I know that the interest in Leah Remini has waned considering that she’s been speaking out against Scientology for years now. Most of us have heard about the horrors that average Scientologists, and especially their children, face at the hands of that cult. Remini is tenacious and she’s determined to continue on her quest to bring down Scientology despite all the predictable, ineffective resources they’ve putting into discrediting and harassing her. She’s telling the stories of the average people who deal with the cult on a daily basis. She’s not going to stop despite her busy life and the fact that Scientology seems like old news now. The cult has been weakened but not defeated and she’s a determined foe.
So it’s heartening to hear that Remini got a creative arts Emmy over the weekend for her groundbreaking A&E show, Scientology and The Aftermath. Remini was so overwhelmed when she won outstanding informational series for Aftermath that she broke down crying afterwards, more on that in a moment. During her speech she forgave her mom for bringing her and her sister into the cult.
“Mom, thank you. You are officially forgiven for getting us into a cult,” Remini said.
While she grew up Catholic, Remini’s mother converted to Scientology when Leah was 9 years old. Subsequently, Leah also joined the church.
Remini’s mother, Vicki Marshall, was in the audience for the ceremony. The actor said that she had dreamed about bringing her mother to an awards show and have her see her daughter come home with a trophy. After thanking her mother, an emotional Remini also dedicated the statuette to the show’s contributors, who “spoke out and told their stories” despite fears surrounding the Church of Scientology and the possibility of facing backlash from members of the organization.
“It’s not an easy job but they were the one’s putting their stories out there for everyone to hear. And we are honored to be the vessel to tell these stories,” she said. “This belongs to our contributors, the brave ones, who are telling their stories.”
Remini also noted that as an actor, she had always dreamed about receiving an Emmy award, but as she grew older and started to branch out from her comedic work, she saw that it was more important to focus on “doing the right things.”
Leah also won a Television Critics Association award for best reality series last month. This is well deserved and I’m so happy for her! In an interview with ET after her win, Leah was wiping back tears but you could tell they were happy tears. She told ET she was “very grateful and emotional” and that she would keep her Emmy “front and center.” That video is below. It’s so cute how Leah tries to wipe off tears and not scratch herself with her long nails. Congratulations to Leah and all the brave Scientologists who came forward to share their stories.
Here’s Leah’s interview with EW:
Photos credit: WENN.com
I’m glad she’s not letting up. Her work is moving and equally disturbing but its shedding a light. Scientology is a dangerous cult and I’m glad she’s taking them on
Her series is so well done from a production value. Documentary style yet you feel like you are the one having the conversation with the victims that are being interviewed. Its heart wrenching to watch and hear the stories of families torn apart due to leaving the cult, or loved ones struggling with their own demons and unable to turn to psychology to get help… I am really happy that her series won this Emmy, it adds another layer of legitimacy to the dangers of Scientology.
I agree, it’s so well done! She is giving these people who have suffered a platform to express their grief and that is so valuable – to the people and to the other ex-scientologists who suffer in silence. It’s really amazing and heartbreaking at the same time.
You have to admire the hell out of her for the series. She is such a strong woman and doesn’t take any shit. Love it.
This series is so well done! I pray for them and everyone they are trying to help. Mike and Leah make a great team.
RED ALERT: I am going to be small and petty~
Why orange lipstick when wearing a pink top?
Alert Over!
I think that she and Jennifer Lopez share the same makeup artist/techniques. Their lips always look awful. The color, the liner, everything. It really irks me sometimes. lol!
wow. That orange does her no favors.
Last night I was watching a video on You Tube about little Tommy Cruise and the cult’s involvement with his divorce from Nicole and twice during video an ad popped up utterly trashing Leah. One even used her father (has he ever even had a relationship with her?) to try and discredit her. The more they trash her, the more she proves every allegation against the cult is true. She’s making a difference by giving faces and voices to the horrors of that cult and the cult can’t stop or control her. Awards are great but next stop, remove the cult’s tax exempt status.
