Jared Leto's three-day "Mars Island" wellness retreat in 2019, which cost attendees over $6,499, is drawing renewed attention in light of recent sexual assault allegations against the Thirty Seconds to Mars singer. The immersive, alcohol-free event held on Obonjan, a private island off the coast of Croatia, was designed as an opportunity for fans, known as "the Echelon," to connect with Leto.
Attendees participated in activities such as swimming, sunbathing, yoga, and workshops focused on creativity and self-expression. However, images from the retreat, which included fans meditating, chanting, and lounging barefoot in caftans alongside Leto, quickly led to widespread comparisons to a cult online. A 2019 tweet from the band itself, reading "Yes, this is a cult," with the hashtag #MarsIsland, and Leto being pictured wearing a "This is a Cult" shirt, further fueled the speculation.
These events echo earlier "Camp Mars" retreats held in Malibu, California, starting in 2015, which also offered fans a weekend of activities. While the band leaned into the "cult" image, playing on their "cult following," recent news has brought a darker context to these gatherings.
In June 2025, the digital media outlet Air Mail published accounts from nine women alleging sexual impropriety, unwanted advances, and pursuit of minors by Leto. This was followed by a BBC documentary released last week, which featured on-camera testimonies from ten women. Four of these women explicitly accuse Leto of criminal sexual conduct, statutory rape, and grooming when they were teenagers.
One accuser stated she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom at age 17. Another claims Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19, leaving her alone with him in a hotel room. A third accuser described having consensual sex with Leto in California at age 17, which she alleges he dismissed concerns about the age of consent, then 18 in the state. A fourth woman accused Leto of grooming, alleging repeated sexually explicit phone calls when she was 16, including a suggested sexual encounter. This woman also claims she was sent an NDA, which she refused to sign.
Other allegations include strange and sexual phone calls from Leto to younger women, and one incident where a woman, then 14, was allegedly taken backstage at Leto's direction after he made a lewd comment about her chest. Her mother's confrontation with Leto allegedly resulted in him repeating the comment.
These alleged incidents occurred between 2002 and 2016, when Leto was in his 30s and 40s. In response to the BBC documentary, Leto issued a statement to The Associated Press denying the accusations: "I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false."
