Leah Remini announces that she has earned her associate degree



Actress Leah Remini announced that she has earned an associate degree and is working toward earning a bachelor's degree.

"Three years ago, I embarked on a terrifying journey: becoming a college student at the age of 50 after only having an 8th-grade education and spending 35 years in a totalitarian cult," Remini, 53, wrote in a tweet, referring to her time in Scientology. "After three years of hard work, long nights, tears, and wanting to give up so many times, I have earned an associate's degree from NYU. I'm now working on my bachelor's degree."

"I desperately wanted a higher education for many years but didn't move forward because I feared I was not smart enough. Even though I had managed to leave Scientology, three decades of brainwashing still gripped my mind," she noted. "Whether a cult used to control your life, you have a full-time job as a stay-at-home parent, or full-time job(s) outside of the home, it's never too late to continue your education and pursue what you have always wanted to achieve for yourself!"

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Remini is widely known for her role on the sitcom "The King of Queens" as well as for helping to expose the dark underbelly of Scientology with her series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath."

"As some of you know, since I escaped from Scientology in 2013, I have been followed constantly by Scientology operatives and agents. These people hide in the shadows to monitor my movements and who I am meeting with so they can report back to Scientology's intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, which reports directly to David Miscavige," Remini wrote in a post last month.

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Rape cover-ups, missing people, and forced abortions: The dark truth of Scientology



For those who don’t know what exactly Scientology is, you’re not alone. When you break it down, you’ll find that it’s an incredibly complex system. Part religion, part business, part cult, Scientology was invented by a man named L. Ron Hubbard in 1954.

The origins of the religious movement are quite shady as well. Before the Church of Scientology was founded, Hubbard first developed a set of therapeutic principles he called Dianetics, but the organization he created to promote these ideas went bankrupt. Many believe that Hubbard then founded the Church of Scientology as a way to recharacterize Dianetics as a religion in order to avoid paying taxes. From the get-go, Scientology was intended to be a lucrative endeavor.

But where there is worship of money, there, too, you find darkness and depravity. Allie Beth Stuckey invites Jeremiah Roberts and Andrew Soncrant, hosts of the podcast "Cultish," to the show to “peel back the layers” of Scientology and evaluate what’s really going on beneath the surface.

“Around 1967 after L. Ron Hubbard had established the Church of Scientology, the IRS … revoked its tax-exempt status” after it became clear that Hubbard “wanted to utilize a religion as a way to obtain wealth.”

This sparked a cycle of revenge that involved “5,000 members of the Church of Scientology … actively involved on multiple different fronts in the government, not just the Internal Revenue Service ... trying to obtain documents, trying to forge documents” in order to “get their tax-exempt status back.”

“It’s a pretty wild story of infiltration,” says Roberts.

To hear the bizarre story of how a cult amalgamated with the federal government and resulted in kidnappings, forced abortions, and rape cover-ups, among other horrors, watch the video below.


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Ashton Kutcher steps down from anti-child-sex-abuse organization after past comments about underage Hilary Duff resurface, controversy of support letter to rapist Danny Masterson



Actor Ashton Kutcher has stepped down as chairman of the board of an anti-child-sex-abuse organization that he co-founded. Kutcher's resignation comes days after controversies swirled around the "Dude, Where's My Car?" actor.

In 2012, Kutcher co-founded Thorn with his then-wife, Demi Moore.

The Thorn website states:

Our co-founders Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore had learned about the issue of child sex trafficking from a documentary highlighting what was happening to children in Cambodia. They describe it as this moment where you learn something about the world that you can’t un-know. As they started learning more, they realized that it is just as prolific of a problem here in the United States as it is overseas.

Thorn claims to have the "first engineering and data science team focused solely on developing new technologies to combat online child sexual abuse."

However, Kutcher announced on Friday that he resigned from his position as chairman of the board of Thorn.

"After my wife and I spent several days of listening, personal reflection, learning, and conversations with survivors and the employees and leadership at Thorn, I have determined the responsible thing for me to do is resign as Chairman of the Board, effectively immediately," Kutcher wrote in his letter to the board. "I cannot allow my error in judgment to distract from our efforts and the children we serve."

"The mission must always be the priority and I want to offer my heartfelt apology to all victims of sexual violence and everyone at Thorn who I hurt by what I did," Kutcher continued. "And to the broader advocacy community, I am deeply sorry. I remain proud of what we have accomplished in the past decade and will continue to support Thorn’s work."

Kutcher's wife, Mila Kunis, also stepped down from her position as an observer on the board, according to Time.

Kutcher has been embroiled in two controversies in the past week.

