Actors, rappers, singers, and Elvis’ first kiss are all amongst those who have decided that they had just had enough at some point and needed to make a drastic, life altering change. Celebrities do all kinds of crazy crap in their Hollywood careers, so leaving the industry entirely because they finally found God and have become a born again Christian of some sort, isn’t likely among the strangest things to happen in Hollywood. However, these 15 celebrities (some of which you may not have heard about in years) who decided to leave it all behind for the word of God, do have some pretty interesting stories as to why they decided to jump the gun and run from the world they’ve always known. Everything from near death experiences to medical substances and everything in between lead them down their current path, and I’m not an expert, but it seems as though they couldn’t be happier.

15 Dylan And Cole Sprouse: Helping The Kids

Dylan and Cole Sprouse are totally awesome. While they had their prime time in Hollywood and a young and shiny age, I guess that was all the time they needed in order to get to where they wanted to be. After rocking every pre-teens socks off with The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and then The Suite Life on Deck, they had had enough and felt that it was time to move onto more important things in life, such as getting back in touch with their faith and helping those in need. In 2013, the twins were appointed as the International Ambassadors of the Shin Koyamada Foundation which is a youth-empowering, nonprofit organization. They then traveled to Japan in order to assist with the implementation of the programs and conduct motivational and educational classes for the Japanese youth. Since returning from Japan, the twins have renewed their relationship with Christ and are attending New York University.

14 David Archuleta: American Idol Mormon

David Archuleta, the most adorable American Idol star to come from the show (seriously he looks like a puppy) and he put his entire career on hold. He knew that this would have to happen before he became a contestant on the show because with his Mormon faith, at 18 years of age, young men must go on a mission in order to serve God and the church. Though, the audience nor the judges were aware of this disclaimer, but I suppose it all worked itself out when he rocked the Idol stage and became an instant sensation. Once that season of the show came to an end, Archuleta put his career on hold when he traveled to Utah in order to get his mission orders and then went off the grid completely for two years to carry out his religious duty and connect with his faith. He spent two years in Chile spreading the LDS word before returning to the United States some time in 2014.

13 Mase: Just Gave It All Up For God

Don’t deny that you know who Mase is. Or at least you had a serious crush on him along with the rest of the world after that one Harlem World album came out in ‘97. We all deeply felt the loss when, by 1999, he had had a serious change of heart and began to take a magnifying glass to his entire life. He just basically, flat out, gave up the whole “rap thing” as he once said. However, he didn’t leave the world hanging entirely before he fell off the face of the music world. He released one more album, Double Up, before he revealed first to Funkmaster Flex, that he was retiring from the rap game to follow a calling from God. He went on to become a pastor until 2012 and became the founder of El Elyon International Church and Mason Betha Ministries. After this hiatus, he actually returned to music and admitted that he may have possibly jumped the gun.

12 Sherri Shepherd: A Different Point Of View

Okay, so Ms. Sherri Shepherd may not have left show business entirely when she found her new faith, but it did come as quite a shock to see the transition between her two lifestyles. As the current co-host of The View, she has been very open about her faith and the heavy impact that it constantly has on her life. She admit some time ago that she began to move closer to God when her mom was dying, after she got evicted and was dealing with a stalker of an ex-boyfriend all at the same time. She’s a bit ashamed of the “dirty and vulgar stand-up that she used to have to go to and she realizes that she has lost several fans in the process of her transition to faith, but she has come to terms with it and welcomes her new life. Though she’s still in the business, it will never be the same for her.

11 Stephen Baldwin: Jesus Is My Homeboy

Stephen Baldwin is the youngest of the ever-so famous Baldwin brothers and is absolutely no stranger to speaking about his faith. He has done several interviews throughout the years with a variety of media outlets and has spoken repeatedly of his eternal struggle with being a devout Christian in the Hollywood setting. There was once a time, on an episode of Nightline that Baldwin explained, in detail, the transformative impact that the September 11th attacks had on him and his world-view in general. He actually traced his finding God back to that exact point. In ‘08, he began working in depth with conservative radio host, Kevin McCullough in order to create and launch “Baldwin/ McCullough Live. This show airs every Saturday and became his new life’s work. While his brothers didn’t necessarily follow in his footsteps, he has not allowed that, or the strifes of Hollywood, to shake his faith.

10 Tyler Perry: Not Afraid

Tyler Perry didn’t leave Hollywood?! Well, that’s what I thought too. As it turns out, he had a brief stint where he seriously considered abandoning his entire career. While he is known and loved for his most famous character, Madea, he actually has played a huge role as the random fixture in major pictures, is a dedicated actor, screenwriter, author, and director and has earned himself a famous Hollywood name. While this is his fame to claim, he explained that he is a deeply religious man and considered leaving the industry at one point, but believes that he can actually use his position in Hollywood to inspire, motivate, and change lives. He admits he will never be afraid to have a character say “I believe in God” or “I am a Christian” because he feels these are the most easily relatable characters. He believes that as long as he can advocate for strong family values and diversity with God by his side, then he is doing the right thing.

9 Chris Tucker: A Change Of Heart

The popular comedian and actor, Chris Tucker, who starred in Friday and Rush Hour in the mid ‘90s through the very early 2000s. However, Tucker’s life took a serious turn in a different direction when, after doing the film Money Talks, he made a choice to stop appearing in the type of vulgar roles he felt that he took in the past. He sought a change in his life that would alter its direction forever. He became a born again Christian and worked to grow his relationship closer to God. More recently, he has dabbled in the entertainment industry but he has entirely let go of any foul language and profanities. He didn’t disappear from the acting world entirely though. One of his more notable and newer films, Silver Linings Playbook, was an Academy-Award nominated feature that let us know that he is still on the map, though not for too much longer I wouldn’t think.

