If you’ve spent any time on the internet over the last decade, you know the faces. Leah Remini, the fiery sitcom star from The King of Queens, and Mike Rinder, the former high-ranking executive with the Australian accent and the steely gaze. Together, they weren't just TV hosts. They were a two-person wrecking ball aimed directly at the Church of Scientology.
But things changed. Recently, the headlines haven't been about new seasons or explosive episodes. They’ve been about loss.
Mike Rinder passed away on January 5, 2025, at the age of 69. It was a massive blow to the community of whistleblowers and survivors he helped build. He had been fighting advanced esophageal cancer for a couple of years, a battle Leah Remini supported him through until the very end. Honestly, it’s hard to talk about one without the other. Their partnership defined a specific era of "whistleblower entertainment" that was actually, for once, rooted in real-life stakes.
The Partnership of Leah Remini and Mike Rinder
They were an unlikely pair. Leah was the "celebrity" who had been in since she was a kid. Mike was the guy who used to be the church's international spokesperson—the man who literally used to "handle" people like Leah. When she left in 2013, she reached out to him.
It turned into Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath on A&E.
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The show was a juggernaut. It won Emmys. It made people uncomfortable. It featured stories of "disconnection," where families were forced to stop speaking to loved ones who left the faith. Mike and Leah sat on those couches and listened to people cry for three seasons. Then they moved to a podcast called Scientology: Fair Game.
Why did it work? Because they had "rank." In that world, rank is everything. Mike knew where the bodies were buried because he’d sometimes been the one holding the shovel. Leah had the platform and the "don’t-mess-with-me" Brooklyn energy.
What happened to the podcast?
If you're looking for new episodes of Fair Game, you'll notice a gap. The podcast essentially slowed down and stopped as Mike’s health declined and Leah’s legal battles ramped up. Leah filed a massive lawsuit in 2023 against the Church of Scientology and David Miscavige. She’s alleging stalking, harassment, and defamation.
The courts haven't been easy on her, though. In early 2024, a judge "gutted" a large chunk of her lawsuit, tossing out many of her claims based on free speech protections and statutes of limitations. But she’s still fighting the remaining parts, specifically claims about surveillance and statements made about her family.
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The Reality of Mike Rinder's Final Days
Mike didn't go quietly. He spent his last years writing his memoir, A Billion Years, which is a heavy read but essential if you want to understand how a sane person stays in a controversial group for decades. He was transparent about his cancer diagnosis in 2023.
Leah visited him in Florida over the 2024 holiday season. She posted photos of them together, and you could see the toll the illness had taken. When he died, she described herself as "shattered."
"Mike saved my life and the life of my daughter," Leah wrote in her tribute. "He was my brother, my father, and my best friend."
That’s a big statement. But when you’ve both been through what they called "Fair Game"—a policy of neutralizing enemies—you bond in a way most people can’t grasp. They were in the trenches together.
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The Future of the Movement
With Mike gone, people are wondering if Leah will keep going. The answer is almost certainly yes. She’s still active on social media, still pushing her legal case, and still acting as a lighthouse for people trying to get out.
But it’s different now. The duo is a solo act.
Mike Rinder's legacy isn't just a TV show. It's the fact that he was willing to say, "I was wrong." He spent the second half of his life trying to undo the work he did in the first half. Not many people have the guts for that kind of public reckoning.
What you can do if you're following this story
If you're interested in the work Leah Remini and Mike Rinder started, there are actual ways to stay informed without just scrolling through gossip sites.
- Read "A Billion Years": It’s Mike's perspective on the inner workings of the Sea Org. It explains the "why" behind the headlines.
- Follow the Lawsuit: Keep an eye on the Los Angeles Superior Court filings for Remini v. Church of Scientology. It’s a landmark case for how "harassment" is defined in religious contexts.
- Support the Aftermath Foundation: This is a real organization that helps people who leave high-control groups and have nothing—no bank account, no job history, no family.
The story of Leah and Mike isn't just about a "cult." It's about friendship and the cost of speaking out. It’s about two people who decided that the truth was worth losing their careers, their social circles, and their peace of mind. Even with Mike gone, the impact of what they built together isn't going anywhere.
To continue following the legal developments of Leah's ongoing case, you can monitor the public dockets at the Los Angeles County Superior Court website using the case number from her 2023 filing.