Leah Remini criticizes Tom Cruise's Scientology connection amid 'Top Gun: Maverick' success
Leah Remini is calling out Tom Cruise for his connection to the Church of Scientology once again as his blockbuster "Top Gun: Maverick" remains at the top of the box office.
Cruise's latest "Top Gun" movie gave the 59-year-old actor the biggest opening weekend of his career at $156 million in ticket sales. As of Sunday, he ranked at the No. 2 spot behind "Jurassic World: Dominion" at an estimated $50 million.
On Saturday, Remini, 51, cautioned fans about supporting Cruise. "Tom Cruise knows exactly what goes on in Scientology," she wrote on Twitter. "Don’t let the movie star charm fool you."
Thank you to my friend @claireheadley for your courage.
You have continued to speak out despite the non-stop attacks from Scientology.
And as Claire says in her post below, Tom Cruise knows exactly what goes on in Scientology.
Don’t let the movie star charm fool you. pic.twitter.com/zQKwJWuJLj— Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) June 11, 2022
More: Leah Remini says Tom Cruise is Scientology’s ‘Messiah,’ and more in Reddit AMA
The "Kevin Can Wait" alum, who left Scientology in 2013, shared a screenshot of a Facebook post from her friend and former Scientologist Claire Headley that criticized Cruise "and his crimes against humanity."
Headley said Cruise "promotes a dangerous cult that destroyed my family."
"No, I will not watch the movie, nor will I ever support or approve of this scam of a man," she wrote. "Trust me, Tom Cruise knows exactly who he is supporting and the abuses that organization perpetrates. I worked with him while I was there."
Remini thanked her friend for her "courage" on Twitter, adding, "You have continued to speak out despite the non-stop attacks from Scientology."
Leah Remini on Tom Cruise, Scientology: Leah Remini accuses Tom Cruise of staging a publicity stunt with his leaked COVID-19 rant
"The King of Queens" alum was a member of the church for 35 years before leaving in 2013. Two years later, she said in an interview that Cruise was one of the factors that led her to leave — because the actor is so tethered to the church, they view an attack on him as an attack on all of them.
Remini has long criticized Cruise for his involvement in the church.
"He is very aware of the abuses that go on in Scientology," Remini told The Daily Beast in 2018. "He's been part of it."
The actress claimed that "Scientologists are told that Cruise is saving the world single-handedly, so he is considered a deity within Scientology," second only to David Miscavige, the church's leader since 1986.
'He's been part of it': Leah Remini claims Tom Cruise knows about abuse in Scientology
The two men are "best friends," she continued, so Cruise has "been privy to the punishments that David Miscavige doles out."
Remini launched the A&E series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" in 2016 where she discussed leaving and spoke with alleged victims of abuse. Within the series' three-year fun, she was critical of other high-profile Scientologists including Danny Masterson, inviting his accusers of sexual assault for the finale.
Contributing: Maria Puente, Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Leah Remini blasts Tom Cruise, Scientology amid "Top Gun" success