Leah Remini’s Relationship With Scientology Is Still Pretty Complicated Today…
How much do you really know about actress Leah Remini? In recent years, the King of Queens star has made headlines for vehemently speaking out against her former religion, Scientology, leading many fans to wonder — why did she leave the church in the first place? Scroll down to find out and read more fascinating facts about Leah!
Why did Leah leave Scientology?
Leah first became a Church of Scientology member when she was just nine years old after her mother, Vicki Marshall, joined the religion. In July 2013, she left the church because she believed policies that forbid members from questioning the management of church leader David Miscavige to be corrupt. The actress was additionally troubled by the reported abuse of Scientology’s Sea Org members, the religion’s policy on “disconnection” of non-believers, and its practice of naming a Scientologist who left the church a “suppressive person.”
When Leah began questioning certain aspects of Scientology’s belief system, she was subjected to years of interrogations and was blacklisted from the church and its members. Though the star has said her decision to leave Scientology included “dozens of influencing factors,” she primarily cut ties with the religion because of her young daughter. “In my house, it’s family first — but I was spending most of my time at the church. So, I was saying ‘family first,’ but I wasn’t showing that. I didn’t like the message that sent my daughter,” she previously told [BuzzFeed](https://www.buzzfeed.com/jarettwieselman/leah-remini-shares-the-truth-about-the-hardest-year-of-her-l?utmterm=.thm1PyxVa#.odZQzDEJg)_.
Leah posing with her tell-all memoir. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
How long was Leah a Scientologist?
Leah was a Scientologist for 34 years! She joined when she was nine years old and left in 2013 when she was 43. That’s a super long time — even longer than we thought!
What is Leah’s new Scientology show?
After Leah released her tell-all memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology in 2015, the actress created a new documentary television series for A&E titled Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. On the Emmy-winning show, Leah opens up about her years as a Scientologist and interviews other former Scientology members about their experiences with the religion. In late summer 2017, a second season of Scientology and the Aftermath premiered on A&E.
Is Leah starring on Kevin Can Wait?
Yes! After a guest-star stint on Season 1 of the hit CBS show, Leah has officially joined the Kevin Can Wait cast for Season 2. Apparently, King of Queens fans loved Leah and KCW lead Kevin James’ onscreen reunion so much that showrunners decided to permanently add her to the series. Unfortunately, Leah’s addition meant one of the show’s stars, Erinn Hayes, was fired from Kevin Can Wait to make room in the cast.
What is Leah’s net worth?
The actress, producer, and author has an estimated net worth of around $20 million thanks to her starring TV roles on Living Dolls, The King of Queens, The Exes, and Kevin Can Wait. She’s also known for previously co-hosting The Talk, starring on Season 17 of Dancing With the Stars, creating the documetnary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and starring on the reality show Leah Remini: It’s All Relative.
Has Leah gotten plastic surgery?
Though Leah has only admitted to getting Botox in the past, plastic surgeons have speculated that the star may have also gotten a nose job, cheek fillers, chin fillers, and under-eye fillers. When a fan recently called out Leah for sporting noticeably fuller lips, she shot down the plastic surgery accusation on Twitter. “Actually my lips are real… Maybe it’s the Botox you don’t like? But thank you for your nasty a– tweet,” she wrote.
Did Leah’s husband cheat on her?
The internet was first abuzz that Leah’s husband, Angelo Pagan, had cheated on the actress when Leah called her spouse a “serial cheater” in her memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. “I am selfish and self-centered… My husband is a serial cheater and my mother was a slut,” she wrote. When later asked why she suggested Angelo cheated in her book, Leah explained she wanted to air her family’s dirty laundry before the Church of Scientology attempted to use any personal information against her.
“Well, I know the policy of the Church when someone speaks out publicly against them. I know how they deal with people like me. So they would take something out of context or in my confessions and [put] that out on the streets,” she said. Rumors also swirled that Angelo was unfaithful when Leah was pranked on The Ellen Show into thinking her husband had a secret mistress. Following the joke, Leah took to Twitter to confirm her marriage with Angelo was just fine. “Regarding the Ellen show today; it was just a joke to throw the audience off to surprise them with the gifts! Me and [Angelo] are good!” she wrote on Twitter.
Who is Leah’s daughter?
Leah and her husband — who tied the knot in July 2003 — are parents to a teenage daughter named Sofia Bella Pagan who was born in June 2004. In a previous interview, Leah confessed being a mom to Sofia is one of her proudest accomplishments. “My actions and the things I say and do, I wonder if they have an effect on my daughter and the way she’s going to be as a person. I just want her to be a good person,” she said. How sweet!
Did Leah win an Emmy?
Leah won her first Emmy for her show Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath at the Creative Arts Emmys back in September. “I’m so happy to share this,” she said at the award show after thanking the “brave contributors who [worked on the series] despite ongoing risk and repercussions.” She added, “It’s not an easy job but they were the ones putting their stories out there for everyone to hear.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Closer Weekly does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.