Tonight — Tuesday, Nov. 29 — at 10 p.m. ET/PT, A&E and the former star of “The King of Queens” leap considerable legal hurdles with the Church of Scientology to premiere an eight-episode docu-series.
“Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” features the actress on a self-proclaimed mission to reveal what she claims is the dark underbelly of the massively successful, quasi-religious organization, which has many celebrity members (such as Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta). Brought into the organization by her mother, and once one of its most vocal proponents, Remini has since left Scientology and returned to the Catholic Church (her former “King” co-star, Kevin James, is a devout Catholic).
Here’s Remini in her own words:
Here’s how A&E describes the first episode:
Actress and Ex-Scientologist Leah Remini begins her journey with a trip to Seattle to visit former Scientology executive Amy Scobee. After hearing Amy’s tragic story of being disconnected from her mother, Leah is determined to reveal the truth of what’s really going on in her former church.
Unsurprisingly, the famously secretive and litigious Scientology has not wanted the show to air.
From New York Magazine:
The premiere of Leah Remini’s docuseries on A&E about the Church of Scientology might only be a week away, but that doesn’t mean that the two parties aren’t still duking it out. In fact, the church has allegedly tried preventing the show from airing and communication between the two parties has gotten so bad that Remini is now demanding the church pay her $1.5 million in damages.
According to reporting done by Tony Ortega at the blog the Underground Bunker, which has long kept tabs on Scientology affairs, lawyers for the two sides have been arguing back and forth about the show with neither side really giving ground. According to legal letters from both parties obtained by the blog, the church allegedly tried discrediting the series — and Remini — to higher-ups at the TV network in an effort to prevent the show from airing. Church officials reportedly wrote to the TV network, calling Remini a “spoiled, entitled diva” and “has-been actress.” Ouch.
In response, Remini’s lawyers wrote that the church should pay the actress for all of the emotional and economic damage they’ve inflicted on her.
That doesn’t seem likely. Here’s Scientology’s response, via The National Post:
A spokesman for the church responded to Leah’s lawyer — calling the demand for compensation “nothing more than a provocative ploy to generate publicity for what will no doubt be another failed program by a failed ‘celebrity’ seeking to make a buck off of her former religion.”
“The Church will freely exercise its constitutional rights,” the spokesman added.
Scientology has forced some alterations in the show.
From The Daily Beast:
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 limited-run docu-series follows up on the 2015 Emmy Award-winning documentary “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” which aired on HBO and featured interviews with eight former Scientologists.
This should get interesting.
Images: Courtesy A&E
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