INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Leah Remini And Paul Haggis Talk Leaving Scientology

By Amy Feinstein
Published on: 05:31 PST, Nov 11, 2015

Two of the most famous former Scientologists got together for a chat and to support each other at the Tribeca Barnes & Noble. Remini was there to promote her new book, Troublemaker, and she spoke to Paul Haggis, the Oscar-winning director of the movie Crash, whose story is touched upon in the documentary Going Clear.

According to the Inquisitr, Remini has been fanning the flame of anti-Scientology sentiment with her book Troublemaker that called out Scientology and, in particular, Tom Cruise and David Miscavige, who together, according to Remini, control the Church of Scientology. When Remini went on 20/20, Katie Holmes passed along an apology for anything she did that harmed Remini in the name of Scientology, and Tom Cruise was furious, as it proved to him and the church that Holmes had indeed become a suppressive person, or an sp in Scientology speak.

Vanity Fair was there with Remini and Haggis talking to a crowd of about 150 people about fleeing Scientology. The reporter notes that there is some serious security at the event, and each person had to buy a book and get a wristband to attend. Haggis mentioned that when he left Scientology, the one person who did not disconnect from him was Leah Remini.

“They recalled their growing unease with lying about the upper levels of the Scientology hierarchy and learning more and more about the secrets of the religion. What could have been a saccharine celebrity-on-celebrity ego boost turned out to be a bittersweet conversation between two people who once shared a belief structure in common.”

According to People Magazine, Leah Remini is grateful to all of those who reached out to her after leaving the Church of Scientology. Haggis left Scientology in 2009 after 35 years.

“She called me when she got the letter [Haggis wrote a letter of his resignation to Scientology’s chief spokesperson in 2009] and said, ‘Paul, no no no. You can’t leave. You’re one of the good ones.’ And, I said, ‘Leah, I’ve left. I’ve resigned’… She said, I’ll never disconnect from you. And I’ve heard that before, but she didn’t.”

But the Church of Scientology came out with a statement, even ahead of the book’s release.

“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,” the church said, “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.”

Fox News also covered the event, and threw down some serious information about Scientology. First, yoga was banned, as the church feared that it would mix the practices of the religion. Next, they talked about the RPF, for Rehabilitation Project Force, which was a punishment center.

A spokesman for the church responded to Remini and Haggis’ comments by saying, “The statements by Leah Remini and Paul Haggis are false.”

“They also claimed Haggis has “never been” to a jail, adding, “He would not be in a position to ‘confirm’ anything because there isn’t one and he has never seen one.”

Haggis claims that there were even more actors who were once Scientologists who left the church, and the public never even knew they were part of the Church of Scientology. Haggis would not name names.

Do you believe that the Church of Scientology has its own jails?

[Photo courtesy of Twitter]

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