Telling her story. Leah ReminiSince leaving Scientology in 2013, she has been a vocal critic of the Church of Scientology
After her mother converted, the 8-year old actress was brought into church. During a 2015 20/20Interview with Remini about growing up Scientologist.
“The mission is to save the planet and because Scientologists view children as spiritual beings, you’re not treated as a kid. You’re given a lot of responsibility, and so your ego becomes extremely inflated,” the King of Queens alum claimed to ABC News’ Dan HarrisAt the time.
Remini’s decision to leave Scientology ultimately came down to her then-9-year-old daughter, Sofia. “She was getting to the age where the acclimations into the church would have to start,” the Old SchoolActress told BuzzFeed in 2014, adding that she didn’t want to repeat her own mother’s mistakes.
“I grew up resenting my mother because she was never home. My mom believed she was doing good and that she was helping the world. That’s what the church tells you,” Remini explained. “I was saying ‘family first,’ but I wasn’t showing that. I didn’t like the message that sent my daughter.”
The New Yorker has never been shy about speaking out about her history with Scientology. The organization retorted in 2015.
“Given Leah Remini’s insatiable desire for attention, it comes as no surprise that for two years she has been incapable of moving on with her life and remains obsessed with shamelessly exploiting her former religion in a pathetic attempt to get publicity,” a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology told Us WeeklyAt the time.
Despite the backlash the Beautiful actress didn’t stop talking about her experience. She wrote a 2015 memoir entitled Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood & Scientology and produced the A&E docuseries Leah Remini – Scientology and The Aftermath.
After three seasons of Emmy-winning television series, the Church of Scientology released an official statement. UsDenouncing the content. “Finally, A&E pulled the plug on Leah Remini’s hate machine,” the statement read, claiming the show was full of “lies, distortions and exhortations to hate and bigotry.”
Remini said that Remini was a good listener. The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 that she wasn’t sure if making the docuseries helped her heal, she does feel a responsibility to speak out about her experiences — and about other members of the religion. When Laura PreponRemini was critical of Scientology’s 2021 dissolution. That ‘70s ShowAn alum handled her departure.
“For those of us who were in the public eye and who were speaking on behalf of Scientology, getting people into Scientology, I feel that we have a responsibility to do the work when we find out that none of those things we were doing was not only [not] helpful, but damaging and very harmful to people’s lives,” the “Scientology: Fair Game” podcaster said during a September 2021 interview with Daily Blast Live.
Scroll through for a timeline of Remini’s battle with the Church of Scientology over the years:
