Oprah Winfrey, Marianne Williamson, Carlos Santana, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Gabrielle Bernstein, Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, Deepak Chopra, Jay-Z, and Beyonce are the most-documented celebrities and public figures who have publicly credited A Course in Miracles (ACIM) as a formative spiritual influence. Each connection below is backed by a verifiable interview, book, broadcast, or on-the-record statement, not fan speculation.
A Course in Miracles has been translated into 27 languages with over 3 million copies in print (Wikipedia: A Course in Miracles), and some of its most passionate students happen to be famous. Not because fame makes you spiritual, but because even people who "have it all" eventually realize that external success doesn't equal inner peace. That's when ACIM tends to find you.
I'm Rev. Maria Felipe, an ordained Pathways of Light minister and ACIM teacher for 25 years, and author of Live Your Happy (endorsed by Dr. Gerald Jampolsky). Before I found ACIM, I was hosting WWE shows in front of 20,000 people. The ego had everything it wanted. And I was miserable. So when I see celebrities talking about ACIM, I don't think "how cool." I think "they hit the same wall I did." And they found the same way through.
Here are the public figures who have genuinely embraced A Course in Miracles, with verified sources for every claim. No fabricated quotes. No assumptions. Just the facts, updated for 2026. Spanish readers can find the sibling piece at Celebridades que estudian Un Curso de Milagros.
- Marianne Williamson brought ACIM to mainstream audiences through Oprah in 1992, and her book A Return to Love has sold over 3 million copies.
- Oprah Winfrey ran a year-long daily ACIM Workbook radio program on XM Satellite Radio in 2008, one broadcast for each of the 365 lessons.
- Carlos Santana publicly identified himself as "a student of A Course in Miracles" in a 2014 Luxury Las Vegas interview (Miracle Distribution Center).
- Jay-Z and Beyonce both referenced ACIM's opening line ("Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists") in social media, recorded music, and the visual album Lemonade between 2015 and 2016.
- Dr. Wayne Dyer quoted ACIM in nearly every lecture he gave and dedicated a tagged section of his official site to Course teachings.
- Gabrielle Bernstein and Dr. Gerald Jampolsky each built full-time teaching careers based directly on ACIM principles, with more than 6 million combined book sales.
- Verified vs. rumored: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Jim Carrey are frequently attributed to ACIM online, but none have a verifiable on-the-record statement placing them as students.
Which Celebrities Actually Study A Course in Miracles?
A 1999 CBS News poll found that nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they believe in miracles (CBS News), but ACIM defines a miracle as a shift in perception from fear to love, not a supernatural event. The celebrities on this list didn't just casually mention ACIM in passing. They studied it, taught it, wrote about it, or referenced it in their work, and every connection below is verifiable.
Marianne Williamson
The most prominent ACIM teacher in the world. Williamson discovered ACIM in the 1970s and has taught it for over 30 years. Her 1992 book A Return to Love became a massive bestseller after she discussed it on The Oprah Winfrey Show. That single appearance is largely credited with pushing ACIM past 2 million copies sold.
Williamson didn't just write about ACIM. She built her entire career and public life around it, including two presidential campaigns grounded in ACIM principles. She currently runs an ACIM Monthly Membership with ongoing study programs. If you want the backstory of who actually scribed the book she teaches, see my piece on who wrote A Course in Miracles.
People sometimes compare my approach to Marianne's, which is the highest compliment I can imagine. Author Barbara Adams wrote that "Maria picks up where Marianne Williamson left off," and while I'm not sure I agree, I do think we share the same mission: making ACIM accessible to people who might otherwise never pick it up. In my 25 years teaching this material through Pathways of Light, I've watched Williamson's early Oprah appearance funnel three generations of students into ACIM study.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah didn't just interview Marianne Williamson. She became a genuine advocate for ACIM. After the 1992 episode (which received more viewer mail than any other that year), Oprah said she had "never been more moved by a book" and reportedly bought 1,000 copies of A Return to Love to give away.
In January 2008, Oprah took it further by launching a year-long daily radio program on XM Satellite Radio dedicated to ACIM's Workbook lessons. That's 365 episodes, one for each daily lesson. Say what you will about Oprah, but that level of commitment to a spiritual text is not casual interest.
