“We’ve lost friends,” actress says of defection from infamous religious cult

Sep 10, 2013 09:11 GMT  ·  By
Leah Remini opens up on decision to leave the Church of Scientology during appearance on The Ellen Show
   Leah Remini opens up on decision to leave the Church of Scientology during appearance on The Ellen Show

In July this year, showbiz was shocked to find out that actress Leah Remini, a high-profile member of the Church of Scientology, had decided to leave the organization. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show the other night, Remini spoke for the first time on the topic.

Granted, after she defected, the actress did release a couple of statements on the topic, but she never really explained what pushed her to this decision.

Scientology has a very bad reputation when it comes to the way it treats its members, particularly those who want out, including an alleged history of persecution, threats, and libel.

Ellen made sure she addressed this topic as well.

As the video below will confirm, she broke the ice by joking that Leah “got kicked out” of the cult, only to ask her later to say a few words about the defection, if possible.

“My mother and I got involved when we were really young so it was all we really ever knew,” Leah said.

She didn’t go into specifics as to what happened recently, but she did say that it helped her open her eyes, realizing she “could no longer be affiliated” to the organization.

Her family felt the same and, right now, they’re all paying the price. Scientology severs ties with all former members, to the extent where a mother defecting is no longer allowed contact with her kids, if they decide they still want in.

“We've lost friends that can no longer talk to us who are still in the organization,” Leah explained.

“These are friends that we've had for dozens of years,” she continued, adding that, at the very least, she still had her friends on the outside, which, together with her family, made a very healthy support system.

“Our family is stronger, we're together and that's all I could ask for,” she stressed.

Leah was on The Ellen Show to promote her upcoming stint on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, which she admitted was proving to be quite a challenge.