One of the biggest donors to the Church of Scientology made her fortune as the voice of Bart Simpson – and lives relatively modestly while donating huge sums to the religious group.
Nancy Cartwright, 65, was revealed on Tuesday to have given over $21 million to the group, putting her in the top ranks of donors, alongside Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley and pharmaceutical billionaire Bob Duggan, who is believed to be their biggest benefactor, writes anti-Scientology blogger Tony Ortega.
Cartwright has voiced Bart Simpson since the show’s inception in 1987, and at her peak in 2008 was earning $400,000 an episode. The salary was later cut to $300,000 per show.
Yet for all her considerable fortune, Cartwright appears to live relatively modestly, in a fairly anonymous northern suburb of Los Angeles, Northridge.
Nancy Cartwright, seen in May 2015, voices Bart Simpson and is one of the biggest donors to Scientology
Cartwright’s $2.2 million is not lavish, for someone paid $400,000 an episode
Cartwright lives in a relatively quiet suburb of Los Angeles, in a house she bought in 1996 for $500,000
In 1996, five years after becoming a Scientologist, she bought her current home in the area for $500,000: it is now valued at $2.2 million.
She has spoken previously about her faith, defending the Church after an HBO documentary about Scientology, Going Clear, was released in 2015.
The documentary deconstructed the background of the organization by presenting a history of the group and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
The film alleged that stars including John Travolta had been forced to stay in Scientology for fear secrets surrounding their personal life would be exposed.
Cartwright said: ‘That movie, I don’t know what to tell you, it’s called prejudice.
‘It’s very irresponsible reporting.’
But her extreme generosity to the Church was not widely known until now.
In 2007, Cartwright was awarded Scientology’s Patron Laureate Award after she donated $10 million to the Church. The amount was double her annual salary for the year.
The donation for 2007 topped those of some of the biggest Hollywood names in the organization, including Tom Cruise.
Kirstie Alley (left) and Tom Cruise have both given generously to the Church of Scientology
And she kept giving.
In 2019, she was reported to have reached ‘Diamond Laureate With Honors’, reflecting she had given the organization about $17.5 million.
On New Year’s Eve 2022 she was awarded a trophy for reaching ‘Patron Excalibur With Honors’ level status – meaning she had made at least $21 million in contributions over her lifetime, according to The New York Post.
Cartwright was photographed at the December 31 event at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida, alongside Scientology CEO David Miscavige.
Speaking in the new issue of Scientology’s Impact magazine, Cartwright said: ‘This was the most beautiful acknowledgement I have ever received in my entire life.’
Cartwright’s two children, Lucy Mae Murphy and Jackson Murphy, have not spoken about their mother’s gifts.
Their father, Warren Murphy, died in 2015 aged 81: he and Cartwright had divorced in 2002, after 14 years of marriage.
It is not known if Cartwright’s children are also Scientologists.
The biggest donors to the Church are known as ‘whales’, according to Ortega – a former member of the Church, who now works to counter it.
Ortega told The Post that Cartwright is a ‘very hardcore’ Scientologist, ‘who enforces it on other celebs.
‘She’s there to remind you you need to donate more, show up more,’ he claimed.
Pictured: Cartwright (left) and Scientology head Miscavige (right) at the ceremony on December 31, 2022
Cartwright is seen with her children, Lucy Mae and Jackson, in May 2015
Cartwright attends the 38th annual L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards in April 2022
Cartwright is well known as the voice of The Simpsons’ main character Bart Simpson, pictured here in 2018 in New York City
Ortega said that other ‘whales’ often tried to keep their donations secret, and do not ‘necessarily want the public to know’.
Tom Cruise, who is estimated to have a $600 million fortune, is confirmed to have given at least $2.5 million: in 2012, Business Insider estimated Cruise had given at least $25 million.
Kirstie Alley, who died in December, gave $5 million in 2007.
John Travolta has never confirmed his donations, but Ortega says they are likely to be substantial, given his titles and accolades from the Church.
Believed to be the biggest donor is Bob Duggan, a 79-year-old pharmaceutical and venture capital billionaire.
In 2019, Duggan confirmed he had given well in excess of $360 million to the Church.
Duggan told The Tampa Bay Times in 2019 that he credits Scientology courses and Hubbard’s teachings for his success. He is now worth $1.9 billion.
‘Companies I started have generated value of over $100 billion,’ he said.
‘I don’t remember doing that before (Scientology).
‘It’s there to help the able become more able. For me it worked.’
Pictured: CEO of the Church of Scientology David Miscavige in Auckland, New Zealand, 2017
Scientology is known for requiring members to donate generously – although the website stresses that free courses are available.
Leah Remini, the actress who left the Church and now talks about her experiences, said she spent ‘millions’ during her 35 years with the Church.
Books and courses cost thousands of dollars, and ‘auditing’ – a Scientologist type of therapy – is $800 an hour, she said.
Members of the Church are often approached to pay for Scientology buildings, campuses and repairs, Remini claimed, and sought for donations to assist with natural disasters.
‘There is no other religion that I know of that requires two and a half hours of your day, a quarter of a million dollars minimum, and at least 40 years of your life,’ she said on her podcast.
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