Dr. Wayne Dyer
The late Wayne Dyer, one of the most influential self-help authors in history, quoted ACIM in nearly every lecture he gave. His favorite Course quote was "Would you be hostage to the ego or host to God?" which he returned to again and again across decades of speaking and writing.
Dyer's official website has an entire section tagged "A Course in Miracles" with multiple posts exploring ACIM's teachings. He wrote that ACIM offers "a way out of the 'I'm scared' thought pattern" and recommended it to millions of his followers.
Carlos Santana
The legendary guitarist publicly identifies as an ACIM student. In an interview with Luxury Las Vegas magazine, Santana stated: "I made a gentle commitment to inner practices and I became a student of A Course in Miracles" (Miracle Distribution Center, 2014).
Santana's connection to ACIM came through Dr. Gerald Jampolsky and Marianne Williamson. He has shared ACIM quotes on his official Facebook page and featured ACIM on his website's personal reflections section. For one of the greatest guitarists in history to credit a spiritual text with shaping his inner life, that says something about ACIM's depth.
Gabrielle Bernstein
Often called "the next-generation thought leader" by Oprah, Bernstein is a bestselling author whose books May Cause Miracles and Miracles Now are directly based on ACIM principles. She discovered ACIM in her mid-twenties while recovering from addiction and has since built one of the most visible ACIM-based teaching platforms in the world.
Bernstein appeared on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday and has been featured on CBS News discussing how ACIM transformed her relationship with fear and self-worth. She represents a new generation of ACIM teachers bringing the material to younger audiences.
Dr. Gerald Jampolsky
Dr. Jampolsky was one of the earliest and most effective promoters of ACIM. His 1979 book Love is Letting Go of Fear, based entirely on Course principles, sold over 3 million copies after an endorsement from Johnny Carson. As a Stanford-trained psychiatrist, Jampolsky brought clinical credibility to ACIM's psychological framework and later founded the Center for Attitudinal Healing.
He also endorsed my book Live Your Happy, writing: "Maria does a great job of reminding us that getting happier should be fun!" That endorsement means the world to me because Jampolsky understood, perhaps better than anyone, how to make ACIM practical without losing its depth. Over 25 years of ministry work, his framework of "attitudinal healing" has quietly shaped how most of us teach ACIM at a lay level.
Deepak Chopra
Chopra, one of the most recognized names in mind-body wellness, has created video content on ACIM titled "Revelation & Awakening: A Course in Miracles Revisited." While Chopra's primary framework is Ayurvedic and Vedantic rather than ACIM-specific, his engagement with ACIM demonstrates how its principles resonate across spiritual traditions. If you want a more honest look at the pushback ACIM gets, see my piece on the critique of A Course in Miracles.
Which Musicians Have Referenced ACIM in Their Work?
ACIM's influence extends beyond the spiritual self-help world into mainstream music. Two of the most-streamed artists alive have quoted ACIM on the record.
Jay-Z
In September 2015, Jay-Z tweeted ACIM's most famous line: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists." A year later, on "Drug Dealers Anonymous" (2016), he rapped: "I'm a course of miracles with this," followed by the same quote (Miracle Distribution Center, 2016).
Whether Jay-Z is a committed ACIM student or simply drawn to its philosophy is unclear. But for one of the most influential artists in history to quote ACIM's opening line in both social media and recorded music, that's not nothing.
Beyonce
In Lemonade (2016), the line "Nothing real can be threatened" appears in the visual album's climactic moment. The quote was written by poet Warsan Shire, but its source is the introduction to A Course in Miracles. Like Jay-Z's references, Beyonce's use of this line introduced millions of fans to ACIM's core teaching, whether they recognized it or not.
Why Do Celebrities Turn to A Course in Miracles?
Belief in miracles among graduate-educated Americans doubled from 30% in 1991 to 61% in 2018 (General Social Survey, 2018). ACIM appeals to intelligent, successful people because it's not about magical thinking. It's a rigorous, 1,333-page curriculum that systematically dismantles the ego's thought system.
Celebrities are uniquely positioned to understand why ACIM works. They've achieved what the ego promises will make you happy: fame, money, recognition, power. And they've discovered firsthand that it doesn't work. The ego's promises are empty. ACIM offers something the ego can't: actual peace.
