Nancy Cartwright, the voice actress best known as Bart on "The Simpsons," has long been known to be a Church of Scientology member in good standing. Now, it's being reported by various outlets that Impact, the Church of Scientology's official magazine, has announced that Cartwright is in extremely good standing indeed. So much so that she recently received honors for reaching the church's "Patron Excalibur With Honors" level thanks to her having donated more than $21 million to the organization since she converted back in the early 90s.
Cartwright received the honor at a Scientology event in Clearwater on New Year's Eve, 2022, appearing on stage with Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige. Cartwright told the magazine: "This was the most beautiful acknowledgement I have ever received in my entire life."
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According to Tony Ortega, a blogger who covers Scientology, Cartwright's $21 million in lifetime donations were made to the International Association of Scientologists, the official membership arm of the church itself. Ortega also describes her as a "very hardcore" member of the Church of Scientology, "who enforces it on other celebs…she's there to remind [other Scientologists] you need to donate more, show up more."
Many celebrity members of the Church of Scientology have donated significant sums to the organization, top leadership of which has reportedly referred to its wealthiest members as "whales" (as in cash cows). But the donations don't tend to be publicized like other acts of philanthropy are, due to the church's controversial notoriety among the general public.
Cartwright has been an open advocate for Scientology in public many times over the years. She and fellow combination Scientologist/animated comedy voice icon Isaac Hayes gave an interview about their experiences with Scientology to the Washington Post way back in 1992. In 2011 she lobbied the Illinois state legislature to approve a children's version of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's book "The Way to Happiness" to be included in school libraries.
