Clearly, the way the Scientology website spins it, David Miscavige was something like a right-hand man to the church’s guru, L. Ron Hubbard, and that gives him a lot of clout. In the 1980s, Hubbard appointed Miscavige to Trustee of the Religious Technology Center, a place where Hubbard’s teachings would be “preserved, maintained and protected.” 

According to The Baltimore Sun, Hubbard went into hiding in 1980 but used Miscavige as a go-between for himself and other church leaders, so when Hubbard died in 1986 Miscavige filled the vacuum of the loss of leadership — not without a power struggle between a couple of other of Hubbard’s closest executives. Still, Miscavige muscled his way into the leadership role, which he has maintained ever since. 

Miscavige wasn’t just Hubbard’s pet student though. He’s been described as an “initiator,” as a hard-working, “no-nonsense” leader who is working hard to grow the church. He’s also been described as a “ruthless infighter with a volatile temper,” per The Baltimore Sun. According to Scientology, it was Miscavige who steered the organization into its tax-exempt status by earning the church legal recognition in the U.S.

Today Miscavige, a high school dropout, continues to try to grow the church globally, even as more and more prominent or celebrity members of the church — including David’s late father, Ron — have defected, sharing their stories about the allegedly shady inner-workings of the organization, casting a negative light on Scientology. Still, “Miscavige continues to steadfastly carry forth L. Ron Hubbard’s legacy,” per Scientology.