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Leah Remini claimed that Anderson Cooper and Conan O’Brien were threatened by the Church of Scientology after airing content about the organization.
Court documents obtained on Wednesday, August 2, reveal that in 2015, Ms. Remini was scheduled to appear on Anderson Cooper's CNN show to promote her memoir, Troublemaker, which details her departure from the organization. Due to Scientology's history of aggressive litigation, the interview was pre-recorded for review by CNN's legal department.
According to the documents, Cooper, aged 56, allegedly cautioned Remini, aged 53, that their interview "might not be broadcast." Cooper stated that when he previously aired a series on Scientology, he and his producers faced "attacks" from the Office of Special Affairs (OSA) - a department of the church. As a result, his team may not be willing to endure another wave of harassment.
Cooper previously aired a five-part series in 2010 called Scientology: A History of Violence, which highlighted accusations of physical abuse by the organization's leader, David Miscavige. Since then, Cooper has not covered any further stories on Scientology. Remini claims that Cooper and his team continue to receive threats. Church leaders denied the allegations of abuse by Miscavige or his encouragement of assaults on subordinates when Cooper's series aired in 2010.
Although Remini's conversation with Cooper was never aired, she did make an appearance on O'Brien's talk show two years later to promote her A&E docuseries.
During her appearance on the Conan O'Brien show on January 25, 2017 to promote Aftermath, Ms. Remini received a personal letter from the defendants' operatives. The letter criticized her and accused her of speaking out against Scientology solely for fame, money, and attention. In response, Mr. O'Brien mentioned that in his 24-year career as a late-night talk show host, he had never received a letter of this nature.
On Wednesday, Remini filed a lawsuit against Scientology, claiming that the group was attempting to "destroy" her life. Along with her allegations about Cooper and O'Brien, Remini also claimed that she and her loved ones were being stalked and threatened by Scientology after leaving the organization in 2013. Remini initially joined the controversial religion at the age of 8 when her mother converted.
After leaving Scientology, Remini began publicly criticizing the group and condemning the church for its practices and alleged shielding of sexual offenders. Remini asserts that by speaking out, she was classified as a "Suppressive Person" by the organization.
In her legal documents, Remini states that she is pursuing compensation for the significant financial and emotional harm she alleges the church has caused her through an illegal campaign of harassment and intimidation. She is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.
We has reached out to reps for Scientology, O’Brien and Cooper for comment.