Leah Remini Leaves Church of Scientology

Actress had been a member of the controversial religion for more three decades

By Peter Gicas Jul 11, 2013 8:52 PMTags
Leah Remini Larry Busacca/Getty Images for EJAF

Leah Remini has apparently had enough.

The former King of Queens star has left the Church of Scientology, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.

On Thursday, The New York Post initially reported that Remini had decided to quit the controversial religion, citing a source's claim that the 43-year-old actress had been subjected to years of "interrogations" and "thought modification."

The New York Post's source added that Remini decided to cease being a parishioner, in part, because of policies preventing members to question the leadership of David Miscavige.

When asked for a comment, a rep for the Church of Scientology told E! News: "The Church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no comment about any individual Church member."

Former Scientologist Mike Rinder wrote on his blog earlier this week that when she attended the 2006 wedding of Scientologist Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Remini inquired as to why Miscavige's wife, Shelly, was not there.

Rinder then claimed that ex-Scientology Celebrity Centre head Tommy Davis immediately reprimanded Remini, saying, "You don't have the f--king rank to ask about Shelly."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "the Church of Scientology has denounced Rinder as unreliable and has repeatedly cautioned reporters about relying on him as a source."

Of course, Remini isn't the first famous face to leave the church. Others include Nicole Kidman and writer-director Paul Haggis.

Earlier this year, Haggis appeared on Today to reveal why he walked away after being a member for more than 30 years.

"I was ashamed of my own stupidity, of how I could have been so blind for so many years," he said.

While Haggis admitted that Scientology did help him early on, over time he began to wonder what the Church really stood for and began doing some research.

Haggis said he came across articles that made allegations of abuse at the highest levels of the Church, of physical violence and reports of children being forced to work 12 to 16 hours a day.

The Church of Scientology, however, denied the allegations of abuse and insisted there is no evidence to support such claims.

UPDATE: Remini later issued a statement to People: "I wish to share my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming positive response I have received from the media, my colleagues, and from fans around the world. I am truly grateful and thankful for all your support."

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