6 famous people you didn’t realise were raised Mormon: from The Fall Guy star Ryan Gosling and the late Paul Walker, to The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, Christina Aguilera and actress Amy Adams

May 18 , 2024

Actors Brandon Flowers, Amy Adams and Ryan Gosling were all raised Mormon. Photos: @simonemmettstudio/Instagram, Handout

For the uninitiated, the Mormon church – also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – was founded in upstate New York in 1830 by Joseph Smith. Smith was just 14 when he said God spoke to him and told him where to find an ancient scripture detailing Jesus’ visit to America after his resurrection, PBS explains.

In addition to its unusual beginnings, a Broadway play criticising Mormonism’s overzealous missionaries and bizarre doctrines such as a ban on consuming hot drinks have helped cement the religion’s controversial reputation. But believe it or not, some of the world’s biggest stars were raised in Mormon households …

1. Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling, pictured with Emma Stone in 2016’s La La Land. Photo: Summit Entertainment

Canadian Ryan Gosling’s parents were both devout Mormons, with The Fall Guy star crediting going to church as the thing that helped socialise him at a young age, according to Screenrant. He told The Guardian in 2007 that his mum was particularly religious: “My mother admits it: she says, you were raised by a religious zealot. She’s different now, but at the time, it was a part of everything – what they ate, how they thought.”

2. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera experienced a Mormon upbringing during her very early years. Photo: Enrique Badulescu

Though RadarOnline reports that Christina Aguilera has long identified as Catholic, it points out that the “Dirty” singer was originally raised Mormon on account of both of her parents being members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints. The couple were even married at an LDS temple in Washington DC, according to SheKnows.

3. Brandon Flowers

The Killers’ Brandon Flowers “might be the most famous Mormon in the world”, according to The Utah Statesman. Photo: Universal Music

The Killers frontman remains one of Mormonism’s most famous proponents, regularly discussing his faith in interviews. He told The Guardian in October 2017 that his parents converted when he was still a child and at some point “drinking Coca-Cola became an issue”. It’s not doctrine, he adds, “but culturally frowned upon”.

Flowers also explained that the religion encourages its followers to fast for 24 hours each month, but admitted he’s “terrible at it”. “It’s so hard to make it through, but I do put in the effort,” he said.

4. Chelsea Handler

Chelsea Handler grew up with one Jewish parent and one Mormon parent, and said she “chose Jewish, obviously, because Mormonism is so ridiculous”. Photo: AP Photo

According to The Jewish Chronicle, the 49-year-old TV host and comedian thought both her parents were Jewish until she realised her mother was in fact a practising Mormon. Handler told the author Judy Blume on stage at an event in 2020 that she grew up as both a Jew (on her father’s side) and a Mormon, adding: “We had to choose and I chose Jewish, obviously, because Mormonism is so ridiculous.”

5. Paul Walker

Paul Walker remained a devout Christian after leaving the Church of Latter-Day Saints. Photo: AP Photo

The late Fast & the Furious star told UK GQ in 2013 that he went to a “born-again Christian high school and was brought up in a traditional Mormon family”. And although by the time of his death in November of the same year, he had reportedly left the Church of the Latter-Day Saints, he remained a devout Christian.

According to Christian Today, Walker said the people he truly couldn’t understand were atheists: “I go surfing and snowboarding and I’m always around nature. I look at everything and think, ‘Who couldn’t believe there’s a God? Is all this a mistake?’ It just blows me away.”

6. Amy Adams

Amy Adams chose to leave the Church of Latter-Day Saints but said it “provides a support system if you embrace it”. Photo: Showbiz Bang

Despite no longer being part of the church, Disenchanted actress Amy Adams said in 2013 that growing up Mormon had its benefits as well as drawbacks. “It provides a support system if you embrace it, despite all the controlling and guilting aspects of religion that I grew to resent,” she told UK newspaper The Sun. “What I still feel and rely on from that kind of teaching is how you can bring a lot of joy to the people around you by being positive and hopeful.”

Fame and celebrity

By her own admission, Ryan Gosling’s mother was a ‘religious zealot’ whose adherence to Mormon doctrine dictated what her family ate and thought, but the Barbie star says the church also helped him
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers is still a practising Mormon, and has said he’s ‘terrible’ at the religion’s suggested monthly food fast, while Chelsea Handler called the church ‘ridiculous’