Leah Remini Reacts to Kirstie Alley’s Death After Years-Long Feud


Leah Remini
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Opening up. Leah Remini shared her ideas on Kirstie Alley after the late star’s loss of life at age 71.

“The information of Kirstie Alley’s passing could be very unhappy,” Remini, 52 — who was embroiled in a feud with the Look Who’s Speaking actress over Scientology for years — informed Rolling Stone in an interview revealed on Wednesday, December 7.

The Second Act star added that she is considering of Alley’s two youngsters – son William True Stevenson, and daughter Lillie Value Stevenson, whom she shared with ex-husband Parker Stevenson — who’re members of the Church of Scientology.

“Though Scientologists don’t consider in prayers, my prayers do exit to her two youngsters, who at the moment are with out their mother,” she mentioned. “I hope they will, at some point, free themselves of this harmful and poisonous group.”

Alley’s household confirmed on Monday, December 5, that the It Takes Two actress died after a brief battle with most cancers. Her rep later revealed that Alley was identified with colon most cancers not lengthy earlier than her passing.

The King of Queens alum and the previous Cheers star had a tumultuous relationship for years on account of their involvement with the Church of Scientology. Remini left the group in 2013, however Alley remained a faithful follower of the religion till her loss of life.

The Emmy winner has been outspoken about her time with the church since her exit, discussing it in her docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, in addition to her memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. She additionally cohosts a podcast known as Scientology: Honest Recreation with fellow apostate Mike Rinder.

After Remini left the church, she informed Ellen DeGeneres that she had “misplaced buddies” due to the selection, referencing the group’s reported observe of “disconnection,” the place present members aren’t permitted to talk to individuals who go away.

Leah Remini Reacts to Kirstie Alley Death 3

Kirstie Alley
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In a December 2013 interview with Howard Stern, Alley known as Remini a “bigot” for her feedback and claimed that “disconnection” isn’t actually practiced inside the church. “Initially, I simply need to everybody to know I’ve lots of of buddies and those that I do know which have come into Scientology and left Scientology,” the Kansas native mentioned on the time. “It’s not true that you simply can not [leave] … You’re not shunned, you’re not chased. All that stuff’s bulls–t.”

She added that she personally hadn’t seen Remini in almost a decade as a result of they have been each busy — not as a result of the Second Act star had left the church. “The reality is, I don’t assume I’ve seen Leah for seven or eight years, not for any purpose aside from I’m performing, and she or he’s performing,” Alley claimed. “I didn’t care if she was in or out.”

Two years later, Remini mentioned she “understood” Alley’s place. “I do know the coverage,” she informed Stern, 68, in November 2015. “I do know why she thinks she’s indignant with me, and I do know, once more, hiding behind that veil is one thing that’s per coverage. They see me as an enemy.”

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who was Alley’s companion on two seasons of Dancing With the Stars, additionally bought concerned, claiming that his friendship with Remini was the rationale Alley stopped speaking to him. “A observe was despatched to a good friend telling me I used to be ‘disconnected,’ as in, I’m now not allowed to be Kirstie’s good friend,” he claimed to Us Weekly in 2016. “I discover it ridiculous for an grownup human being to ‘disconnect’ from somebody. However everyone seems to be entitled to their very own madness.”

Remini and the Masked Singer alum, in the meantime, clashed once more earlier this 12 months after Alley made headlines for her tweet about what was “actual” or “pretend” relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “So @kirstiealley can touch upon issues she is aware of nothing about like psychological well being, psychiatric medication, and virology, however she gained’t touch upon Putin who’s an evil tyrant?” Remini tweeted in February. “No remark about Russia invading Ukraine? The killing of harmless individuals? The displacement of Ukrainians?”

Alley clapped again together with her personal tweet, writing: “I don’t care what the punk ass twats say. I’ll proceed to wish for the individuals of the Ukraine. … I pray to the identical God you do. So recover from your nasty selves.”