A&E To Premiere New Season Of Leah Remini Scientology Series
Leah Remini will return for Season 3 of her award-winning series on Scientology – with a twist.
The former King of Queens actress looks into the Jehovah’s Witnesses denomination, according to Entertainment Weekly magazine. A&E announced Thursday that a two-hour special called Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath: The Jehovah’s Witnesses will precede the debut of her new series on Nov. 13.
The special will highlight interviews with Jehovah’s Witnesses ex-members talking about their experiences inside the organization, the magazine wrote.
“For the first time, Remini and Mike Rinder will meet with former members of a different organization – the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and explore how other groups besides Scientology can subvert and exploit belief,” the statement from A&E said.
A&E released a teaser trailer about the special Thursday.
“I thought Jehovah’s Witnesses were just nice people knocking on doors,” Remini said in the video clip. “We have received many letters (saying) please look into the Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Remini previously told Entertainment Weekly that her series will open Nov. 27 documenting her continuing fight with the Church of Scientology, which she was a member. She tweeted a photo of a billboard promoting the show and its upcoming season.
The actress told the magazine that Season 3 would go beyond Scientology. She said that she became interested in Jehovah’s Witnesses when someone who contacted her compared it to a “diet Sea Org.”
Remini remained fixed on Scientology over the first two seasons of her series with ex-Scientology executive Mike Rinder, allegedly exposing the inner workings of the religious group, interviewing ex-parishioners who charged that they were harmed by the church practices.
Some of those claims included allegedly coerced abortions, cover-ups of sexual assault, and policies that separated families, per Entertainment Weekly.
The Church of Scientology has hardly sat quietly about the show, dedicating a website to it along with numerous statements refuting its claims.
“Leah Remini continues to profit by harassing her former religion and its parishioners, spreading provable lies which generate hate, bigotry and violence,” the church said in a statement on its website.
“… Remini’s brand of hate and bigotry is funded by A&E. To date, Remini’s reality show has led to some 500 documented threats of violence, death threats, acts of vandalism and hate targeting the church, its parishioners and its leaders,” the statement continued.
A&E pointed out in its statement that Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath won an Emmy Award for outstanding informational series or special in 2017 and was recognized by the TV Academy as a nominee in the same category in 2018.
