MomSkoop
At the 2007 Creative Arts Emmys, one comedian told a room full of television royalty that Jesus had absolutely nothing to do with her shiny new award. The line was censored on the broadcast, and it sparked plenty of angry complaints. Plenty of stars keep their beliefs private, and that’s their right.
A smaller group of actresses, writers, and comedians have said, in plain words and on the record, that they don’t believe in God. I find their reasons more interesting than the label itself. Some point to personal loss, some point to history, and a few still leave a little room for ghosts and fairies. Their answers range from thoughtful to hilarious, and none of them sound quite alike, even when two of them grew up in the same country.
1. Kathy Griffin
Award speeches usually come with a long list of thank-yous, but Kathy Griffin went the other way.
When she won a Creative Arts Emmy in 2007 for her reality show Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, she said no one had less to do with the award than Jesus.
She finished with a cheeky line declaring the award her god now.
The joke was edited out of the TV broadcast, and religious groups were not amused.
That moment wasn’t a random stunt from someone with no religious background.
Griffin grew up Catholic and drifted away from the church during high school, a story she shares in her 2009 memoir, Official Book Club Selection.
In a June 2007 interview with OutSmart magazine, she went further and called herself a militant atheist.
You can’t say she was being vague about it.
Griffin’s comedy has always aimed at powerful people and big institutions, and religion simply joined the list.
Her style isn’t for every audience, and she knows that better than anyone.
What stands out is how consistent she has been.
Whether she’s on a stage, in a book, or holding a trophy, her views show up in the same loud, unfiltered voice fans expect.
2. Emma Thompson
Few actors explain their beliefs as directly as Emma Thompson does.
The two-time Oscar winner, honored for acting in Howards EndSense and Sensibility and for writing , has never been shy about calling herself an atheist.
Her reasoning is specific and rooted in history.
In a 2018 interview, she said she is an atheist because she has seen world religions oppress so many women for so long.
She summed it up in one striking sentence: religion, to her, is the history of the oppression of women.
That’s a strong position, and she states it without softening the edges.
Interestingly, Thompson doesn’t brush off the idea of an inner life.
In that same conversation, she said she believes spiritual life matters, which shows atheism and reflection can sit side by side.
She has also described herself as a sort of libertarian anarchist, a label that fits her well-known habit of speaking her mind.
Earlier remarks show she views organized religion with fear and suspicion.
You don’t have to agree with her to appreciate the clarity.
She names her reasons, connects them to real concerns, and leaves you with something to think about, which is more than most celebrity quotes manage.
3. Keira Knightley
Here’s a celebrity who once joked about wanting to switch teams, just for the perks.
Back in 2012, Keira Knightley said that if only she weren’t an atheist, she could get away with anything.
Her logic was playful.
As she put it, a Catholic could just ask for forgiveness and be forgiven, which she said sounds much better than having to live with guilt.
The comment came up in a conversation with director David Cronenberg, who worked with her on A Dangerous Method.
The topic at the time was politician Newt Gingrich and the way public figures handle personal scandals.
So the joke wasn’t really a plan to change religions.
It was a dry, witty observation about forgiveness and how differently people deal with guilt.
Knightley rose to fame through Bend It Like BeckhamPirates of the CaribbeanPride and PrejudiceThe Imitation Game and the films, then earned Oscar nominations for and .
Her public image leans elegant and serious, which makes the humor land even better.
If you like your big ideas served with a wink, her take is a fun one.
It’s a reminder that discussing belief doesn’t always have to sound heavy or solemn.
4. Helen Mirren
Leprechauns might have a better shot with Helen Mirren than the Almighty does.
The Oscar-winning star of The Queen once said she still sort of believes in fairies and leprechauns, but she doesn’t believe in God.
That charming line came from a chat with Esquire, where she also called herself quite spiritual.
She added that she believed in fairies as a child, and apparently the idea never fully left.
In a 2013 interview with Woman and Home, she offered another memorable description.
Mirren called herself a Christian who doesn’t believe in God.
Her point was about culture rather than faith.
Growing up in Britain, she said, the morality of Christianity was simply part of the country’s fabric, woven into daily life and values.
Plenty of people can relate to that feeling.
You might keep family holiday traditions, hum hymns from school, or value lessons from religious stories without believing the theology behind them.
Mirren’s version is honest and a little whimsical, which suits a performer who has played queens, spies, and gangsters with equal ease.
She makes room for wonder while still giving a clear answer to the big question.
5. Julianne Moore
Grief pushed Julianne Moore toward a firmer answer about belief.
In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress said she learned there is no ‘‘there’’ there after her mother passed away in 2009.
She went on to describe structure and order as things people impose on life.
In her words, we create narrative to understand the world, because otherwise there’s nothing but chaos.
That might sound bleak at first, but Moore framed it differently.
She has said she takes comfort in the idea that people get to shape their own lives and stories.
For a storyteller, that view makes a lot of sense.
Moore has spent decades building characters in films like Far from HeavenThe HoursStill Alice, , and , which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Hints of her outlook showed up years earlier, too.
On Inside the Actors Studio in 2002, host James Lipton asked what she’d want God to say, and her funny reply was along the lines of, I guess you were wrong, I do exist.
Her perspective offers a thoughtful takeaway.
Finding meaning can be something you build day by day, rather than something handed to you.
6. Natalie Portman
Jewish identity and belief in God don’t always travel together, and Natalie Portman is a great example.
The Jerusalem-born actress has spoken proudly about her Jewish culture and heritage while saying she doesn’t hold traditional beliefs about God or an afterlife.
In a 2002 Rolling Stone interview, she was asked about life after this one.
Her answer was simple: she doesn’t believe in that, she believes this is it, and she thinks that’s the best way to live.
That idea of one life works as motivation for her rather than a downer.
It pushes the focus toward the present moment, where choices actually count.
On Inside the Actors Studio, Portman also said she didn’t like the idea of doing good things just to earn a reward later.
She added that she doesn’t know whether Heaven exists.
Her career backs up the go-all-in attitude.
She graduated from Harvard, won an Oscar for Black SwanThor: Love and Thunder, and later picked up Mjolnir as Jane Foster in .
If you’ve ever felt connected to a tradition without sharing its beliefs, her story may feel familiar.
Culture and community can stay meaningful even when theology isn’t part of the package.
7. Katharine Hepburn
Short, sharp, and totally on brand, Katharine Hepburn’s statement on religion needs no translation.
In a 1991 interview with Ladies’ Home Journal, she said, I’m an atheist, and that’s it.
She didn’t stop at the label, though.
Hepburn added that she believed there’s nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for people.
Honestly, that second part might be the most quotable thing about it.
Her view boiled big questions down to a practical rule anyone can follow, whatever they believe.
Hepburn built a reputation for doing things her own way.
She wore trousers when that raised eyebrows, spoke bluntly to reporters, and kept a famously independent streak throughout her long career.
Her trophy shelf is still unmatched among performers.
She won four Academy Awards for Best Actress, including for Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerThe Lion in Winter and , which remains a record.
For fans of classic Hollywood, her quote adds another layer to a familiar legend.
It shows a woman who didn’t need a grand system to explain how to treat people well.
8. Ayn Rand
Long before celebrities shared opinions on podcasts, a novelist built an entire philosophy that left no room for God.
Ayn Rand, born in Russia and later a famous American writer, made atheism a core part of the system she called Objectivism.
Rand argued that people can reach happiness through reason and their own rational self-interest.
Religious faith, in her view, had no place in that equation.
She put it bluntly in a 1964 Playboy interview.
Rand said faith is extremely detrimental to human life and called it the negation of reason.
Her ideas spread mainly through her novels.
The FountainheadAtlas Shrugged came out in 1943, and followed in 1957, both packed with characters who live by her philosophy.
Readers tend to have strong reactions to her work, and debates about it still pop up in classrooms and political circles.
Some admire her focus on independence, while others push back hard on her views about selfishness and society.
Love her or argue with her, she’s a unique entry on this list.
Rand didn’t just mention her atheism in an interview, she wrote thousands of pages explaining why.
9. Phyllis Diller
That wild hair and cackling laugh hid a quiet secret that went back to childhood.
Phyllis Diller, the trailblazing stand-up comedian, revealed that she had been an atheist since she was a kid.
She shared the detail in her 2005 memoir.
Diller explained that she held this view even while attending church with her parents as a child.
Picturing a young future comedian sitting politely in a pew, privately unconvinced, is pretty funny.
It also says a lot about how early some people form their own opinions.
