Leah Remini claimed that Anderson Cooper and Conan O’Brien had been threatened by the Church of Scientology after airing content material concerning the group.
“In 2015, Ms. Remini was set to seem on Anderson Cooper’s CNN present to advertise Troublemaker,” learn court docket paperwork obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, August 2, referring to her memoir about her exit from the group. “On account of Scientology’s historical past of aggressive litigiousness, the interview was pre-taped in order that it could possibly be vetted by CNN’s authorized division.”
In line with the docs, Cooper, 56, allegedly warned Remini, 53, that their interview “may not air.” Cooper claimed that when he beforehand aired one other collection about Scientology, he and his producers confronted “assaults” from the Workplace of Particular Affairs (OSA) — which is a division of the church — and his workforce “may not be prepared to face a brand new storm of harassment.”
In 2010, Cooper aired a five-part collection titled Scientology: A Historical past of Violence concerning the alleged bodily abuse being executed by the group’s chief, David Miscavige. For the reason that collection was broadcasted Cooper has not executed “one other story” about Scientology. Remini alleged that Cooper and his workforce nonetheless obtain threats. Following the airing of Cooper’s 2010 collection, church leaders denied to CNN that Miscavige abused anybody or inspired anybody else to assault subordinates.
Whereas Remini’s dialog with Cooper by no means aired, she did get to make an look on O’Brien’s discuss present two years later to advertise her A&E docuseries.
“When Ms. Remini appeared on the Conan O’Brien present on January 25, 2017 to advertise Aftermath, Defendants’ operatives despatched Conan O’Brien a private letter criticizing Ms. Remini and claiming that Remini was solely talking out in opposition to Scientology for the celebrity, cash and a focus,” the docs acknowledged. “Mr. O’Brien commented that he has by no means earlier than acquired a letter of this character in his 24 years of internet hosting late-night discuss exhibits.”
Remini filed the lawsuit in opposition to Scientology on Wednesday, claiming that the group was allegedly making an attempt to “destroy” her life. Along with her claims about Cooper and O’Brien, 60, Remini alleged that she and her family members had been being stalked and threatened by Scientology following her exit in 2013. Remini first joined the controversial faith at age 8 when her mom transformed.
When Remini determined to stroll away from Scientology, she began talking out in opposition to the group and slammed the church for its practices and alleged safety of sexual predators. Remini claimed that her outspokenness deemed her a “Suppressive Particular person” within the eyes of the group.
Within the submitting, Remini states she is searching for to “recuperate compensatory and punitive damages for the big financial and physiological hurt” that she claims the church has “inflicted upon her” by an “illegal marketing campaign of harassment and intimidation.”
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Us Weekly has reached out to reps for Scientology, O’Brien and Cooper for remark.
