Content Creators Are Doing "Speed Runs" at Scientology Centers in a Trend That Brings Them Together
"Speedrunning a cult is the funniest thing L.A. has done in years."
Updated May 5 2026, 1:28 p.m. ET
Some social media trends make perfect sense right away. Others need a little explaining, and that's OK too. The latter is the case for the Scientology speed run trend on social media, since, at first glance, it just seems like a lot of anarchy for the sake of anarchy with no real goal in mind except to cause trouble.
And causing trouble to make videos does make sense, sure. But the Scientology speed run trend is apparently about more than acting like a delinquent for internet likes and comments.
If you haven’t seen one of many viral videos where users perform these speed runs in Los Angeles at the Hollywood location of the Church of Scientology Information Center, you probably will soon.
Scientology speed runs on social media are part of a strange trend.
The trend that quickly grew across the platform involves running into the Church of Scientology Information Center in L.A. and getting as far as you can throughout the multiple floors and office spaces before you are caught or blocked from getting into certain areas.
In one of the videos that came out before users started throwing more fanfare in, a group of people runs through the center up and down flights of stairs before they are blocked off at various doorways.
Eventually, the trend got a bit out of hand. In one TikTok, a man dressed in a Jesus costume, joined by people in other random costumes, makes his way into the building. A camera follows the group as they perform their own speed run throughout the space.
Judging by some of the earliest Scientology Center speed runs on TikTok, it looks like the trend started around March 2026. A user who once posted videos showcasing his own speed runs shared on his profile that he had to take down the videos or risk being banned from TikTok. But other users quickly followed suit and kept the momentum going with their own videos.
It's giving "Storm Area 51" from 2019. The trend at the time was centered around Facebook users collectively deciding to meet up in the desert and storm the government facility to see the secrets kept behind closed doors and underground. The Church of Scientology Information Center might not be quite as widely speculated about as aliens and Area 51 is, but it comes close.
There's a so-called map of the Scientology center.
But wait, there is an apparent reason, or cause, behind content creators doing speed runs at the Scientology Center. At least, when it comes to the L.A.-based center. According to some videos on social media, it's part of a bigger picture of figuring out the layout, or map, of the building.
There are even users who have shared drawn-out maps based on speed runs, and other people who updated those maps with their own findings based on their speed runs.
Like most social media trends, though, chances are, the Scientology speed runs will, well, run their course. According to one user on the app, the L.A. location actually closed its once-open and sort of welcoming doors and even allegedly removed the outer door handles.
That might not be permanent, but it could be the solution until the speed runs run out of steam.