Larry Busacca/Getty Images for EJAFThe Church of Scientology is responding to Leah Remini's revelations about why she finally decided to leave the controversial religion after decades of being a practitioner.
A rep for the church tells E! News in a statement, "It comes as no surprise that someone as self-absorbed as Leah Remini with an insatiable craving for attention would exploit her former faith as a publicity stunt by rewriting her history with it, including omitting that she was participating in a program to remain a Scientologist by her own choice, as she was on the verge of being expelled for her ethical lapses."
"Ms. Remini was not attending Church services for years," the rep adds. "In fact, she was upset because no one in the Church was calling her or her family, going so far as to drag her daughter into the Church to insist upon being given special treatment. Sadly, this is the accurate, flip side of the events she now is spinning, which are absurd, insulting and motivated entirely by a desire to grab attention."
The rep goes on, "We are saddened that Ms. Remini now feels compelled to attack her former faith as if there is something wrong with a good work ethic, encouragement to live a drug free life, a happy childhood and strong family—all values she and countless others experience from the strong religious community in the Church. For accurate information on the Scientology religion, our beliefs and practices and the dynamic growth of the only new religion to emerge from the 20th century, see www.scientology.org."
The church's response comes a few days after the 43-year-old actress gave a revealing interview about why she decided to leave, naming her 9-year-old daughter, Sofia, as one of the main reasons.
"In my house, it's family first—but I was spending most of my time at the church," Remini recalled. "So, I was saying 'family first,' but I wasn't showing that. I didn't like the message that sent my daughter."
She also said, "In the church, you're taught that everybody is lost. They say they're loving, caring, non-judgmental people, but secretly, they were judging the world for not believing what they believed. To me, that is not a spiritual person. That's a judgmental person and that is the person that I was. I was a hypocrite, and the worst thing you can be in this world is a hypocrite."