Controversy

Leah Remini’s Battle With Scientology Through the Years: It’s ‘A Truly Evil Organization’

June 15, 2022

Leah Remini Battle With Scientology Through Years — Leah Remini at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on September 9, 2017.Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Telling her story. Leah Remini has been an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology since she left the controversial religion in 2013.

The actress was brought into the church as an 8-year-old after her mother converted. During a 2015 20/20 interview, Remini talked about her experience growing up as a 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 Harris at 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 School actress 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 thought she was doing something good; she thought she was helping the planet. 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 York native has never shied away from speaking publicly about her history with Scientology. In 2015, the organization fired back.

“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 Weekly at the time.

Despite the backlash, the Handsome actress didn’t stop talking about her experience. She penned a 2015 memoir titled Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and produced the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

When the Emmy-winning series concluded in 2019 after three seasons, the Church of Scientology released a statement to Us denouncing 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.”

Although Remini told 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 Prepon left Scientology in 2021 without much fanfare, Remini was critical of how the That ‘70s Show alum handled her exit.

“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:

Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Leah Remini's Battle With Scientology Through the Years: It’s ‘A Truly Evil Organization’

Telling her story. Leah Remini has been an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology since she left the controversial religion in 2013. The actress was brought into the church as an 8-year-old after her mother converted. During a 2015 20/20 interview, Remini talked about her experience growing up as a 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 Harris at 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 School actress told BuzzFeed in 2014, adding that she didn’t want to repeat her own mother’s mistakes. [jwplayer uzIc1f2k-zhNYySv2] “I grew up resenting my mother because she was never home. My mom thought she was doing something good; she thought she was helping the planet. 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 York native has never shied away from speaking publicly about her history with Scientology. In 2015, the organization fired back. “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 Weekly at the time. Despite the backlash, the Handsome actress didn’t stop talking about her experience. She penned a 2015 memoir titled Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and produced the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. When the Emmy-winning series concluded in 2019 after three seasons, the Church of Scientology released a statement to Us denouncing 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.” Although Remini told 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 Prepon left Scientology in 2021 without much fanfare, Remini was critical of how the That ‘70s Show alum handled her exit. “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: [podcast_block]

Credit: Amy Sussman/AP/Shutterstock

Remini Left Scientology in 2013

In July 13, Remini left the Church of Scientology. The actress told Buzzfeed in 2014 that the well-being of her daughter Sofia, then 9, contributed to her decision.

Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock

The Actress Filed a Missing Person Report

One month after her exit from the controversial religion, Remini filed a missing person’s report for Scientology leader David Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, who has not been seen publicly since 2007.

A statement from media relations at the Church of Scientology released to Us at the time stated, "The Los Angeles Police Department has already stated that the case is closed and that the report filed by Leah Remini was unfounded.”

Leah Remini Battle With Scientology Through Years Val Chmerkovskiy Cheryl Burke

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

'Dancing With the Stars' Appearance

Remini appeared on season 17 of Dancing With the Stars, which premiered in September 2013. The Man in the Family alum addressed her departure from Scientology on the show.

"I'm going through a personal and big change for me and my family," she said at the time. “The church is looking for me to fail so they can say to their parishioners, you see what happens when you leave the church? They're waiting for me to fail."

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Support for Documentary Criticizing Scientology

The 2015 HBO documentary Going Clear highlighted alleged abuses and exploitations perpetrated by the Church of Scientology. Remini voiced her support for the film on Twitter the night it aired, writing, "Thank you to the brave [people] who did something about it. And to those who didn't have a voice, you do now.”

Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock

Remini's Own Documentary Aired

In 2016, A&E aired a docuseries titled Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. The show was later renewed for two additional seasons, ending on August 26, 2019. The final episode was a two-hour special filmed in front of a live studio audience made up of former Church of Scientology members.

Remini spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the end of the series in 2019. “We’ve done our job. The public is seeing what a truly evil organization it is,” she said at the time. “It’s not about religious beliefs. They can believe whatever the f–k they want. But they can’t just do whatever the f–k they want — because that’s what they’ve been doing.”

Leah Remini Battle With Scientology Through Years Tom Cruise

Credit: Shutterstock

Remini Shared Video Criticizing Tom Cruise

After the May 2022 premiere of Cruise’s film Top Gun: Maverick, Remini shared a TikTok video criticizing the Mission Impossible star, who has been a follower of Scientology since 1986.

The clip was a reaction to Cruise’s Top Gun costar Miles Teller singing his praises in an interview. “Oh is this what we’re doing now? We just completely forgot about the fact that he’s in Scientology?” a TikTok user asks in the footage. “We’re gonna forget about Leah Remini and the stories that Leah Remini shared about leaving Scientology and the impact that Tom Cruise has on Scientology. No, we’re not.”

Remini shared the video, writing, “I couldn’t have said it bette

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