When Leah Remini was still part of Scientology, she was photographed with Tom Cruise on a handful of occasions - most often at one of the latter’s movie premieres - leading people to believe that they were probably friends given their close ties to the religion.
But when Remini decided to leave Scientology behind in 2013, fans uncovered that Remini wasn’t actually that close with Cruise, who she infamously said had manipulated his image to help the Church of Scientology.
She’s famously accused the Mission Impossible star to have helped convert a vast majority of his fans to his religion, and from the things she’s said about Scientology since her not-so-quiet exit, it’s evidently clear that she shared no values with the people at her church, including the so-called bond that people thought she had with Cruise.
Leah Weighs In On ‘Manipulative’ Tom Cruise
In July 2020, Thandie Newton came forward and claimed to have had a nightmare experience working with Cruise on their 2000 blockbuster flick Mission Impossible 2, Remini chimed in on the conversation to reveal some things she had uncovered about the A-list star.
When asked by Vulture why she didn’t return for the franchise’s second installment, she responded: "Oh, “I was never asked. I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure.”
Newton continued: “He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done.”
To that, the former King of Queens star, says that Cruise has slowly but surely been morphing into David Miscavige, the leader of Scientology, by making it his mission in life to convert as many people to Scientology as he can.
“Tom has gotten away with being this ‘nice guy,’ because that’s what Scientology policy says — to create good PR in the world and make those ‘good actions’ known. Tom has for years used Scientology and its staff to do his dirty work.”
The New York native also went on to claim that it was Tommy Davis, Senior Vice President of the Church of Scientology, who was at fault for the split of Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s marriage in 2001, insisting that because the actress no longer wanted to be part of Scientology, he was instructed to dissolve the marriage.
“Davis … used confidential Scientology counseling sessions to bring a wedge between Tom and his wife Nicole because Nicole didn’t want to do Scientology anymore.”
But in one of the most explosive things said about The Mummy star was that he was allegedly at fault for causing one of his Scientology employees to go bankrupt.
“Tom has for years used his Church to torture his employees by sending them in for interrogations at their expense, causing a woman I know to go bankrupt simply because the hours she worked for Tom made it impossible for her to raise her family.
“She was interrogated and punished by her church for years, causing her to lose her home. These are some of the things Tom has done that never get talked about, and I think it’s time to change that.”
Remini has made some very controversial remarks about the Church of Scientology since her exit in 2013 - many of which she recalled on her A&E show, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which aired between 2016 and 2019.
Remini has openly claimed that she’s been getting stalked by members of Scientology, an allegation which the Church has strongly denied since.
Still, it hasn’t stopped her from meeting with lawyers, “as she’s considering legal action,” a source told Us Weekly. “She alleges she’s been spied on and followed by people working on behalf of the church.”
Since leaving Scientology, Remini says she has shared all of her experiences based on what she saw while part of the religion, so any claims that she’s fabricating stories is absurd.
During an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, she told the host: "I remember how I felt when I saw people who I was taught and brainwashed into believing were the devil, and so it's sad to see them react to me that way where I'm like, 'I'm me. I don't mean you any harm. I want you to do well in life, I promise you.'"
Remini hopes that those who are looking to join Scientology should definitely do their research before committing to the church. Although, she'd rather have people keep their distance from the religion, which she says caused endless heartache, pain, feuds, and rifts with family and friends.