Leah Remini appeared on the season premiere of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Monday as her first guest. The former King of Queens star and upcoming Dancing with the Stars contestant opened up about her highly-reported decision to leave the Church of Scientology.
She confirmed that those who are still involved with the controversial church cannot speak to those who leave it, saying, “We lost friends who can no longer talk to us who are still in the organization.”
She added, "But we have other friends, who are not in the church, who have stood by us and that's all we can ask for,” E! Online reports.
Remini said that her family have been Scientologists since she was young, but as she got older and formed her own opinion, she decided to leave.
“My mother got involved when we were very young, so it's all we really knew. But over time, my eyes got opened and I could just no longer be affiliated with the organization, and my family felt the same, so we left,” she continued.
As we previously reported, Remini reportedly questioned the practices of leader David Miscavige.
“It all began when Leah questioned the validity of excommunication of people,” a source said when she announced she was leaving the church in July. “She is stepping back from a regime she thinks is corrupt. She thinks no religion should tear apart a family or abuse someone under the umbrella of ‘religion.’”
image: ABC