8 Heather Donahue: Spiritual Enlightenment

Okay, so Heather Donahue from The Blair Witch Project is a total bada$$. Shocker, right? Not really. She had the most memorable scene in that film, with a close-up of her face with fluid streaming from her eyes and nose is literally the most impressive thing ever. However, not quite as impressive as her making the jump decision that she’s left enough of a mark on Hollywood and she was done with it. Then, taking every single thing even remotely related to her acting career into the depths of the desert and setting it ablaze. Like that wasn’t enough. Following her torching most of her past, she decided next to move to Nuggettown, California in order to have her own farm of… get ready for it… medical grass. Okay, so it wasn’t what most might consider leaving Hollywood for “God” God, but it’s a type of spiritual enlightenment, I’m sure.

7 Angus T. Jones: Over The Filth

Anyone who has ever seen Two and a Half Men, knows and loves this character as the child star of the show. It’s no secret that it is an incredibly vulgar, riding the line of inappropriate, series that millions love and adore. Regardless of his success on the show and the money he undoubtedly made from it, he just seemed to get entirely fed up with it all. He posted a YouTube clip in 2012 after being baptized and called the show total “filth” and abandoned it all together, once and for all. He shortly after began working with the World Harvest Outreach Church in Houston and devote his life to religion. He did a later interview where he stated that while working on the show he felt like he was nothing but a paid hypocrite who was a part of something that was making light of topics that are problems for many people in the world. Though he has since apologized for calling the show filth, he stands by everything else that he has said about them.

6 Kirk Cameron: Some Controversy

The Growing Pains actor, Kirk Cameron, spent many years of his life as a die hard atheist though he was born again at the young age of seventeen years old. After this major transformation right in the middle of his run of this popular sitcom, he began to request that certain lines be removed from his script. He no longer approved of the lines that his character was meant to portray because they weren’t in line with his newly found faith. When the show finally came to its end, he entirely let go of mainstream Hollywood which gave him the mental, physical and spiritual space to fall completely in love with evangelism. Though he has made some controversial comments surrounding the topic of homosexuality on the Piers Morgan Show, he has never since retracted those statements despite the serious backlash he has received since. He hasn’t had much of a presence in Hollywood since.

5 Montell Jordan: The Lord Has Spoken

Ever heard the ever so popular ‘90s anthem “This Is How We Do It”. Well that was Mr. Montell Jordan. While that’s what most will still remember him by, he no longer wants to be known for his brief music career. After trying to put out new music in 2010 and having it be shelved, he found himself trying to reconnect with his faith alongside his wife and children. From that point on, he would much rather be known for his newly found father and for his work in the church. After the lord spoke to him, he said that he needed to lay that life down and put it in the past and has since become a member of Victory World Church in Atlanta and then moved on the become a Worship Minister. He has actually taken a small leap back into the music industry when he released the gospel album “Shake Heaven”.

4 Vanity: Closer To God

Remember her? Prince’s female protege, Vanity, was the one and only lead singer of Vanity 6, best known for their hit “Nasty Girl” and their ultra racy performances on stage. She also took the spotlight in a handful of movies including The Last Dragon and Never Too Young To Die with the lovely John Stamos. Unfortunately, after years and years of struggling with an addiction for the better part of the ‘80s and nearly dying on many occasions from its dire effects, she finally came to the long overdue conclusion that something in her life needed to change drastically. That is when, as she said in an interview some time later,”With the devil breathing down my neck, trying desperately to snatch and strangle me for hell, I repented.” Sadly she lost her life in 2016.

3 Dolores Hart: God Is The Bigger Elvis

This is the lovely lady that will always and forever be known as the woman to give the infamous Elvis Presley his very first ever, onscreen kiss in the 1957 film, Loving You. Apparently Mr. Presley was more than she could handle and did her in for the rest of her life, because just six short years later, she insisted that she felt a calling and had to leave immediately. She utterly and simply rejected all things show business and the entire world that she had worked so hard to surround herself with. By 1963 she had commit her life to being a nun. Once Dolores Hart, now Sister Dolores became the prioress of a Bethlehem, Connecticut nunnery and devout her life. Shockingly enough, a documentary about Hart and her life called, God is the Bigger Elvis was nominated for an Oscar and brought her story to life once more.

2 Rick Moranis: Faith Buster

We know this fabulous 90’s actor from things such as Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Moranis is the dorky, lovably face of 80’s and 90’s comedy and everyone knew who he was. Unfortunately, after the tragic death of his wife, Anne, in 1991, Moranis felt that he could no longer be in the show business industry. Though he was never really featured as a vulgar or inappropriate character, he felt that he had lost his love for show business with his wife’s passing and it was no place for a single father of two children to be spending much of his time. From that point on, he left the industry to become a full-time parent to his two children and strengthen his relationship with God while learning how to mourn the loss of his partner in life. While no one has heard much from him since, there’s a chance he might pop up one day in a remake of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Weirder things have happened.

1 Cat Stevens: Almost The End

Cat Stevens made an incredibly abrupt runaway from music following his near drowning in 1976. You can’t blame him for having a near death experience and feeling the need to entirely change and uproot everything he has ever known in his life, right? Well, either way, just after this almost tragedy, Stevens made a sudden conversion to the Islam faith and completely turned away from the music industry. He changed his name to Yusuf Islam for which he is still known to this day. Oddly enough, however, he didn’t leave the industry out of moral obligation; he actually left with a desire to escape the responsibilities and obligations that come along with touring and performing. It took some time, but he finally found his way back into music some years later and now sings secular music. However, most of his efforts remain concentrated on worldwide charities and supporting disaster relief causes.