Leah Remini has broken her silence around the death of Mike Rinder, a Scientology whistleblower who earned an Emmy for exposing the secret organization, and recently died.
“On Sunday, we lost a giant, and I lost a man who was more than a friend—he was family,” Remini said in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Remini and Rinder co-hosted the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath and the podcast Scientology: Fair Game as they exposed the organization.
The actress called Rinder her “trusted partner” in Scientology, to whom she turned when she herself left the secretive group in 2013.
“Mike saved my life and the life of my daughter and he stood by me through battles that felt insurmountable. I haven’t come to terms with the reality that I can’t call him and hear his voice anymore. I am shattered in ways I never thought possible. I have cried endlessly and can’t seem to move from my bed since coming home,” Remini wrote.
In June 2023, journalist and Scientology expert Tony Ortega had shared that Rinder had advanced esophageal cancer. On Sunday, Ortega wrote on X, “Mike Rinder sent us an email today, to let us know that he had shuffled off this mortal coil. That was so like him, thoughtful to the end. We’re just coming to grips with this news.”
Rinder linked up with Remini and the pair hosted the A&E investigative documentary series that first aired in November 2016. In all, Scientology and the Aftermath ran for three seasons for a total of 37 episodes. Rinder would become an executive producer on the docuseries for the final season and the two-hour special that aired in 2019.
The full Instagram post by Leah Remini follows:
On Sunday, we lost a giant, and I lost a man who was more than a friend—he was my family. It’s impossible to imagine the last 13 years of my life without Mike Rinder. He was my anchor, my trusted partner, and my closest confidant. It’s impossible to imagine the last 13 years of my life without Mike Rinder. He was my trusted partner and my closest confidant. When I left Scientology, Mike was one of the first people I turned to. From that moment, he became my lifeline. Together, we embarked on an incredible journey that included The Aftermath and our podcast, Fair Game. But Mike was so much more than my partner in this fight—he was my brother, my father, and my best friend.
Mike saved my life and the life of my daughter and he stood by me through battles that felt insurmountable. I haven’t come to terms with the reality that I can’t call him and hear his voice anymore. I am shattered in ways I never thought possible. I have cried endlessly and can’t seem to move from my bed since coming home. I’ll have much more to say about Mike and the legacy he leaves behind—words that will attempt to honor his immeasurable contribution to this world. But for now, I want to honor his memory by fulfilling one of his last wishes: encouraging support for his son Jack’s college fund.
In his post-Scientology life, Mike was a man transformed. He worked tirelessly to right the wrongs of his past. There was not one call Mike didn’t take; there was not one person Mike didn’t try to help, despite the many heartbreaks he endured from those who needed him. Mike also became an amazing husband and an attentive, loving dad to Jack and his stepson Shane. One of the many heartbreaks Mike suffered was the absence of his older kids who disconnected from him due to Scientology’s cruel policies after he courageously escaped its abuse. Mike adored Jack, who is just 12.
If you’re able, I hope you’ll join me in contributing to Jack’s college fund, ensuring Mike’s dreams for his son can still come true. Link to donate is in my bio. Please keep Mike’s wife, Christie, Jack, and Mike’s stepson Shane in your thoughts and prayers. They’ve lost a husband and dad whose love knew no bounds, and I’ve lost someone whose presence in my life was irreplaceable.
Mikey, I will miss you every day, and I just don’t know how to do it without you.
