Poinsettias For Christmas" actor opened up about her ADHD diagnosis in May 2023 on an episode of the "What Women Binge" podcast with Melissa Joan Hart. "I think I have felt misunderstood a lot in my life because I am neurodivergent, and I don't have the same social cues that a lot of other people do," she explained.
After realizing later in life that she had ADHD, the relief that Lenz felt at finding out that she was neurodivergent was like nothing she had ever felt before. "I felt this wave of relief just cast over me," she said in an interview with Successful With ADHD. "Like, 'Oh my God, I'm not terrible at life. There's nothing wrong with me. My brain works differently than everyone is expecting me to function. My brain just works differently."
Though she's experienced several struggles in her life, Bethany Joy Lenz continues to thrive in her career and inspire people everywhere.