Leah Remini

Leah Marie Remini (/ˈrɛmɪni/; born June 15, 1970) is an American actress, author, former Scientologist and anti-Scientology activist. She starred as Carrie Heffernan on the long-running CBS comedy series The King of Queens (1998–2007) and later co-hosted The Talk in 2010–11. Since 2016 she has co-produced and hosted the Emmy Award–winning A&E documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.\n', ' Raised as a member of the Church of Scientology from childhood, Remini left the organization in 2013 and began public criticism of Scientology. Two years later, she released Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, her memoir about her experience with Scientology and reasons for leaving it. In 2016, she followed up her memoir with an Emmy Award–winning documentary television series on the A&E network, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, to highlight other former Scientologists\' experiences. After a successful first season, the series was renewed by A&E, and the second season debuted in late summer 2017. On March 14, 2018, A&E announced that the series would return for a third season. Since May 2017, Remini has also starred in the 2016 television sitcom Kevin Can Wait as Vanessa Cellucci, alongside Kevin James, her former co-star on The King of Queens; this was later cancelled after two seasons.\n', ' Remini was born June 15, 1970, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Vicki Marshal, a schoolteacher, and George Remini, who owned an asbestos removal company. Her mother is of Austrian Jewish descent, while her father has Sicilian ancestry. Remini has a brother, Michael, an older sister named Nicole and four half-sisters: Christine, Stephanie,—who died of cancer in 2013— Elizabeth, and Shannon.\n', '