leah remini

  • Leah Remini 'in tears' over acceptance to NYU at 50: 'It's just never too late'

    Leah Remini is headed to college — after Scientology kept her from her educational path.

  • 'The Talk' returns: Sheryl Underwood addresses Sharon Osbourne’s departure

    The Talk returned to the air on Monday after CBS's investigation led to the departure of Sharon Osbourne.

  • Holly Robinson Peete would consider doing another talk show: 'I was really in my element' on 'The Talk'

    Peete has a couple of potential co-hosts in mind.

  • Sharon Osbourne hires security after getting death threats over allegations of racism

    The 68-year-old has been receiving threats of violence against her, her family and pets, a source close to Osbourne tells Yahoo Entertainment.

  • Sharon Osbourne thinks CBS will fire her amid 'The Talk' investigation: 'Use me as a sacrificial lamb'

    Osbourne addressed new allegations against her, calling a "pile on."

  • Sharon Osbourne disputes allegations of racism in new interview

    The co-host spoke about her future with the show, following March 10's heated on-air discussion about racism and CBS's investigation into it. She also discussed where her relationship stands with co-host Sheryl Underwood. However, Osbourne's interview was conducted prior to the new allegations of racism against her.

  • Sharon Osbourne faces new allegations of racism on 'The Talk' as show extends hiatus

    While Sharon Osbourne is "the draw in many ways for a lot of people," a crisis PR expert says, "but it doesn't mean she's indispensable" on "The Talk."

  • Tom Cruise's rant elicits mixed reactions as Leah Remini, Alec Baldwin and more weigh in

    Cruise reportedly unleashed a second tirade on set of "Mission Impossible: 7" over COVID-19 safety protocols.

  • Leah Remini attends Danny Masterson's arraignment on rape charges to support accusers

    The "That '70s Show" star's attorney maintained his client's innocence.

