"Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath"/A&E
With the eight-episode series, Remini set out to document the stories of alleged abuse from former Scientologists, including her own 30-year experience belonging to the organization. But the former "King of Queens" star said at the top of this week's highly rated premiere that she found out more than what she set out to find.
"When I first started filming this show, I thought I would just be documenting stories of families that were torn apart by the Church of Scientology's policies and practices," Remini said. "But what I uncovered was much deeper and darker than I ever expected. What you're about to see sheds light on the truth of what's really going on with this church, a church that I promoted, defended, and believed in most of my life."
The premiere episode focused on Amy Scobee, a former high-ranking Scientology executive assigned to the religion's Celebrity Centre. After leaving the organization, she reunited with her mother, Bonny Elliott, and defied the religion's rule of disconnecting from family and friends who are labeled enemies of the church.
Scientology allegedly tried to get the show pulled from airing, which led to Remini demanding the church pay her $1.5 million in damages. The church called her request "extortion" and maintains that the stories of its alleged abuses in the series are false.
Here are the seven most shocking revelations about alleged happenings in Scientology from the show's premiere episode: