UPDATE: 8/3/2023 5:40 p.m. ET.
The Church of Scientology released a statement to Us Weekly about Remini’s lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy,” the message read. “Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech … Now that Remini’s propaganda has been exposed, Remini has spun entirely out of control by filing a frivolous lawsuit … .”
Originally story below:
Leah Remini claimed that Anderson Cooper and Conan O’Brien were threatened by the Church of Scientology after airing content about the organization.
“In 2015, Ms. Remini was set to appear on Anderson Cooper’s CNN show to promote Troublemaker,” read court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, August 2, referring to her memoir about her exit from the organization. “Due to Scientology’s history of aggressive litigiousness, the interview was pre-taped so that it could be vetted by CNN’s legal department.”
According to the docs, Cooper, 56, allegedly warned Remini, 53, that their interview “might not air.” Cooper claimed that when he previously aired another series about Scientology, he and his producers faced “attacks” from the Office of Special Affairs (OSA) — which is a department of the church — and his team “might not be willing to face a new storm of harassment.”
In 2010, Cooper aired a five-part series titled Scientology: A History of Violence about the alleged physical abuse being done by the organization’s leader, David Miscavige. Since the series was broadcasted Cooper has not done “another story” about Scientology. Remini alleged that Cooper and his team still receive threats. Following the airing of Cooper’s 2010 series, church leaders denied to CNN that Miscavige abused anyone or encouraged anyone else to assault subordinates.
While Remini’s conversation with Cooper never aired, she did get to make an appearance on O’Brien’s talk show two years later to promote her A&E docuseries.
“When Ms. Remini appeared on the Conan O’Brien show on January 25, 2017 to promote Aftermath, Defendants’ operatives sent Conan O’Brien a personal letter criticizing Ms. Remini and claiming that Remini was only speaking out against Scientology for the fame, money and attention,” the docs stated. “Mr. O’Brien commented that he has never before received a letter of this character in his 24 years of hosting late-night talk shows.”
Remini filed the lawsuit against Scientology on Wednesday, claiming that the group was allegedly trying to “destroy” her life. In addition to her claims about Cooper and O’Brien, 60, Remini alleged that she and her loved ones were being stalked and threatened by Scientology following her exit in 2013. Remini first joined the controversial religion at age 8 when her mother converted.
When Remini decided to walk away from Scientology, she started speaking out against the group and slammed the church for its practices and alleged protection of sexual predators. Remini claimed that her outspokenness deemed her a “Suppressive Person” in the eyes of the organization.
In the filing, Remini states she is seeking to “recover compensatory and punitive damages for the enormous economic and physiological harm” that she claims the church has “inflicted upon her” through an “unlawful campaign of harassment and intimidation.”
Us Weekly has reached out to reps for Scientology, O’Brien and Cooper for comment.