That's exactly what happened to me. I had the TV career, the audiences, the attention. And I was searching for something the ego couldn't deliver. When I found ACIM through Pathways of Light, I finally understood: happiness isn't something you achieve. It's something you stop blocking. In 25 years of teaching, I've watched that same shift land for high-achievers of every kind, from working parents to public figures.
If you're curious about what drew these celebrities (and me) to ACIM, my free 9-week ACIM program covers the essentials. Or grab a copy of Live Your Happy for a warm, practical introduction to the same principles that changed all of our lives.
Related reading: the full guide to the best A Course in Miracles quotes — click here for the full collection of the 33 most-cited passages, each with the canonical Foundation for Inner Peace citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Oprah Winfrey read A Course in Miracles?
Yes. Oprah Winfrey has publicly credited A Course in Miracles since her 1992 interview with Marianne Williamson on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she said she had "never been more moved by a book" and reportedly bought 1,000 copies of A Return to Love to give away. In January 2008 she launched a year-long daily ACIM Workbook program on XM Satellite Radio, broadcasting one lesson each day for 365 consecutive days.
What celebrity introduced ACIM to Oprah?
Marianne Williamson introduced A Course in Miracles to Oprah Winfrey on a 1992 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, discussing her book A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. The episode received more viewer mail than any other Oprah episode that year and is widely credited with taking ACIM from a niche spiritual text to a mainstream bestseller.
Do any famous musicians study or reference A Course in Miracles?
Yes. Carlos Santana is the most publicly committed musician-student of ACIM, stating in 2014 that "I made a gentle commitment to inner practices and I became a student of A Course in Miracles." Jay-Z quoted ACIM's opening line ("Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists") on Twitter in 2015 and again on the 2016 track "Drug Dealers Anonymous." Beyonce featured the same line in her 2016 visual album Lemonade.
Is Marianne Williamson connected to A Course in Miracles?
Yes. Marianne Williamson is the most prominent A Course in Miracles teacher in the world. She discovered ACIM in the 1970s, has taught it publicly for over 30 years, wrote the bestselling ACIM-based book A Return to Love (1992), and currently operates a monthly ACIM membership program at marianne.com/acim. Two of her U.S. presidential campaigns explicitly drew on ACIM principles.
Who wrote A Course in Miracles?
A Course in Miracles was scribed between 1965 and 1972 by Dr. Helen Schucman, a clinical and research psychologist at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, who described the material as an inner dictation she attributed to Jesus. Her colleague Dr. William "Bill" Thetford, chief of the Psychology Department, transcribed and edited the material with her. Full backstory: who wrote A Course in Miracles.
Does Denzel Washington follow A Course in Miracles?
No. This claim circulates online but is not supported by any interview, book, or public statement. Denzel Washington is a devout Pentecostal Christian who has spoken extensively about his traditional Christian faith. There is no verified connection between Washington and ACIM.
Does Chris Pratt follow A Course in Miracles?
No. Chris Pratt attends Zoe Church in Los Angeles and identifies as Christian. He has not referenced ACIM in any interview or public statement. Claims connecting him to ACIM appear to be fabricated.
Is Jim Carrey an ACIM student?
Not specifically. Jim Carrey's documented spiritual path centers on Eckhart Tolle's teachings (The Power of Now, A New Earth), not ACIM. He spoke at the 2009 GATE conference alongside Tolle. While there's philosophical overlap between Tolle and ACIM, Carrey has not publicly identified as an ACIM student. For more on that crossover, see what Eckhart Tolle says about A Course in Miracles.
Why do so many celebrities study A Course in Miracles?
ACIM appeals to high-achievers because it addresses the gap between external success and inner peace. It has been translated into 27 languages with over 3 million copies in print worldwide (Wikipedia: A Course in Miracles), and its framework, which treats all suffering as misperception, resonates with people who've achieved everything the ego promises and found it wasn't enough.
ACIM Doesn't Care About Fame
The most beautiful thing about A Course in Miracles is that it treats everyone the same. There's no VIP section. Marianne Williamson studying ACIM is no more significant to the Holy Spirit than you studying it tonight in your living room. ACIM says, "There is no order of difficulty in miracles," and that applies to who gets them too.
These celebrities found what millions of non-famous people have also found: a path back to peace. If you want to walk that same path, join the Happy Miracle Membership where we practice together daily. Because ACIM meets everyone exactly where they are, famous or not.
With love,
Maria
