Last night, Leah Remini posted a longer, more detailed remembrance of her Scientology and the Aftermath co-star Mike Rinder at her Substack, several days after her first posting following his January 5 death from cancer.
Someone asked Yashar how Leah was yesterday. He replied “she hasn’t gotten out of bed. No really. She hasn’t gotten out of bed.” At first I was concerned. Then I realized that she had a close friend who knew that. This coming on the heels of her divorce must have really thrown her for a loop.
After years of tamping down her emotions in Scientology, Mike taught her how to feel again.
And think of how Christie must be feeling. It would be wonderful and awful to have a husband who was so loved that every time you opened your eyes someone else was eulogizing him after his death. And Jack, going to school after his famous father died. Every waking moment is a reminder of him.
The thing that broke me about what Leah wrote was when she talked about visiting him on his deathbed. After she went home…he sent her flowers to thank her.
We need to be better. It’s easy to be wrapped up in our own lives. I’m going to try to make it a point going forward to think of others more. Life is short.
“Hello, sweetheart, how are you holding up?” That sentence was directed to someone Mike barely knew and it shows very well how Mike had concern for others. Everyone who knew him will miss the affable Aussie, who will take his place? Perhaps all of us should that that place.
I loved LA Weekly. The weekly Life in Hell cartoon, the kick-ass articles that made Vanity Fair's "edgy" articles look weak. It was a ritual to read it on hangover Sundays at Denny's or Norm's, and I used to keep a list of the funniest/weirdest rock band names in the ad section for all of LA's rock scene venues. "Sandy Duncan's Eye" was definitely on that list. Those were the days.
As for Leah...wow. She's going through so much right now and emotionally dealing with so much loss that I want to give her a hug. No words, just a hug when she needed one.
So sorry Mike's died. He's irreplaceable for all he lived through, knew, and how much he could corroborate first hand all of Scientology's abuses.
Thankyou Leah for all you've done. You're one of a kind ex Scientology "celeb" and a second gen victim.
The divisions between egos and vicious word slinging by this second gen ex group, and their followers, it's so low on the virtue scale.
Leah, this whole history of "critics" and informed (very well informed) ex's of the Scientology movement, has had waves of critics vs critics in decades past.
It's always present, and even the gen of first gen Sea Orgers who quit, have hatred for others who spoke out, just personality differences.
This human nature crap, me, I was a Flag Course Sup, and Sup's were supposed to be above all the students vs students crap that goes on. (The human to human needling, and bullying, and worse, the ego trips crossing paths and fights, and permanent "camps" within the critics history, is just a sad fact of sociological life of groups and factions, and splinter groups, etc.)
So I advised Mike to please not take that crap personally.
For the long range, my advice, do NOT let other people's hatred and petty egotism ever hurt you. do NOT let it get to you.
You're the best ex Scientology "celeb" period.
I know you probably don't read all the stuff I've commented on sites with articles about you, but since I quit Sea Org (in from 1975 til 2003 I quit), I've said over and over, you are the best ex Scientology big time "celeb" to speak out, and of course you and Mike's Aftermath is permanent good, unprecedented, and not likely ever to be repeated.
When I met customers on my job, and chat, YOUR name comes up BEFORE Tom Cruise's in recent years!
You've eclipsed Tom Cruise for how smarter "celebs" think about Scientology. (And there's been a boatload of steady quitter ex Scientology celebs speaking up, close following observers of the critics chat sites, and all the 2000s ex celebs' stuff, up to even live now, Geoff Levin, and Mitch Brisker.)
NY Times agrees! Their obit on Mike was truly a milestone, and it's because of YOU and Mike on the Aftermath. Aftermath TV series was milestone, and nothing will likely happen like it again.
Public word of mouth is totally rotten about Scientology, deservedly so.
THAT's a big GOOD you have done, and eternal thankyou Leah!
Chuck Beatty
critic of the scam Scientology L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu's body-thetans OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 exorcism quackery operation. (Ex Sea Org 1975 to 2003, critic then to now, 2024)
I thought Leah wrote beautifully and my heart aches for what she has lost. I'm glad she denounced what has been going on in the former scientology space, I respect that you don't report on it Tony but I'm glad she said something.
