The Truth About Leah Remini And Laura Prepon

Leah Remini has become a vocal opponent of the Church of Scientology after leaving the church in 2013. The actor produced and hosted the docu-series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" which ran for three seasons. Initially, the former "King of Queens" star planned on the show — which took aim at Scientology — to only have a short run. "We did not plan on more than a season or two," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 when the show was wrapping. "I always thought it would be six or eight episodes and that would be enough for the FBI..." The former Scientologist supported people's right to be part of the church but took umbrage with how the church treated former members. "They can believe whatever the f**k they want. But they can't just do whatever the f**k they want," she added.

In August, Laura Prepon announced that she too had left the church. "I'm no longer practicing Scientology," the "Orange Is the New Black" star told People during an interview. "I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life." This came as a surprise because in the past the actor had heaped praise on the teachings of Scientology. "In my life, things have become much easier, I'm not affected like I used to be," she said in a 2015 interview with Celebrity, a magazine for Scientologists (via Yahoo).

Keep reading to find out why Remini took issue with the way Prepon left Scientology.

After Leah Remini's first show on Scientology came to an end, her efforts to expose the inner-workings of the church did not. In 2020 she created the docu-series "Scientology: Fair Game" and has been adamant that her work was not done. The "Old School" actor used to recruit people to join the church and now feels a personal "responsibility" to inform the public of what happens behind closed doors. "I got people into Scientology, I promoted it most of my life," she said while appearing on "The Daily Beast Live" on Sept. 28. "I feel that we have a responsibility to do the work when we find out that none of those things we were doing was not only [unhelpful] but damaging and very harmful to people's lives," Remini said.

According to Remini, she reached out to Laura Prepon once she heard the actor had also left Scientology, but Prepon was uninterested in speaking out against the church. "Some people, like Laura, feel they don't have a responsibility to speak out," Remini told "The Daily Beast Live." The "Kevin Can Wait" star admitted she was unimpressed with Prepon's inaction. "Do I respect it? I mean, not really," Remini added.

This was not the first disagreement the actors had about Scientology. Keep reading to learn about the awkward encounter they had in the past.

Earlier in the year, Leah Remini appeared on the podcast "Ground with Louis Theroux" where she discussed being shunned by Scientologists after she left the church. Remini recalled running into Laura Prepon when Prepon was still a practicing scientologist. "I've been in Chelsea Handler's home, where Laura Prepon was there and saw me and literally ran away from me. This is the kind of thing that goes on," Remini told Louis Theroux (via BBC).

Prepon going public with her departure from the church could possibly be a sign of more high-profile exits from Scientology. "These are tough times for the church," a source told Us Weekly in August. "Years ago, it was almost unheard of for a Hollywood star to openly walk away." The source believed Prepon's public exit could open the floodgates for more.

Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis was another well-known entity in the entertainment industry who parted ways with Scientology. "I just decided I had to do it and I did it. If it's a moral choice you have to make it's not a matter of courage," the "Crash" director told The Telegraph in 2015. Haggis claimed the church had "bullied" him and others who chose to leave. "The bigger the bully the more I want to take them down," he said about the intimidation tactics.