14 DAY TRIAL // That certainly didn’t take long: shortly after actress Leah Remini did her first tell-all-type of interview on the topic of her exit from the Church of Scientology, a rep for the cult issued a statement to trash her, accusing her of “rewriting history” with the sole purpose of deceiving people and making herself look good.
Leah left the organization last summer and, until now, she’s been relatively tight-lipped about the reasons behind her decision. She did say, though, that she did it for her family and that she was no longer comfortable knowing some things she knew about higher-ups in Scientology.
The tell-all interview of the other day shone even more light on the topic, as she explained how she was recruited when she was as young as 10 and was made to sign a “billion-year” contract that she understood nothing of.
It wasn’t until just recently that Leah found out that Scientology was one big “lie,” she said, referring to claims that all followers are somehow contributing to save the world when, in fact, the entire organization is just an excuse to leech money from its millions of members.
With this in mind, it’s not difficult to understand why Scientology is already on the defensive, trashing Leah in a statement to Us Weekly.
“It comes as no surprise that someone as self-absorbed as Leah Remini with an insatiable craving for attention would exploit her former faith as a publicity stunt by rewriting her history with it, including omitting that she was participating in a program to remain a Scientologist by her own choice, as she was on the verge of being expelled for her ethical lapses,” says a rep.
This is a common move from Scientology, as it’s famous for the way it lashes out publicly at former members. Since no one leaves against their will (there are no known cases of members being expelled) but on their own accord, after years of disillusionment and heartbreak, all those who do often go public with their stories, in an attempt to prevent others from joining.
This is when the Church counters with scathing statements, meant to show the world that defectors are, in fact, nothing but scum who don’t deserve the time of day. As a note, all those who do leave Scientology ranks have very troublesome accounts of their time as members.
Leah is clearly no exception. The fact that she is also a beloved Hollywood actress only makes her all the more dangerous for Scientology so expect that, the more interviews she gives, the more virulent the Church’s denials get.