In May, Kutcher and Kunis wrote letters of support to their former "That 70s Show" co-star Danny Masterson – who, at the time, was on trial for rape charges.

However, Masterson was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape in sexual assaults that allegedly occurred between 2001 and 2003 involving members of the Church of Scientology. This week, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Following Masterson's sentencing for the sexual assaults, Kutcher and Kunis issued an apology for writing letters of support for Masterson.

"We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson," Kutcher said in the video with his wife.

Old videos resurfaced in the past week also caused controversy for Kutcher.

In the 2003 video clip from the reality TV show "Punk'd," Kutcher expressed how he was eagerly awaiting then-underage female celebrities Hilary Duff and the Olsen twins to reach the age of 18. At the time of the clip, Duff was 15 years old.

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In another clip from 2002, Kutcher talked about kissing Kunis on "That 70s Show" when she was 14 years old and he was 19.

Kutcher and Masterson allegedly made a bet about French-kissing Kunis.

Kunis recalled, "Danny goes to him and goes, ‘Dude, I’ll give you $10 if you French kiss her.'"

Kutcher added, "And I'm like thinking, ‘This is slightly illegal, right.'"

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In another resurfaced clip, Kunis is sitting on Kutcher's lap for a promo video for the sitcom.

Kutcher said, "And it feels good! And I like it a lot!”

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Leah Remini relieved 'dangerous rapist' Danny Masterson sentenced to prison, slams Scientology as 'multibillion-dollar criminal organization'



Leah Remini – actress and outspoken critic of Scientology – is relieved that "dangerous rapist" Danny Masterson has been sentenced to prison.

Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday. During a retrial in May, the former "That '70s Show" actor was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape in sexual assaults that allegedly occurred between 2001 and 2003. A third rape charge was deadlocked by a hung jury after eight days of deliberations.

Before sentencing, Judge Charlaine Olmedo told Masterson, "You were not convicted based on rumors, innuendo, gossip, and speculation. You were convicted based on evidence that 12 people in the community found to be credible. … You were convicted because each of the victims reported the rapes to someone shortly after the rapes occurred."

Legal Affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff reported, "Olmedo also mentioned that Masterson paid one of his victims nearly $1 million to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which she said 'is an awful lot to pay' for an incident you claim never happened."

Following the sentencing, Masterson's legal team said they plan to appeal due to "substantial" errors.

"We are very disappointed in the sentence the judge handed down today. However, for the past several months, a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing transcripts of the trial. They have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both the state and federal courts," Shawn Holley, Masterson's attorney, told reporters.

Masterson, 47, was convicted of raping two women – both former members of the Church of Scientology.

One victim told the courtroom, "I didn’t choose to be born into Scientology and their rules, just like I didn’t choose to be raped by Danny Masterson."

"Prosecutors had said Scientology officials protected the actor for years after he drugged and sexually assaulted the women, who were also Scientologists but have since left the church, in three separate incidents between 2001 and 2003," according to HuffPost.

Vanity Fair reported that Masterson has been a Scientologist all his life and that his mother, Hollywood talent agent Carol Masterson, has been a member of the church for many years.

Remini was at the sentencing along with "women who survived Danny Masterson's predation."

The actress said of Masterson, "I am relieved that this dangerous rapist will be off the streets and unable to violently assault and rape women with the help of Scientology, a multibillion-dollar criminal organization with tax-exempt status."

"For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes," Remini said in a statement. "While Danny was the only one sentenced, his conviction and sentence are indictments against Scientology, its operatives, and its criminal leader, David Miscavige."

The star of "The King of Queens" continued, "Scientology managed to cover up Danny's crimes with the help of its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, top 'church' officials like Kirsten Caetano Pedersen and Julian Swartz, its network of media-hungry unethical attorneys, private investigators, agents, and civilian Scientologists who engaged in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence."

Remini said of the victims, "These women not only faced the living hell of being raped, having their rapes covered up by the very organization that promised to protect them, but they have also faced ruthless and criminal harassment by Scientology and its agents since they came forward to law enforcement."

Remini was a young child when she was brought into Scientology after her mother converted. The 53-year-old actress left the L. Ron Hubbard-created organization in 2013.

In 2016, she produced and co-created the documentary series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath." The docuseries won three Emmy awards.

In August, Remini sued the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, for stalking, defamation, and using "mob-style operations and attacks" to harass her and other ex-members of the organization.

The Church of Scientology called Remini’s lawsuit "ludicrous" and "pure lunacy."