  • Leah Remini Wants to Expose Tom Cruise’s Dark Side

    Over the past seven years, nobody has done more to expose Scientology than Leah Remini. Her 2015 memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, gave readers an inside look into the newfangled religion’s methods of indoctrination, punishment, and retaliation—including being reprimanded by leader David Miscavige for questioning the behavior of Scientology’s most famous member, Tom Cruise.  On the heels of her Emmy-winning A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which was co-hosted by former Scientology spokesman and senior executive Mike Rinder, the two have re-teamed for Scientology: Fair Game, a new podcast focusing on the faith’s alleged “Fair Game” practice, wherein its minions do everything in their power to intimidate its critics into silence. “We’ve always wanted to follow up on stories. The abuses and criminal behavior never end with Scientology,” says Remini.And Hollywood has, at least historically, been complicit in Scientology’s spread—including entertaining Cruise’s proselytizing, as when Steven Spielberg infamously allowed the megastar to have a Scientology conversion tent on the set of his 2005 film War of the Worlds. Inside Trump and Farrakhan’s Strange Ties to ScientologyHow Nicole Kidman Almost Got Tom Cruise to Leave Scientology“Maybe 10, 15 years ago, Hollywood was very complicit—and that had a lot to do with the influence Tom Cruise had,” explains Rinder. “He had a lot of influence through CAA, his production deals, Paramount, his lawyers, everything. People did not want to get on the bad side of Tom. Nowadays, that’s changed pretty dramatically. His luster has been dimmed and he’s no longer the world’s leading superstar. He still makes a ton of money from the Mission: Impossible franchise but other than that is pretty irrelevant. And we’re now even seeing his former leading ladies come out against him.” In a brilliant interview with New York magazine’s E. Alex Jung, the actress Thandie Newton came forward to share her strange run-ins with Cruise during and around the filming of Mission: Impossible 2, from manifesting a zit on his face to his not-so-subtle attempts at recruitment.  “He was very generous and open about sharing Scientological stuff. Christmas gifts would be something to do with Scientology,” Newton recalled. “Like a book with the greatest hits of Scientology, a bit like a Bible kind of thing. I was curious, because it’s like, Wow, if it’s going to attract people, powerful, high-profile people, there’s got to be some glue that sticks this shit together. Didn’t find any.” Remini also commends Newton for her courage in speaking out against Cruise. “That takes huge balls to do what she did, and if more people speak out in that way, and be brave enough to do so, I think we might get somewhere,” says Remini. “Tom has gotten away with being this ‘nice guy,’ because that’s what Scientology policy says—to create good PR in the world and make those ‘good actions’ known. But if you actually look at his actions, they’re not consistent.“When I was in Scientology I got in trouble in Scientology for saying, ‘Why is this guy the poster child for Scientology? He can’t keep a fuckin’ marriage together, he’s jumping on couches, he’s acting like he knows anything about postpartum.’ I learned pretty quickly that that’s not something you should be doing, because Tom Cruise is considered a messiah in Scientology. This is a man who has not even seen his own daughter in years. That this guy can be running around and having people think he’s this super-nice guy, I don’t get it. But that’s the Hollywood-bullshit game people play.” (Cruise and the Church of Scientology did not respond to requests for comment.) In the past, Remini has alleged to The Daily Beast that Cruise is not only “privy to the punishments that David Miscavige doles out” but has even “been part of it.” How Tom Cruise’s Wedding to Katie Holmes Changed Scientology ForeverWe Asked the Church of Scientology How They’re Combatting Coronavirus. This Is Their Wild Response.“I think that [Newton] speaking out about what we all know Tom to be is not news to people who are or were Scientologists, who know the truth. Because he is not a nice person,” maintains Remini. “There was a time when Tom was a very nice person, but that was before he rededicated himself to David Miscavige [in the aughts], and there was a complete turn-around.” Both Rinder and Remini claim that “the view of Scientology in Hollywood these days is not positive.” For proof of that, they point to their 2017 Emmy win for Aftermath—a moment they say they’ll never forget. “We thought we wouldn’t get any validation from this town because we thought they would be scared to vote for a show that was exposing Scientology, so it was such huge validation to those people who told their stories,” says Remini. “It was Hollywood saying: We see you, and we back you. It was so… I can’t tell you how much I cried.” She pauses and, in true Remini fashion, adds, “It was nice to see Hollywood waking up from being such pussies.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • 'Seinfeld' star Jerry Stiller remembered as ‘one of the most kind, loving and funny people to ever grace this earth’

    Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller has died, his son Ben Stiller shared on social media early Monday — and remembrances of the Seinfeld and King of Queens star quickly followed.

  • Jenna Elfman defends Scientology in new interview: ‘The controversy is boring’

    The actress — who has been a Scientologist for 30 years — calls the controversy surrounding the organization “boring.”

  • Leah Remini Mourns Father's Death in Heartbreaking Instagram Post: 'Scientology Took My Dad'

    The actress says she "had no idea" that her father died a month ago.

  • Alleged rape victim reveals how Church of Scientology dismissed her claims against Danny Masterson

    Two of the four accusers speak openly about their ordeal on the series finale of "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath."And reveal gut wrenching details.

  • Leah Remini: 'Scientology and the Aftermath' to end with two-hour special

    Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath ending with special episode

  • Church of Scientology blames Leah Remini for member's alleged murder at the organization's Sydney HQ

    A Taiwanese man died after being stabbed in the neck at the Church of Scientology headquarters in Sydney on Jan. 3 — and the controversial organization is blaming defector Leah Remini.

  • Jennifer Lopez, 49, shows off incredible physique in swim-themed photo shoot: 'Flawless'

    Jennifer Lopez, no stranger to the camera, is turning heads with her latest photo shoot.

  • Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini on revisiting working-class roots in 'Second Act': 'It's still who we are'

    Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini agree they play nonfamous versions of their "outer-borough" selves in "Second Act."

  • Leah Remini responds to Louis Farrakhan's defense of Scientology

    Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan defended Scientology and questioned Leah Remini's attacks on it, so she very plainly let him know how the organization hurts families.

  • Jada Pinkett Smith Insists She Has 'No Interest' in Becoming a Scientologist to Leah Remini

    Leah Remini, Jada Pinkett Smith Hash Out Scientology Feud