Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

- Okay. You ready? - Stand by.

Believe me, I wouldn't be here on a Sunday with Colt.

I've heard from relatives, from friends,

from people I knew at school.

I'm getting all sorts of e-mails

from guys I knew when I was selling cars in Denver.

For what? Oh. Just for support?

Yeah.

And that is driving them nuts.

Well, I just want to make sure, Mike,

that we've answered the questions.

The whole point of this is, people have questions

based on what they've seen in this series so far.

Yeah.

So what's been the fallout?

A few specifics, maybe? Yeah, I got it. I got it.

Okay, let's I don't want to Okay.

I'm gonna step out. Yeah, yeah.

Okay, let's go.

So, we wanted to take a minute

to answer some of the viewers' questions,

and that's why we're here today, to

First of all, I want to thank you

and Mike wants to thank you for your support

and our contributors to the show.

The way you've supported us and the people

who were brave enough to tell their story

we cannot thank you enough.

I would start crying, but I have eyelashes on,

and I don't want the glue to come undone.

But because you guys have been so supportive of this show,

the Church has responded in kind with their policies

on how to go after not only me,

but everyone who has contributed to the show.

Your supporting the show

is driving Scientology absolutely insane.

They are spending so much money to combat the truth.

Absolutely, Leah, and everything that they do

is what they always do. Right.

The groundswell of interest in the subject

is really driving them nuts.

And, as always,

none of their responses have anything to do

with the actual issues that are raised.

Right. They're all about,

"Oh, Leah Remini, she's this.

Oh, Mike Rinder, he's that. Right.

Oh, Amy Scobee, she's this".

It's par for the course.

With that, we want to be involved with you

as you are with us, and so we're taking the time

to answer some of your questions from Reddit.

And we have some guests here

to help us answer some of these questions.

I know. Thank God.

So, anyway, we're gonna answer some of your questions,

but the first thing that I want to focus on

is, since the show aired,

I have received lots of e-mails,

social media crazy support.

But I know you've received a lot of

I've been overwhelmed, Leah.

Yeah. Overwhelmed, because,

you know, I have a blog, too. Yeah.

So there's people that reach out

to me on my blog about Scientology.

But I think that the defining thing,

apart from just the scope of the support,

Yeah. is the number of people

who have said, "For the first time,

I feel like the real story

is being told". Right.

"For the first time,

I feel like it's safe for me to say something".

Right. "And for the first time,

people are suddenly writing to us and saying,

'Now we understand a bit about what you went through'".

Right. I think this resonates

with people as a David and Goliath story.

I couldn't agree with you more.

And that Goliath shrivels in size and ability

to do things when everybody's watching.

Okay, so, Mike and I want to answer some of your questions

that you've been asking us.

And these are questions that came to us via Reddit.

All right. "Hi, Leah.

For someone who left, is there anything a loved one

can do to help a member see the truth

without ruining the relationship completely?"

No.

Really, honestly, no.

You need to understand that they're brainwashed.

You need to understand

they think out in the real world,

that Scientology is doing amazing things.

They don't know what's going on in the real world.

Maybe, yes, a relationship

might be damaged for a short time.

But you have to take the step. You have to fight.

You have to fight for your family members that are in.

We can't fight for your family members.

Believe me, I would love to walk into Scientology

and grab your son and daughter.

They're gonna tell me to go eff myself.

You need to do it. If they're underage,

you have every right to ring the bell,

wherever they are, and say,

"I want my family member.

I want to speak to them alone.

I want to speak to them outside of these gates

without a representative of the Church".

You have every right to do it, and you should do it.

Correct.

All right, was there a secret

Oh, let me...

It's so crazy when you actually put your glasses on

'cause, like, you look at something and you're like,

"That's small". And then you put the glasses on,

and you're like, "It wasn't small".

Because I don't want to believe that I'm old, Mike,

and so I try not to wear glasses for reading.

You're not old, Leah not compared to me.

True, you're older.

There you go. Don't you feel better?

Okay, what is it?

I'll read it. Okay.

"Was there" I have contacts, so...

"Was there a secret group of people or friends

you had in the Church that doubted it,

or did you feel alone?"

Oh, for me, I doubted it,

and I would go to my closest,

most intimate friends in Scientology.

And I would say, you know,

"Did you see that thing on the Internet?"

And I would get reported for that.

That friend or family member would then be required

to write an internal report on me

basically, alerting the church that I was having

disaffected feelings towards my church

and that I would be considered an enemy.

So if you had voiced any concerns to a family member

a husband, a wife, a child they're taught to believe

that by turning you in, they're helping you,

because they believe in their hearts,

like, you are lost and you are in trouble.

And people would say that a lot.

Like, "Leah, you're in trouble".

Like, "You need help".

But they'd say things like that to me.

"You need help". Can you imagine, like,

a family member going, "You need help"?

But I'm like, "I need help? You need help".

I mean and then I would I would seem crazy

because I'd get emotional

and passionate about it. Right.

I'm like, "I don't need help. You need help.

You need to look at this e-mail.

You need to look at this e-mail".

And two of my closest friends one of these people,

I considered like a father to me

I go to these people

that I considered family members, and I said,

"Listen, Debbie Cook,"

she's the captain of the Flag Service Org

"She sent out this e-mail. Did you read it?" I said.

The wife says, "Oh, why would I read that?

Why would I read that crap?" I go, "It's the captain

your captain of the Flag Service Organization.

Why wouldn't you read it?"

She goes, "'Cause I wouldn't want to read anything

that's negative about my church".

I go, "But...

But you don't know what she said".

"Well, I heard about it from the Church".

So the Church intercepted this e-mail and said,

"Listen, if you see an e-mail from Debbie Cook, delete it".

Ignore it, yeah. "She's an evil person,

she was committing crimes in the Sea Org"

whatever they tell you.

So I go to these people and I say,

"Have you looked on the Internet?

Have you looked at these e-mails?

Have you heard of the allegations?"

And Scientologists will turn you in.

They will just simply turn you in.

It doesn't matter if it's your child,

if it's your mother, your father, your husband.

They will just turn you in, and they will tell you,

"I'm writing a report on you". And you go, "Go ahead".

And then you get called in, you get interrogated.

And unless you're willing to walk out the door

that minute and lose everything

you've ever known or your family,

you usually just go,

"Okay, fine. I won't look anymore".

Right.

Mr. Miscavige ordered his communicator

to break my finger if I didn't answer his question.

Okay, so, this is from a former Scientologist,