It makes me very happy when a popular celebrity leaves a cult, because it could give others the courage to do it or start to think about leaving.
Leah Remini played Carrie on "The King of Queens", and has also been on "Saved By The Bell", "The Talk" and had small parts in other shows.
Leah Remini Leaves Church of Scientology, Calls It "Corrupt": Report
The Church of Scientology has one less celebrity among its ranks, according to a new report: Leah Remini. The New York Post's Page Six claims that the King of Queens actress, 43, has made a "dramatic break" from the talked-about religion long connected with Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, among others. The newspaper goes on to report that the former Talk co-host had questioned and objected to many common practices within the Church, and criticized its leader, David Miscavige -- and as a result, had been subjected to many years of "interrogations" and "thought modifications."
"She is stepping back from a regime she thinks is corrupt," a source is quoted as saying in Page Six. Specifically, Remini had "questioned the validity of excommunication of people," the source says. "She thinks no religion should tear apart a family or abuse someone under the umbrella of 'religion.'"
Remini's skepticism supposedly began, of all places, at the 2006 wedding of Cruise and Katie Holmes in Italy -- where Remini asked about the whereabouts of David Miscavige's wife, Shelly, who reportedly had not been seen in public since 2007.
After a Church official scolded her, Remini was then "put through interrogations and blacklisted" and endured five years of "thought modification," the Page Six source says. "It's not about wanting or not wanting to do Scientology," the source continues in Page Six's story. "The issue is that [Miscavige] is taking down this church and hurting people and families.”
The first report of Remini's departure and disagreements with the Church -- including the incident at Tom Cruise's wedding -- appeared on Tony Ortega's Scientology blog on July 9.
A rep for the Church of Scientology tells Us Weekly of Page Six's story: "The Church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no comment about any individual Church member."