Did Leah Remini Quit Scientology Over ‘Battlefield Earth’?

Leah Remini‘s mission to take down the Church of Scientology has been a long, tumultuous journey. Since leaving the church in 2013, Remini has been an outspoken critic and has sought to expose the alleged abuses happening behind closed doors, and her series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath has even nabbed a few awards in the process.

Before she was an anti-Scientology activist, however, Remini was still singing the church’s praises and making us laugh on The King of Queens. On last night’s Watch What Happens Live, her former costar Patton Oswalt was asked if there was “any hint of Scientology” on the set, and his answer painted quite the (hilarious) picture:

“Not only was there no hint of Scientology, I teased her after Battlefield Earth came out, because I knew that she had to go to the premiere, and she told me that that movie was so bad that when it was over, she and her friend – they had all these buses to take people to the afterparty and get them giving quotes about how good the movie was – and she and her friend snuck out of the theater and hiked down through the woods to get to their car so they could avoid having to give it a positive soundbite for the movie. So that’s when I kinda suspected, ‘I think she might be leaving the church someday.’”

A cursory viewing of Remini’s show makes it obvious that she left the church for many (allegedly) horrifying reasons, but imagining the actress deciding to leave because of this truly terrible movie is nothing if not relatable.

The big-screen adaptation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s sci-fi novel remains regarded as one of the worst movies of all time. We’re just happy Remini had the foresight to avoid giving a glowing soundbite (and got out before she was inevitably sucked into a sequel).