Leah Remini Says She's 'Proud' to Be Involved in an Organization That Helps People 'Escape' Scientology

The King of Queens star Leah Remini said she’s “incredibly proud” to support the Michael J. Rinder Aftermath Foundation, which helps people leave Scientology.

Remini posted pictures of a hat and jacket the foundation sent in an Instagram post on Wednesday, October 7, and captioned them, “Today I received my very own @aftermathfdn gear!”

In her Instagram post, Remini opened up about grieving Mike Rinder, a former high-ranking Scientology executive turned whistleblower who died of esophageal cancer on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at age 69.

“I am still broken over losing @rindermike. I can hardly think about him, look at a picture of him, or even see his name without falling apart,” she wrote.

Remini and Rinder co-hosted the A&E documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath from 2016 to 2019, and they also hosted the podcast “Scientology: Fair Game.” Rinder, who left Scientology in 2007, spent years speaking out against the organization and co-founded the Aftermath Foundation.

Remini said she’s proud to wear the gear despite the grief she still carries. She said the foundation is “the only organization of its kind dedicated to helping people escape Scientology and its military-style Sea Organization, known as the Sea Org, and providing the support and resources they need to start their lives over.”

Remini also thanked foundation president Claire Headley “for this gift and for the work you and the foundation continue to do.” The photos show a gray-and-black hat and a black jacket embroidered with the foundation’s logo and the name “LEAH,” along with a handwritten note from Headley. In the note, Headley thanked Remini, writing, “As always, thank you for your steadfast support of the work we do and for helping us forge important partnerships as we continue to grow.”

The Aftermath Foundation was created in December 2017 and later renamed for Rinder. According to Remini, she suggested to Headley that they rename the foundation after Rinder while they were on a flight to Florida to visit him in what became his final days. Within 24 hours, the foundation’s board unanimously agreed.

“Without Mike’s position in Scientology and his fearless fight to expose them after he escaped, there would have been no Aftermath series,” Remini wrote at the time. She also said she had hoped she and Headley could tell Rinder about the renaming together.

The nonprofit helps people who have left Scientology or the Sea Org with emergency financial assistance, educational grants, career guidance and peer support. Headley was born into Scientology and spent 30 years in it, including time as a high-ranking executive at its international base, until she escaped in 2005, according to the foundation’s website. In 2023, she served as an expert witness on Scientology during actor Danny Masterson’s r--- trial.

Remini, 56, had been part of Scientology since childhood and left in 2013. She won two Emmys as host and producer of the A&E docuseries about her experiences. In 2023, she filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, alleging stalking, harassment and defamation. A California appeals court ruled on Friday, July 31, that the case can move forward toward trial, though it trimmed some of her claims. The church has repeatedly denied her allegations.