‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath’ Special Reddit AMA Episode Airs Monday, December 19

Leah Remini continues to make waves with her Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath show that airs on A&E Network. The most recent episode of the show took viewers on a heartbreaking journey inside the true cost that some members of Scientology have to pay in order to remain a Scientologist — and especially the big price paid to leave Scientology. As reported by Business Insider, Scientology had a profound effect upon Mary Kahn, a woman interviewed by Remini who described being a Scientologist for 40 years before making her harrowing escape. Kahn wept openly on Leah’s show as she described remaining in Scientology well beyond the point where she wanted to remain — just to avoid having to disconnect from her family.

Mike Rinder, another former Scientology member, also broke down in tears when Mary described the horrible time she had making it through to the top echelons of the religion. Mary described being disconnected from her son — a son she says was closest to her spiritually. Mary explained on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath how she first heard of Scientology in the early 1970s, when many people were smoking marijuana, doing drugs, swinging and living a “free love” type of lifestyle. Mary met a man who told her about Scientology, and the beliefs that drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana were bad for the body — so instead of going to a “weed party,” Mary followed the man’s suggestion to join Scientology instead.

Over the decades, however, Mary began to have her doubts about the faith — but upon sharing those doubts with her husband, he immediately snitched on Mary to the church. Mary described the “pure hell” of having to miss Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and her son’s birthday one year — spending that time instead on a Scientology ship for two months, her path to the top of the scheme the church contrives for members to climb, Mary explained.

Remini also showed her producers the huge library of information that she claims Scientologists were required to purchase, along with the long list of classes and counseling session charges Scientology members were required to buy. Remini explained how people who made it to the top of Scientology’s scale had to repeat the process — and those who had reached certain levels often found themselves having to repeat levels and pay once more in a scheme all designed to extract more and more money out of Scientology members — no matter if they were rich celebrities or average people. Those without the means to pay for Scientology books and courses found themselves charging the amounts on their credit cards, taking out loans or finding some other means of paying the steep prices levied against members.

Those same members had to pay a lot to the church in terms of their time as well, with Scientology representing a daily commitment with sessions that lasted for hours upon hours.

Now a new “Ask Me Anything” hour-long episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is scheduled to air on Monday, December 19, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The “AMA” verbiage is familiar to fans of Reddit, where Leah recently did a Reddit AMA that garnered more than 17,000 comments. Leah will get the chance to answer some of the unanswered questions via that AMA thread and deliver them via the Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath special episode.

Remini’s show has drawn a legion of fans and millions of viewers as Leah exposes all of her experiences as a former Scientology member, along with the experiences of high-ranking executives and other former Scientology church members. The normal episodes of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath will continue to air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

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