Katie Holmes, 39, and her daughter Suri, 12, may not be members of the Church of Scientology, but Katie’s ex-husband Tom Cruise, 56, remains a major player in the organization. Ex-Scientology member and King of Queens actress Leah Remini, 48, says this is the reason why Katie has kept quiet about the religion for so long. Leah, who has been very outspoken about her time with the church since she defected in 2013, opened up about this in her LaPalme magazine cover story. She claimed any statements from Katie could result in losing custody of her daughter, according to Us Weekly. While she didn’t go into detail on how, the accusation is definitely troubling.
“I keep wondering — why haven’t Katie Holmes or Nicole Kidman spoken out?” Leah said. “I assume they were forced to sign prohibitive documents. Trust me, Katie’s not allowed to have a meal with me and we used to be close friends. She could lose custody of Suri. It’s quite sick, really.” Leah has previously called herself an SP, or Suppressive Person, which meant members of the church were not supposed to speak with her. She has also given Nicole the same title, claiming that this is the reason why her two adopted children with Tom Cruise, Connor and Isabella, are no longer in contact with the actress.
Katie was granted primary custody of Suri when she divorced Tom in 2012, and their daughter reportedly hasn’t seen her father in over four years. But with these statements from Leah, it sounds like their split may have come with some caveats.
In response to Leah’s interview, the Church of Scientology’s spokesperson Karin Pouw told the outlet, “While we would prefer to ignore yet another of Leah Remini’s over-the-top rants aimed at getting attention, she unfortunately continues to incite waves of anti-religious hate crimes. Ms. Remini’s incessant hate speech has required increased security and law enforcement resources spent to protect lives she puts at risk. Ms. Remini’s ridiculous rants are unending and the myths and tales she and her coproducer spread are grown more bizarre by the day. They hire producers to rehash tired, preposterous myths invented and spread by the same handful of former Scientologists motivated by greed and anger.”
Leah’s show, Scientology and the Aftermath, started its third season in August. In addition to exposing Scientology’s practices on this show, the former member has also opened up in a memoir — Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology — which was published in 2015.
