Leah Remini On Leaving Scientology: No One Tells Me How To Think

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Leah Remini has always been a woman with an honesty streak to her. From her characters on shows like The King Of Queens and in movies like Old School to her personal life in which she tends to state her opinion loudly and without filter, she has no interest in taking the easy road if it means neutering her viewpoint. That’s why her recent exit from Scientology made some sense, despite her long history with the Church, and that’s why she decided to speak frankly on her departure this past weekend.

Attending a charity event for DesignCare in Malibu, California, the popular actress took a few minutes out of her day to talk to People about where she stands. You can take a look at a portion of her quote below…

"I believe that people should be able to question things. I believe that people should value family, and value friendships, and hold those things sacrosanct. That for me, that's what I'm about. It wouldn't matter what it was, simply because no one is going to tell me how I need to think, no one is going to tell me who I can, and cannot, talk to."

Remini first became involved with Scientology through her parents at a very young age. As she grew up and found incredible popularity as an actress, she took on more of an informal spokesman role. She defended the Church on numerous occasions and seemed to offer a very sensible counterpunch to the crazier rumors floating around. Obviously, the above quote isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the Church, but it won’t provide a lot of new ammunition for critics against the organization either. As such, there will likely be some who encourage Remini to get more open in the future, but whether or not she will choose to spill any secrets she might know remains unclear. After all, she might disagree with the direction the Church has headed, but that doesn’t mean she despises the core principles it was built on.

More than anything else, finding the right religion is about finding a faith you can be proud of. It’s not always perfect, but ideally, the chosen religion will allow one to live with more hope, more love and more positivity. For a long time, Scientology really seemed to help Remini, but over the last half decade or so, it’s clearly be another story. For her sake, I hope she can find something else for her that fits more comfortably and allows her to find longtime happiness and stability.

We’ll keep you updated on this situation moving forward. Until then, take a look at your own religion and decide whether it’s making you a better human being. If not, it might be time for some soul searching.

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Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.