Olympic Gold Medalist Noah Lyles Revealed How Growing Up In A "Super Strict" Cult Affected Him

" That kind of really messed up my horizon of church and it emphatically messed up my mummy ’s view . "

If you watched the2024 Summer Olympics, you likely saw runnerNoah Lylestake home the gold medal for the US in the Men’s 100m.

During a recent episode of theEverybody Wants to Be Uspodcast, Noah revealed that he grew up in a cult. Yes, really.

“I actually grew up in a cult,” he said. “It was a cult. It just wasn’t at the level of, ‘Yeah, okay. We’re gonna drink the Kool-Aid.'"

Noah claims that the cult was “super strict” and placed a strong emphasis on homeschooling — and it also pushed the shared belief that “the father was the head of the household.”

He also said that the church his family attended would tell you who you could — and couldn’t — be in a relationship with, up to who you could marry.

What’s more, after his family left the cult and moved to North Carolina, they joined another church only to find that “they wanted to do the same thing.”

“So, we left that, but that kind of really messed up my view of church and it definitely messed up my mom’s view,” he explained.

Noah went on to say that it took his mother “a long time” to move forward after their experiences. “Even now, she still struggles to trust churches in general, but she never lost her faith in the religion and I think instilled that in us,” he said.

“It made it easier for me to go throughout my own journey.”

You can listen to the entire episodehere.

Noel Miller smiles in front of an Omega backdrop. He is dressed in a stylish jacket with pearl embellishments, a white shirt, and light-patterned pants

Everybody Wants to Be Us / Viayoutube.com

Noah Lyles holding a gold medal, wearing a mask and a blue Team USA jacket during an award ceremony at a sporting event

Noah Lyles in a USA uniform, running during an athletics event, with a focused expression

Noah Lyles, wearing a USA athletic uniform, sits on the ground holding a water bottle with a coach or medical personnel assisting him

Noah Lyles on the track in a USA jersey, wearing a race bib with "LYLES" at an athletic event

Noah Lyles looks focused in athletic gear during a track and field event.

Noah Lyles, wearing a USA uniform, competes in a track event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Another runner in a blue Italy uniform is visible in the background

A man, wearing a tracksuit adorned with an American flag patch, is smiling widely during what appears to be an athletic event. His hair is styled with braids

If you watched the2024 Summer Olympics, you likely saw runnerNoah Lylestake home the gold medal for the US in the Men’s 100m.#

During a recent episode of theEverybody Wants to Be Uspodcast, Noah revealed that he grew up in a cult. Yes, really.#

“I actually grew up in a cult,” he said. “It was a cult. It just wasn’t at the level of, ‘Yeah, okay. We’re gonna drink the Kool-Aid.'"#

Noah claims that the cult was “super strict” and placed a strong emphasis on homeschooling — and it also pushed the shared belief that “the father was the head of the household.”#

He also said that the church his family attended would tell you who you could — and couldn’t — be in a relationship with, up to who you could marry.#

What’s more, after his family left the cult and moved to North Carolina, they joined another church only to find that “they wanted to do the same thing.”#

“So, we left that, but that kind of really messed up my view of church and it definitely messed up my mom’s view,” he explained.#

Noah went on to say that it took his mother “a long time” to move forward after their experiences. “Even now, she still struggles to trust churches in general, but she never lost her faith in the religion and I think instilled that in us,” he said.#

“It made it easier for me to go throughout my own journey.”#

You can listen to the entire episodehere.#