This is so well deserved. It’s truly gratifying to see Leah and Mike getting so much recognition for their important work. The stories are heart wrenching and they are both so compassionate to the brave souls telling their stories. I think I’ve cried every time I’ve watched. On a side note, Mike RInder used to scare the hell out of me when he was the head of OSA. but now I’ve actually developed a bit of a crush on him.
@Deanne, back in the days when I used to go to protests against Scientology in Washington D.C. Rinder was a jerk to us publicly. I thought he was evil incarnate and the org in D.C. was a close second. Rinder has completely changed and been deprogrammed, and has acknowledged his transgressions against his fellow Scientologists, so if they can forgive him, we should too. Plus you are right, he is cute. 😉
I don’t know, I instantly got psychopath vibes from Mike rinder, then learning he was in charge of fair game pretty much cemented it. This guy didn’t break ties with CoS out of any moral dilemma or disagreement, he left because the organisation was no longer working for him. He was suffering in the hole and he didn’t like that, but he didn’t care when it happened to other people. And he knew goddamn well it was happening to other people.
having said that, I’m glad it’s him and Leah trying to bring them down because they know all the games and aren’t easily intimidated
Leah got out of the cult with her family intact. That is amazing. They could all have walked away and just left those terrible memories behind them. But remember the story of Leah insisting to know where her friend Shelly (Miscavige’s wife) was at Tom & Katie’s wedding? I get the feeling that Leah is not the type to leave anyone on the battlefield. She knows that people are hurting and desperate to escape, and she isn’t forgetting them. I admire her so much for fighting this gabillionaire cult leader and his horrid minions. Her tenacity is inspiring, and she deserves humanitarian awards in addition to artistic ones.
And they were strong arming her to get Jennifer Lopez into the fold as well. So between Shelly not being seen and trying to get their hands on Jennifer, she woke up fast.
Good on her.
I wish she’d address that on the show – her process of leaving. I think I know the answer why she left with her family intact: she is super rich and supports them. Her mother, for instance, would probably not be able to afford scientology without Leah. But I am really curious as to who was the first to say “This is it. I’m out,” and if there was any resistance on the part of family members.
Love her, love the show (even though I cry every time). Well done!
I used to boycott everything she was in because she was a Scientologist, so it’s a change for me to be on Team Leah (and Mike Rinder, who was slime when he was the spokesperson for the cult). But they are doing amazing work by exposing the evils of Scientology. Too bad Flag wasn’t blown away during Irma (just the building, no people). Glad Leah and A&E won this award…it’s deserved.
interest in Leah has not waned. In fact, she is more high profile, popular and acclaimed than she has ever been before. Her show is excellent and it’s winning awards. She’s on the cover of magazines. She’s being interviewed all over the place. She’s perceived now as being a crusader and has a lot of support.
I thought I knew everything there was to know about Scientology, but I have learned a lot from her show. All of the previous documentaries like “Going Clear” barely scratched the surface and were too afraid to actually make any actual accusations against the Church. Leah’s show goes much deper.
The book of Going Clear is much better than the show, IMHO. It really goes deeply into the connections between Hollywood and Scientology, and in a very fact-driven way. It is fantastic.
I am so glad she’s doing what she does and winning awards for it! Keep shinning a light on that cult, Leah!
I love Leah & love her show. It is so well done. I love her badass attitude & that she will not back down. Go Leah!
Big Leah Stan here. I DVR the show and cannot get my head around the $ci abuse of kids. I lived for years near Clearwater and driving my own child past Sea Org kids walking in formation raised a lot of questions from him. If The St. Petersburg Times revelatory series of stories hadn’t lifted the lid on this cult many years ago, local people wouldn’t have known it wasn’t a church. What kind of church makes kids sign billion year contracts?
I love the show and have watched every episode. After hearing how they treat children, I now understand why Katie left Tom. She wanted to be a mother to her daughter and not have her living a torture life away from her.