Yahoo Lifestyle "This Is The Most Human And Mature Way I've Seen People Dealing With Divorce": People Are Stunned By Leah Remini And Angelo Pagán's Heartfelt Breakup Announcement
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagán are ending their marriage, and their joint message has received praise from other celebrities.
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You know Leah from the CBS sitcoms The King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait, several films, and her much-publicized relationship with the Church of Scientology.
Angelo has appeared in several film and TV roles as well, including 2001's Swordfish and, most recently, Bosch: Legacy.
Together, they were a celebrity power couple who shared much of their life on TV and the internet. On Aug 30., they announced they've decided to get a divorce.
"Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce," Leah and Angelo wrote in a joint Instagram post.
"This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it's what's best for us," they wrote. "We are proud of how we have worked through this together."
Leah and Angelo were married at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas in 2003 after seven years of dating. They share a daughter, Sofia, and Angelo is also the father to three sons, Alex, Nicholas, and Angelo Jr., from a previous relationship.
"Yes, we're sad, and we've got some figuring out to do as we continue to move forward into our new normal—together still in many ways, and apart in some new ones."
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"But here's the thing: we've been best friends for so many years. We are still celebrating holidays together, watching our favorite tv shows together, and gathering as a family."
"So, the big question—why?" Leah and Angelo prompted. "To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn't fit us anymore."
"After a lot of effort and consideration, we've decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today."
Leah and Angelo met in 1996 when she was still an active member of the Church of Scientology. In 2013, she and Angelo publicly exited the church and were very candid about their decision.
Leah co-produced and hosted an A&E docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special and Outstanding Informational Series or Special.
"Our bond is still strong—it's just evolved into something different," they added. "We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate."
"From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success," Leah and Angelo shared. "And now, we're looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way."
"We want to be as transparent as we can be here because, for years, we shared our marriage so publicly, whether it was on our specials on VH1 or our reality show, which ran for two seasons on TLC."
A year after their exit from Scientology, Leah created and starred in a reality series, Leah Remini: It's All Relative.
"We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly," they continued. "We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year."
"We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren't failures," they said. "We'll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter."
Leah and Angelo's shared message about their divorce received an outpouring of support and responses from fellow celebrities, fans, and other people who experienced separation from their marriage. Here's what some folks said:
