Leah Remini Explains Why She Missed Out On A Real Education

Leah Remini has been very vocal about the reasons why she cut ties with the Church of Scientology. Even though she was a member for over three decades, she left the church in 2013 and even wrote a memoir called, "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology," about her experience from within what she calls a "cult." She told ABC News in an interview back in 2015 that her mother, Vicki, joined the religion shortly after her divorce and as a result, Remini didn't have what you would call a "normal" childhood. "Scientologists view children as spiritual beings. You are not treated as a kid, so you are given a lot of responsibility. Your ego becomes extremely inflated," she said. 

As a young teen, Remini joined Scientology's Sea Organization. She left her traditional school in eighth grade and spent her time at the organization's headquarters in Florida in "a run-down former motel," as room and board were paid for as long as members worked for the church while there. On top of living in "roach-infested" rooms, Remini said she faced brutal mental conditions when she received "ethics charges" by the organization as a teen. 

She recalled, "When you have screwed up royally in the Sea Org, it's basically to reform you. You have to wear black. You have to run everywhere you go. You have to call everyone 'sir.' ... So it's pretty severe punishment for an adult, not to mention a child." And because of this, Remini said that she missed out on a huge opportunity in life. Keep scrolling below to find out what it was.

Because Leah Remini spent her formative years with the Church of Scientology, she missed out on an opportunity to have a formal education. That's why she's decided to go back to school. The former "King of Queens" star was accepted in the spring to New York University, according to Page Six. 

Explaining her reasons behind her decision to go back to school, Remini told the "Today" show, "I was in a cult most of my life and I missed out on education. ... This is something that I've always wanted for myself. ... I was like 'Why not just go for it?' I applied to NYU. I didn't tell anybody that I was doing it and I couldn't believe that I actually got accepted." She added, "I'm doing something that I always wanted to do. It's like the last thing that I'm kind of taking back."

Remini also said that her family is so proud of her acceptance into NYU that they got her "five thousand sweaters." She can be seen wearing one on her Instagram account, in which she captioned her photo with, "I've spent the weekend reading, doing homework and I have to say as nervous as I am to start on this journey, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and doing anything else!" Remini might be just going to college now, but it sounds like she's spent her entire life learning some of life's biggest lessons already.