Diller became a major name in comedy at a time when very few women headlined stand-up shows.
She joked about her housekeeping, her made-up husband Fang, and her own wacky look.
She later toured with Bob Hope, appeared on countless TV shows, and opened doors for generations of female comics.
Joan Rivers often credited her as an early inspiration.
Her lack of belief in God or an afterlife wasn’t the center of her act.
Still, it fits her overall attitude, a performer who looked at life with a raised eyebrow and found the humor in it.
10. Natalie Dormer
Ghost hunters, take note, because Natalie Dormer would love an invitation.
Back in 2007, while playing Anne Boleyn in The Tudors, she was asked whether she’d ever had a supernatural experience.
Her answer was refreshingly honest.
She said, unfortunately not, and that she’d like one.
Then came the twist.
Dormer explained that she has an open mind and calls herself an atheist, but she wouldn’t mind being visited by a ghost.
That combination makes her one of the more playful voices here.
She’s clear about her beliefs, yet she’s curious enough to leave the door open for a spooky surprise.
Given her résumé, a ghost would fit right in.
Dormer has played Anne Boleyn, the clever Margaery Tyrell in Game of ThronesThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and Cressida in films.
Plenty of people can relate to this middle ground.
You can doubt the supernatural and still enjoy a good ghost story, a haunted castle tour, or a creepy movie night.
Her quote is a nice reminder that atheism doesn’t have to mean shutting down wonder.
Sometimes it just means waiting for better evidence, possibly floating down a hallway.
11. Sarah Polley
A single film helped pull Sarah Polley out of a very low point.
The Canadian actor, writer, and director has said Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line single-handedly brought her out of a deep depression.
She tied that experience to her own lack of belief in a memorable way.
Polley said she’s an atheist, but the film was the first time it gave her faith in other people’s faith.
That’s a beautifully specific idea.
She didn’t change her own views, yet she found a new respect for what belief means to others.
Polley has talked about filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman and Malick, whose movies often wrestle with spiritual questions.
Art like that can move you even when you don’t share its starting point.
Her own career is full of thoughtful choices.
She started as a child actor on Road to AvonleaAway from HerStories We Tell, then directed and .
In 2023, she won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking.
That film centers on women in a religious community, which makes her perspective even more interesting.
Her quote offers a gentle model for disagreement.
You can hold firm views and still appreciate what others find meaningful.
12. Julia Sweeney
Two missionaries knocking on her door set off a journey that became an entire show.
Julia Sweeney, best known as the androgynous character Pat on Saturday Night LiveLetting Go of God, turned her path from Catholicism to atheism into the one-woman monologue .
The story starts with that visit from a pair of Mormon missionaries.
Their conversation nudged her to take a closer look at her own Catholic faith.
She began reading the Bible carefully, studying other religions, and learning more about science.
Bit by bit, she found she no longer believed in God.
Sweeney performed the show onstage in the mid-2000s and later released it as a recording.
It mixes laugh-out-loud moments with sincere scenes about family, especially her parents’ reactions.
What makes it stand out is the tone.
She doesn’t mock believers, and she treats her own former faith with care, even while explaining why she let it go.
If you’re curious about how someone actually changes their mind on big questions, her monologue is a strong place to start.
It’s funny, personal, and surprisingly gentle.
Few comedians have devoted a full evening to this topic.
Sweeney did, and she made it relatable for people on both sides.
13. Amber Heard
Some turning points arrive far too early.
Amber Heard has said she moved away from religion at sixteen, after losing a close friend in a car accident.
Growing up in Texas, she was raised Catholic.
That painful loss, she explained, led her to question the faith she was raised in.
Over time, she came to reject organized religion and has described herself as an atheist.
In past interviews, she has stressed the value of personal conviction and logical reasoning.
Many teens and young adults go through a similar process after a hard experience.
Big questions can feel urgent when life suddenly stops making sense.
Heard’s acting career took off in the late 2000s, with roles in films like Pineapple ExpressZombieland and .
She later played Mera in Aquaman and its 2023 sequel.
Her public life has drawn intense headlines for other reasons, but her comments on belief go back years before that.
They focus on her own reasoning rather than criticizing other people’s faith.
Her story adds a different angle to this list.
Belief often shifts during the toughest moments, and those changes can shape how someone sees the world for a long time afterward.