The Church of Scientology is not pleased with former member Leah Remini's new A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath, saying it should be called Leah Remini: After Money, Megyn Kelly dutifully noted on Monday's Kelly File. But she was clearly sympathetic to Remini's plight to expose the problems in the rigidly controlled organization she broke free from in 2013. "We've seen the church come after anybody who comes after them," Kelly said, and "they're pretty brutal about it and pretty relentless about it. My question for you is, is it scary for you now to be doing this show?"
Remini said she's not scared for herself — her high profile and support from the media provide some shield — but for other people criticizing Scientology "it's heartbreaking how this organization continues to attempt to bully its victims and people who are speaking out — they go after your job, they go after your family, they picket in front of your house, and they continue to do it, and their history has shown that unless it's stopped, it's going to continue to go on."
The Church of Scientology denies that and threatens to sue people who make those claims, Kelly said, and Remini jumped in: "They don't need to deny anything, Megyn. Honestly, you just need to google it and you'll find out that it's true." "You're not allowed to do that in Scientology, right?" Kelly asked. "It's a rule that you stay off the internet when it comes to Scientology in particular?" "Correct, and as someone who was in the church, I understand it," Remini said. "So I didn't find these things out, unfortunately, until I left. And it simply is just looking for yourself, and I implore people to do that. This is a church that does— you get penalized for asking questions and for looking." In fact, it was a rudely rebuffed question at Tom Cruise's wedding to Katie Holmes that started her exit from Scientology, she explained. You can watch below. Peter Weber
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