Masterson appeared on "That '70s Show" until 2006. In 2016, he was starring in the Netflix comedy "The Ranch" with Ashton Kutcher. However, he was written off the show in December 2017 after multiple allegations of rape.

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Church of Scientology leader officially served in federal human trafficking lawsuit after judge rules David Miscavige was 'actively concealing his whereabouts'



David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology, was attempted to be served 27 times in connection with a federal lawsuit accusing him of human trafficking. However, the Church of Scientology leader reportedly evaded being served. A judge recently ruled that Miscavige was "actively concealing his whereabouts," and that he was officially served in the trafficking case.

Process servers attempted to serve court documents 27 times between May and Aug. 10 at the organization's headquarters in Los Angeles and at the Flag Land Base – the Church of Scientology's "spiritual headquarters" in Clearwater, Florida. The attempts to serve the court papers were denied by security, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

U.S. Judge Julie Sneed ruled on Tuesday that Miscavige "is actively concealing his whereabouts or evading service."

Sneed declared that Miscavige had been "properly served" as of Feb. 14, and has 21 days to respond to the allegations in the lawsuit.

Karin Pouw, a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology, said in a statement, "Miscavige never evaded service."

"The case is nothing but blatant harassment and was brought and is being litigated for the purpose of harassment and hoping that harassment will extort a payday," Pouw argued. "The allegations in the complaint are absurd, ridiculous, scurrilous, and blatantly false."

The lawsuit was filed by three former Church of Scientology members – Gawain Baxter, his wife Laura Baxter, and Valeska Paris. They claim that they were forced into labor on Scientology boats after signing a one billion-year contract for little or no money. The ex-Scientology members allege that they worked on the Freewinds – a Scientology ship in the Caribbean that hosts offers high-level church services to parishioners. The plaintiffs also say they were forced to carry out unpaid work at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater.

According to Fox News, "Children over six years old are considered to be, and are frequently told that they are, adults and that they should act and expect to be treated as adults."

Paris also claims that she was sexually assaulted as a child, and that she was locked in an engine room for 48 hours as punishment for her mother leaving the Church of Scientology.

Attorneys John Dominguez and Zahra Dean – who represent Paris and the Baxters – released a joint statement that said, "For years, David Miscavige has succeeded in evading accountability. (The) ruling brings our clients — who alleged to have endured unimaginable abuses in Scientology as children and into adulthood — one step closer to getting their day in court and obtaining justice against all responsible parties."

Miscavige became the so-called "ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion" after founder L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986.

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Tom Cruise interview from nearly 20 years ago sparks new debate about antidepressants and Scientology



An interview with Tom Cruise from nearly 20 years ago has resurfaced and sparked a new debate about antidepressants and Scientology.

A 2005 interview between Cruise and Matt Lauer – the then-host of the "Today" show – has recently gone viral. In the interview, the topic of actress Brooke Shields taking antidepressants to deal with postpartum depression was broached.

Cruise declared, "I think [Shields] is a wonderful and talented woman, and I want to see her do well. And I know that psychiatry is a pseudoscience."

Lauer advocated for Shields – who said she "considered swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out the window at the lowest point of her depression following the birth of her daughter, Rowan Francis, in 2003," according to "Today." Shields said she overcame her suicidal thoughts after being prescribed the antidepressant Paxil.

Cruise rebutted, "Here we are today, where I talk out against drugs and psychiatric abuses of electroshocking people against their will; of drugging children without them not knowing the effects of these drugs."

Cruise asked Lauer, "Do you know what Adderall is? Do you know Ritalin? Do you know now that Ritalin is a street drug?"

Lauer admitted that there are abuses of prescription drugs.

“Here's the problem, you don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do," Cruise proclaimed.

"All it does is mask the problem," Cruise said of the use of antidepressants. "That’s what it does. That’s all it does. You’re not getting to the reason why. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance."

"I'm saying drugs aren't the answer," the action star said. "These drugs are very dangerous – they're mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs. And there are ways in doing it without that, so we don't end up in a brave new world."

Cruise calls Lauer "glib," and says the talk show host "doesn't even know was Ritalin is."

Cruise then challenges Lauer to find out more about Ritalin to educate his viewers.

The video went viral on Twitter last week, racking up more than 3.2 million views.

\u201c#BasedTomCruise\u201d
— Brett R. Smith (@Brett R. Smith) 1658429760

The Tom Cruise interview about antidepressants garnered much attention last week after a new study questioned whether antidepressants actually help people with depression.

Researchers from University College London released a study last week that concluded that there is "no clear evidence" that serotonin levels or serotonin activity is responsible for depression.