Someone asked Yashar how Leah was yesterday. He replied “she hasn’t gotten out of bed. No really. She hasn’t gotten out of bed.” At first I was concerned. Then I realized that she had a close friend who knew that. This coming on the heels of her divorce must have really thrown her for a loop.
After years of tamping down her emotions in Scientology, Mike taught her how to feel again.
And think of how Christie must be feeling. It would be wonderful and awful to have a husband who was so loved that every time you opened your eyes someone else was eulogizing him after his death. And Jack, going to school after his famous father died. Every waking moment is a reminder of him.
The thing that broke me about what Leah wrote was when she talked about visiting him on his deathbed. After she went home…he sent her flowers to thank her.
We need to be better. It’s easy to be wrapped up in our own lives. I’m going to try to make it a point going forward to think of others more. Life is short.
“Hello, sweetheart, how are you holding up?” That sentence was directed to someone Mike barely knew and it shows very well how Mike had concern for others. Everyone who knew him will miss the affable Aussie, who will take his place? Perhaps all of us should that that place.
Perhaps all of us should take that that place. Mental buffer was full....
Leah's words about the SPTV drama -- I would NOT want this woman as my enemy. It stinks that Mike had to deal with that in his final months.
In Wikipedia I read where I Scientology was described as a 'religious mafia'. I think that description is fairly accurate.
I loved LA Weekly. The weekly Life in Hell cartoon, the kick-ass articles that made Vanity Fair's "edgy" articles look weak. It was a ritual to read it on hangover Sundays at Denny's or Norm's, and I used to keep a list of the funniest/weirdest rock band names in the ad section for all of LA's rock scene venues. "Sandy Duncan's Eye" was definitely on that list. Those were the days.
As for Leah...wow. She's going through so much right now and emotionally dealing with so much loss that I want to give her a hug. No words, just a hug when she needed one.
Leah's the BEST.
I wrote this on her Substack:
So sorry Mike's died. He's irreplaceable for all he lived through, knew, and how much he could corroborate first hand all of Scientology's abuses.
Thankyou Leah for all you've done. You're one of a kind ex Scientology "celeb" and a second gen victim.
The divisions between egos and vicious word slinging by this second gen ex group, and their followers, it's so low on the virtue scale.
Leah, this whole history of "critics" and informed (very well informed) ex's of the Scientology movement, has had waves of critics vs critics in decades past.
It's always present, and even the gen of first gen Sea Orgers who quit, have hatred for others who spoke out, just personality differences.
This human nature crap, me, I was a Flag Course Sup, and Sup's were supposed to be above all the students vs students crap that goes on. (The human to human needling, and bullying, and worse, the ego trips crossing paths and fights, and permanent "camps" within the critics history, is just a sad fact of sociological life of groups and factions, and splinter groups, etc.)
So I advised Mike to please not take that crap personally.
For the long range, my advice, do NOT let other people's hatred and petty egotism ever hurt you. do NOT let it get to you.
You're the best ex Scientology "celeb" period.
I know you probably don't read all the stuff I've commented on sites with articles about you, but since I quit Sea Org (in from 1975 til 2003 I quit), I've said over and over, you are the best ex Scientology big time "celeb" to speak out, and of course you and Mike's Aftermath is permanent good, unprecedented, and not likely ever to be repeated.
When I met customers on my job, and chat, YOUR name comes up BEFORE Tom Cruise's in recent years!
You've eclipsed Tom Cruise for how smarter "celebs" think about Scientology. (And there's been a boatload of steady quitter ex Scientology celebs speaking up, close following observers of the critics chat sites, and all the 2000s ex celebs' stuff, up to even live now, Geoff Levin, and Mitch Brisker.)
NY Times agrees! Their obit on Mike was truly a milestone, and it's because of YOU and Mike on the Aftermath. Aftermath TV series was milestone, and nothing will likely happen like it again.
Public word of mouth is totally rotten about Scientology, deservedly so.
THAT's a big GOOD you have done, and eternal thankyou Leah!
Chuck Beatty
critic of the scam Scientology L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu's body-thetans OT 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 exorcism quackery operation. (Ex Sea Org 1975 to 2003, critic then to now, 2024)
I thought Leah wrote beautifully and my heart aches for what she has lost. I'm glad she denounced what has been going on in the former scientology space, I respect that you don't report on it Tony but I'm glad she said something.