-On Tuesday night, King of Queens star Leah Remini will launch the latest volley in her crusade against the Church of Scientology, from which she publicly split in 2013 after spending 35 years as a devoted member. And this time, Scientology's most high-profile celebrity defector brought the battle to her home turf—television—with reinforcements.
Joined onscreen by former Scientology exec Mike Rinder and more high-profile ex-Scientologists, the actress premieres the first of her eight-part A&E limited docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath amid attempts by lawyers for the church to discredit its allegations. Included in the hourlong program are snippets of letters from the church dated as recently as September and November featuring some variation of the same legalese denials: "The church disputes many of the statements made by those appearing in this program."
Remini's objective, she explains in the first episode, is to show the outside world all the damage that Scientology has wrought upon the lives of its members in order to stop the organization from abusing others.
"Somebody needs to do something about this cult," Remini declares.
Once upon a time, Remini was one of Scientology's most loyal young Hollywood devotees. She recalls how she drank the Kool-Aid for nearly four decades, crediting Scientology's self-help programs for her career and blaming herself, as the church taught her to, for not being devoted enough when she failed. Flashing back to a red-carpet interview she gave long ago, we see a young Remini eagerly proselytizing to the masses: "We are the most ethical group you're ever going to find."
A year ago, the actress, host, author, and comedian told all in her bestselling memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, which detailed how being invited to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's dream wedding in Italy—a Scientology production—was the beginning of the end for Remini. She shared more shocking secrets from her time in the church, as well as the troubling events leading up to her defection...
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Originally Posted by Femme*
