Mike Rinder

Ron Miscavige was a real problem.

You know, somebody asked me in the past, I think it was Mike Rinder asked me in the past, let's not speak ill of the dead.

But you know what? That's all done.

Okay, I'm sorry.

Aftermath Foundation.

Michael J. Rinder, Aftermath Foundation.

And so we've heard over the years, we were always being told, oh, this is happening or that's happening.

Well, now they're not making the women do this.

So I'm excited about that.

Leah Remini, I absolutely could not eat up those episodes fast enough of her and Mike Rinder going after Scientology.

I,

in

Yeah.

She and Mike Rinder blew the whistle on all of that.

People going through your garbage and people going missing in your family.

And yeah.

This is when she was still a friend of Scientology.

I watched her A&E show with Mike Rinder, may his memory be a blessing, when Leah, who was a huge face of Scientology, after she was able to escape and became a public face against Scientology herself, her trajectory of her life obviously completely changed.

And I also watched her TLC show with her family, which is very, very funny.

Her family is fantastic.

In 2015, she released the memoir Troublemaker, Surviving Hollywood in Scientology.

in which she recounted her rise in Scientology as well as her indoctrination into Scientology beginning at age nine.

"'Where is Shelley?' Remini has asked since 2006, wondering about the whereabouts of Shelley Miscavige, the never-seen wife of Scientology leader—trigger warning—David Miscavige." Remini's high-profile exit from the organization caused her to become an anti-cult crusader, and she and fellow ex-Scientologist Mike Rinder hosted Leah Remini's Scientology in the Aftermath on A&E, winning two primetime Emmys for the series along the way.

And am I remembering correctly that when she won one of those, Elizabeth Moss, like, excused herself from the room so she wouldn't be there during the acceptance? That might have just been a rumor.

I have covered that topic extensively on this podcast.

You can go back and listen to a number of episodes, including my interview with Mike Rinder, who had been in the Sea Org, left the organization, and had become an advocate for not only those that had left that organization, but for other cults.

So what's interesting about Leah Remini is, first of all, I love her personality.

She's actually from New York, so she's got that New York sensibility.

She officially leaves in 2013, and just weeks after leaving, she files a missing person report for Shelly with the LAPD.

Again, Shelly hadn't been seen since 2007, and Leah has never let that question go because she had a relationship with her, and of course, someone doesn't show up for a couple years, you're like, "Are they dead? Are they alive? Is something going on?" You're not allowed to ask that question.

So remember I mentioned Mike Rinder.

Mike Rinder was a, a member of the Sea Org who had left, and then he became an advocate.

So it was a big slap in the face to the organization when she leaves, then she writes this book.

So she goes on to create this series on A&E that goes behind the scenes of the church and interviews people who had left, and her co-host was Mike Rinder.

Mike Rinder had been one of the top basically, top lieutenants in the church, and then he had left as well.

So two of the biggest headaches for this organization are super public, and they did what everyone thought was unthinkable at the time, was convinced a network to partner with them to bring these stories.

Because everyone was sort of frightened about doing or saying anything would go, that would go against them.

Then she had the A&E series, which I covered on this show.

It's called Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and she did that with former Scientology executive Mike Rinder.

So again, I had the executive producers of the show on, and then I interviewed Mike Rinder, a very special interview for me.

He wrote a, a, a great book that I highly recommend going back and reading.

He has since passed away.

Reddington annihilated him on the stand.

People were calling Reddington Shreddington because he shredded this guy to bits, to bits.

The guy lost his job.

So Dr. Avram Mack, who worked at Nemours Children's Hospital in Delaware, resigned from his position on Monday, August 24th, 2026, which I believe is the same day that he testified.

So we don't know what happened.

I have oscillated between guilty, not guilty, hung jury, verdict.

I'm all over the place, so don't listen to me.

Okay, before we get to Netflix's The Preacher's Wife, let's talk about Laura Owens we have an update Laura Owens and Clayton Eckhart Clayton from The Bachelor Laura faked pregnancies lied to him said she was pregnant with twins she took the plea deal guys can you imagine she actually took the plea deal I'm shocked I'm shocked and I'm not shocked I'm shocked because this woman has denied everything from the beginning that she would actually admit guilt.

Because I love her.

Remember that great series she made with Mike Rinder? Yes.

that Scientology series.

We reviewed it on Crime Writers a million years ago.