In a rare case of an organization actually asking to be given similar treatment to a high-profile racist hate group, the Church Of Scientology has denounced executives at A&E as hypocrites for continuing to air Leah Remini’s Scientology And The Aftermath while canceling the KKK docu-series Escaping The KKK. In a letter sent to the network—and initially obtained by TMZ—church representatives accused Remini of paying critics of the organization, including herself, to appear on-camera for her show, linking it to charges that producers of Escaping The KKK paid Klan members for access while filming.
As noted by Variety, A&E declared at the time that cash payments for documentary access were a “direct violation of A&E’s policies and practices for a documentary,” which the Church’s letter latches onto as a basis to cancel Remini’s extremely popular show. “Church of Scientology understands that two on-air accusers/participants in Leah Remini’s docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath received substantial cash payments for their participation, in violation of the same standards,” the letter states, while also alleging that the show is “free advertising” for writers and speakers with anti-Scientology views. Of course, those writers and speakers aren’t spending their profits from the show—if they’re actually getting any—on white hoods or cross-burning supplies, suggesting a certain moral gap between the payments made during Escaping The KKK, and whatever money was doled out for Remini’s show.