The following story contains discussion of physical abuse.

CONTENT WARNING

Leah Remini’s father George has been estranged from the family since she was a child, but that hasn’t stopped him from talking about his daughter. He has alleged that she never paid his cancer testing fees, and her failure to come through with the money is part of the reason he got sick.

Estranged from father

In September 2019, Leah shared on Instagram that she learned about her father’s death a month after his passing. "He was not able to redeem himself, to ask for forgiveness for his failures and hurts, to become a better man to those of us who couldn't help but love him," she wrote.

Her father's death

In December 2013, Leah Remini's sister, Nicole Remini tweeted, "Today we lost our 35 year old sister to cancer. Please consider donating on her behalf," sharing a link to donate to Stand Up 2 Cancer. She was referring to Leah's half-sister Stephanie Remini, who was initially diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2012.

HER SISTER'S DEATH

In 1983, the then 13-year-old Remini relocated from Florida to Los Angeles because of the conditions at the Scientology church’s compound. "We went from a middle-class lifestyle to living in a roach-infested motel with six other girls off a freeway in Clearwater," Remini told BuzzFeed.

Life in florida

As a teenager, Leah was a member of the Church of Scientology’s Sea Organization, "a religious order […] composed of the singularly most dedicated Scientologists". According to Remini, members are subjected to physical abuse, and she claimed she was pushed off a boat for not saying "yes sir" to leader Mike Curley.

Sea Org Memories