Leah Remini Addresses Kirstie Alley's Death, Slams 'Toxic' Scientology

Leah Remini has addressed Kirstie Alley's recent death, while criticizing the "toxic" Church of Scientology for what she described as its "false claims" about curing cancer.

Cheers star Alley's children, True and Lillie Parker, revealed in a statement shared on their mother's Twitter and Instagram accounts on Monday that the actress had passed away after receiving treatment for the disease in Tampa, Florida.

The mourning siblings revealed in their statement that Alley had "only recently discovered" that she had cancer, while they thanked "the incredible team of doctors and nurses at Moffitt Cancer Center for their care."

Remini, who has been an outspoken critic of Scientology since quitting the church back in 2013, has since shared her reaction to the death of devoted Scientologist Alley, with whom she notably had a public war of words.

Though Remini said that the news of Alley's death is "very sad," she went on to claim that Scientology's teachings about dealing with cancer and other diseases has left "the majority" of members not seeking treatment "until it's too late."

"While it has been reported that Kirstie sought conventional cancer treatment, which gave her a fighting chance, the majority of Scientologists do not seek treatment until it's too late," she told Rolling Stone.

"Scientologists are convinced they can cure themselves of diseases like cancer," the actress continued. "It's one of the more sinister things they promise.

"And because Scientology claims to be an exact science, not a faith, its members are brainwashed into believing these false claims as guarantees."

Amid social media debate about Scientology's views on cancer following Alley's death, New York Magazine and HuffPost contributor Yashar Ali tweeted claims that Alley's elevated status within Scientology meant that she should have been impervious to cancer.

"One of the promises that Scientology explicitly makes to members (on paper!) is if you reach the upper levels of Scientology you won't get cancer," the journalist tweeted on Monday. "Kirstie Alley and Kelly Preston, two dedicated Scientologists, have both died of cancer in the past two years."

The Church of Scientology's website doesn't mention this, but does advise adherents to "seek conventional medical treatment for illnesses and injuries."

Almost 70 years after the Church of Scientology was founded by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, his previous comments on illness and cancer continue to be brought up in waves amid discussion over its beliefs.

According to a 2020 article in The Daily Beast, Hubbard said during a November 1956 lecture that cancer was caused by cells multiplying after coming to the realization that the body they're inhabiting is blocked from having children.

"It always requires a second-dynamic or sexual upset, such as the loss of children or some other mechanism to bring about a condition known as cancer," Hubbard is quoted as saying in the lecture "The Scale of Havingness."

He said that he combated the issue by convincing the cells that the subject could actually have children by "mocking up babies" and this causing "a considerable change" in the cancer case.

Hubbard's 1950 book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, which is seen as a canonical text of Scientology, works on the basis that the majority of human ailments are psychosomatic, with his "technology" of counseling techniques highlighted as the cure for almost all illnesses.

In Scientology terms, Alley was reported in 2018 to be a New Operating Thetan (OT) VIII, which is the most advanced OT, or spiritual state of being.

While it has been asserted on social media that Alley's level of spiritual being would make her immune to illness, there is no official text on the Church of Scientology's website that supports such claims.

In a statement to The Daily Beast in 2020, the church said: "There is nothing in Scientology that says an individual at any level is impervious to disease, and there is nothing in the religion that says anything about 'curing cancer.'"

Back in 2009, the Church of Scientology further said in a statement to ABC News that it supported its members getting conventional medical treatment.

"Scientologists seek conventional medical treatment for medical conditions," the church said. "Scientologists use prescription drugs when physically ill and also rely on the advice and treatment of medical doctors. The Church does not involve itself in the diagnosis or classification of any medical condition."

Sharing an opposing view, Remini said in her documentary Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, per Insider: "The church doctrine thinks that fields of psychology and psychiatry are a sham. They deny mental illness and afflictions. They promote that you can heal your psychosomatic issues with their 'technology.'

"They will get in the way of people taking medications. They will prevent people from getting the real medical help that they need. And in some cases, have caused suicides because of it. Scientology is mentally abusive because we are all taught that we are responsible for everything."

Back in 2019, amid reports that a Scientology cruise ship had been quarantined in the waters of Caribbean island St. Lucia following a confirmed case of measles, Remini also claimed that church members used derogatory terms for illnesses.

"The Scientology ship, The Freewinds, is where they reach one of the highest levels of Scientology & are supposed to be impervious to 'Wog Illness,'" she posted on Twitter at the time. "A Wog is a derogatory term used to describe all of you, who are all just average humans compared to the superior scientologist."

While Alley and Remini had directed comments at one another over the past several years, they got into a war of words on Twitter back in February regarding what was then the early stages of Russia invading Ukraine.

After Alley said in a since-deleted tweet that she didn't know "what's real or what is fake in this war" and offered prayer in lieu of a comment, Remini hit back: "She has no comment on these crimes against humanity? But she's going to pray? Scientology, her 'religion', says Christ is a pedophile and a lie. Scientologists aren't allowed to believe in anything else other than Scientology. So who is she praying to?"

"I don't care what the punk a** t**** say. I believe in the power of prayer," Alley responded, after also being criticized by her former Dancing With the Stars partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. "I will continue to pray for the people of Ukraine. [...]I pray to the same God you do. So get over your nasty selves."

Per the Scientology website, founder Hubbard "honored the great religious leaders of the past for the wisdom they brought to the world. He wrote that Scientology shares "the goals set for Man by Christ, which are wisdom, good health and immortality."

It further states that Scientology "absolutely" has a concept of God, noting that "the concept of God is expressed as the Eighth Dynamic—the urge toward existence as infinity. This is also identified as the Supreme Being."

Speaking with Rolling Stone, Remini said that she is holding onto hope that Alley's adult children will one day walk away from Scientology.

"Although Scientologists don't believe in prayers, my prayers do go out to her two children, who are now without their mom," she said. "I hope they can, one day, free themselves of this dangerous and toxic organization."

Newsweek has reached out to representatives of the Church of Scientology for comment.