Leah Remini, The King Of Queens star who recently, very publicly parted ways with the Church of Scientology after 30 years, has been given her own reality show on TLC. The as-yet-untitled series will feature Remini, her husband of 10 years, their 9-year-old daughter Sofia, and a lengthy cast of characters (listed in USA Today) that includes Remini’s “opinionated mother, eccentric stepfather, and her sister and brother-in-law, who have a secret coded language” (?) as well as “Leah’s wisecracking housekeeper, Sofia’s brash British nanny, and Leah’s personal assistant who really wants to get into acting.” Nancy Daniels, general manager of TLC, says that Remini’s “sharp humor and unfiltered family are a perfect match for the network.”
According to Remini’s recent Buzzfeed interview, her “opinionated mother” led her daughters to Scientology as children, moving them from Brooklyn to the church compound in Clearwater, Florida. The family eventually traveled to Hollywood, where Remini kicked off her career with the 1989 Who’s The Boss? spinoff Living Dolls (as well as a stint as Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s summer fling on Saved By The Bell) before eventually landing on King Of Queens, which ran from 1998 to 2007. She then moved on to daytime show The Talk, where she and Holly Robinson Peete were eventually fired after many reports of behind-the-scenes in-fighting. Then came her break with Scientology, followed by Remini’s former church friend Kirstie Alley calling her a “bigot” on The Howard Stern Show. Nevertheless, Remini told BuzzFeed, “I don't want to be known as this bitter, ex-Scientologist”—and this reality show appears to be a step toward that.
Remini’s most recent gigs have included the TV Land sitcom The Exes, as well as a fifth-place finish on Dancing With The Stars. Her TLC show is slated to start airing this summer. It definitely sounds like her life will offer plenty of subject matter.