What Is Bethany Joy Lenz's Net Worth?
Bethany Joy Lenz is an American actress, director, producer, and musician who has a net worth of $1 million. Bethany Joy Lenz is probably most famous for playing the character Haley James Scott on "One Tree Hill." Bethany is also known for her role as Michelle Bauer Santos on the daytime soap opera "Guiding Light."
Early Life
Bethany Joy Lenz was born on April 2, 1981, in Hollywood, Florida. Her father, Robert Gage Lenz, was a history teacher and therapist, and her mother, Catharine Malcolm Holt Shepard, was a personnel manager and entrepreneur. Her grandfather was the 1950s Broadway star George Lenz. Notably, George Lenz starred in such popular musicals as "Wish You Were Here," and "South Pacific," among many others.
Bethany started singing at the age of three at The Carpenter's Church in Lakeland, Florida. When she was seven, Joy and her family moved to Arlington, Texas, where she studied dance, tap, jazz, acting, and theater at The Creative Arts Theater. Some of her stage roles as a youth include a Munchkin in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz" and a Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird" at the Irving Community Theater in Texas.
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
Career
While visiting Los Angeles, Lenz landed her first professional job in a doll commercial. She later went on to appear in commercials for Eggo Waffles, Dr. Pepper, and others. She continued to work as an actress while still in high school and landed the role of Linda Halleck in Stephen King's Thinner. Bethany also appeared in various pilots, commercials, and other films, in addition to performing regularly in regional theatres.
When Lenz was 17 years old, she played the teenage clone of Reva Shayne on the CBS Daytime soap opera "Guiding Light" for nine episodes. Her time on the show was so popular among viewers that she was later recast as Michelle Bauer Santos. She graduated from high school while on the show. She then landed a role in "Mary and Rhoda," a made-for-television movie. Additionally, Bethany did a one-year run on a New York cabaret called "Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie 70's Explosion." She also filmed two pilots during this time.
At the end of her contract with "Guiding Light," she left her role and moved from New York City to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Lenz landed a role in "Happy Days: the Musical." She also was cast in a musical version of "The Outsiders." Additionally, she landed guest appearances in "Off Centre," "Charmed," "Felicity," "Maybe It's Me," and "The Guardian."
When Lenz was 22, she was cast in the WB television series "One Tree Hill." She originally auditioned for the roles of Brooke Davis and Haley James and landed the role of Haley James. While she was on the popular show, she was also offered the role of Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" while it was still on Broadway. However, she turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. She did appear in an episode of "Life Unexpected" as part of a crossover-event between "Life Unexpected" and "One Tree Hill."
In the sixth season of "One Tree Hill," Bethany made her directorial debut. Over the course of the season, she was one of several directors and directed three total episodes. After eight seasons on the air, the show returned for a final ninth season before ending in April 2012.
Lenz then decided to focus on other projects that she thought would take her career in a direction that "One Tree Hill" had not. In September 2012, it was confirmed that Lenz would guest star on an episode of "Men at Work," playing Meg.
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In March 2013, it was confirmed that Lenz landed a recurring role on "Dexter." She appeared in four episodes of the final season of the show. In late September 2013, Bethany landed a role on the pilot "Songbyrd." Production for the show began in late January 2014 in New York City, but the show was ultimately not picked up.
In 2015, Lenz was cast in the ABC Shonda Rhimes drama "The Catch" as the character of Zoe. In May of that year, she revealed that she was being replaced on the show. Early in 2016, she starred in the short film "Grace," which was made by her friend Kristin Fairweather. She also appeared in the third season of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." In mid-2016, she was cast in the new drama "American Gothic" as the character April.
In addition to her acting career, Lenz has also had a successful music career. Her first album, "Preincarnate," was released in October 2002. She continued releasing music throughout her time on "One Tree Hill." In 2008, Bethany formed the band Everly with her lifelong friend, Amber Sweeney. The band split up in 2012. In December of 2020, Lenz released her first solo Christmas album, "Snow."
Lenz has also been involved in a number of other professional endeavors. She designed her own jewelry line in partnership with Stilnest. The pieces in her collection feature a buffalo motif, which was inspired by a trip she took to Fort Apache. In 2023, Lenz announced that she was starting a broadcast newspaper for women called "Modern Vintage." She has also been a co-host on the "Drama Queens" podcast since 2021 with former "One Tree Hill" co-stars Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton Morgan.
Personal Life
Lenz married musician Michael Galeotti, formerly of the band Enation, on December 31, 2005. In 2011, Bethany gave birth to a daughter, Maria Rose. In March 2012, Lenz announced that she would be divorcing her husband after six years of marriage. When making the announcement, she discussed that the couple planned to remain friendly in order to raise their daughter together.
Cult
In August 2023, Bethany revealed that she was in a cult for 10 years. She has not disclosed the name of the cult, but she has said that it was a Christian-based group that began as a home Bible study in Los Angeles. She has said that the cult encouraged isolation from and distrust of non-members, which extended beyond just her "One Tree Hill" co-stars. She also said that she was pressured to turn down opportunities to be in "huge movies" and Broadway shows at the height of her career.
Lenz has said that she is still recovering from her experience in the cult, and she is writing a book about it. She has also said that she wants to help others who have been in similar situations.
