Stephen Colbert grills Lawrence Wright with Scientology-speak

Lawrence Wright, the author of “Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief” appeared on “The Colbert Report” Thursday night to talk about his book. But before he could get there, Stephen Colbert bgean grilling the Pulitzer Prize winner using the coded language of the Church of Scientology.

Wright’s book began as an article for The New Yorker in which he followed the story of director Paul Haggis, a former Scientology enthusiast who eventually left the church over its support of anti-gay rights legislation.

The book, currently No. 2 on the L.A. Times nonfiction bestseller list, is an enthralling account of the Church of Scientology, its alleged abuses, founder L. Ron Hubbard and the ways it has courted Hollywood celebrity.

As our reviewer Evan Wright wrote, “celebrities are serious business in Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard, who founded his church in Los Angeles in 1954, recognized their value in attracting followers. Through a church publication, he urged adherents to recruit Marlene Dietrich, Bob Hope and Walt Disney, advising them, ‘If you want one of these celebrities as your game, write us at once so the notable will be yours to hunt without interference.’”

Maybe the book explains what Colbert is saying when he asks Wright if he believes in KSW, and demands to know if he is “upstats.”

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