"The popularity of the 'chemical imbalance' theory of depression has coincided with a huge increase in the use of antidepressants," said professor Joanna Moncrieff, the study’s lead author. "Prescriptions for antidepressants have risen dramatically since the 1990s, with one in six adults in England and two percent of teenagers now being prescribed an antidepressant in a given year."

"Our view is that patients should not be told that depression is caused by low serotonin or by a chemical imbalance, and they should not be led to believe that antidepressants work by targeting these unproven abnormalities," Moncrieff noted.

Many online commentators praised Cruise for cautioning against antidepressants 17 years ago.

Podcast host Michael Knowles remarked, "This interview has aged like a fine wine."

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh said, "Tom Cruise has been mocked ruthlessly for this for the past 20 years and yet everything he said was 100 percent undeniably true."

Journalist Sharyl Attkisson added, "Not all that long ago, people were allowed to say these things in America without getting censored or canceled. Today? Not so much. Still, this file tape survives."

However, other online commentators argued that Cruise's position against antidepressants and psychiatry is the same stance as Scientology.

Podcast host Erick Erickson tweeted, "There’s no reason to normalize Tom Cruise’s statements on psychiatry because he is saying what you think. Cruise’s position comes from Scientology, which very much should not be given credit or normalized."

Former staff member of the Church of Scientology Aaron Smith-Levin explained, "Tom Cruise isn’t making the point you think he’s making. Behind his statement that psychiatric drugs only mask the problem lies his belief that ONLY Scientology can fix the 'real' problem. I.e., the reactive mind and Body Thetans."

Bill Maher rails against 'free college,' trashes higher education as a 'grift' like Scientology with 'overpaid babysitters'



HBO host Bill Maher delivered a scathing rebuke of colleges on Friday, calling higher education "a racket that sells you a very expensive ticket to the upper-middle class."

In Maher's "New Rule" segment of his "Real Time" TV show, he argued against President Joe Biden's "American Families Plan," which the host said would waste "hundreds of billions" of taxpayer money "so everyone can go to college," and "billions more for subsidized child care so our kids can go to school while we go to school." He said liberals are wrong for believing "that the more time humans spend in classrooms, staring at blackboards, the better."

Maher railed against "free college" by stating, "I know free college is a left-wing thing, but is it really liberal for someone who doesn't go to college and makes less money to pay for people who do go and make more?"

"The answer isn't to make college free," Maher proclaimed. "The answer is to make it more unnecessary, which it is for most jobs, so that the two-thirds of Americans who either can't afford to or just don't want to go don't feel shut out."

The HBO host pointed out that some colleges look more like vacation resorts than institutions of higher learning. He grumbled that colleges are now "giant luxury daycare centers" staffed with "overpaid babysitters."

"The University of Missouri has a river grotto inspired by the Playboy Mansion," he joked. "Texas Tech has one of the largest water parks in the country that includes a 25-person hot tub, tanning deck, waterslide and a lazy river."

Maher also blasted the work ethic of students, claiming that a "third of students now spend less than five hours a week studying." He also slammed the curriculum of current-day universities, wisecracking that courses include "sports marketing history through Twitter," "advanced racist spotting," "intro to microaggressions," and "you owe me an apology 101." He pointed out, "Why is China kicking our ass? Because in 2019, we issued more undergrad degrees in visual and performing arts than in computer and information science or math."

Maher highlighted the ever-growing costs to attend college, "Since 1985, the average cost of college has risen 500 percent — it doubles every nine years. Every year it increases at four times the rate of inflation. And yet, no one knows how to change a tire."

Maher lambasted college as a "grift" and a "scam," saying schools can charge "whatever they want" because a degree is "so necessary" in order to move up in society.

"Colleges are businesses, selling a consumer product for hundreds of thousands of dollars," providing their customers with a "magical piece of paper," he said. "In 1960, colleges awarded A's to 15% of the students. Well now it's 45% and it's not because they got smarter."

"Say what you want about Lori Loughlin, at least she understood that one good scam deserves another," he joked about the Hollywood actress who was involved in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal, which got her two daughters into the University of Southern California.

He referred to a quote by Loughlin's daughter, "And in the immortal words of Olivia Jade, 'I don't know how much school I'm going to attend, but I do want the experience of, like, game days and partying.'" Maher yelled, "Yeah, I'm not paying for that!"

"But that's only the beginning of the scam," he continued. "A wannabe librarian needs a master's degree just to get an entry-level job filing books. You know, I've heard this from so many nurses and teachers and administrators, rolling their eyes when relating how they needed to take some bulls*** course in order to advance in their field, when really they already learned what they need by working the job."

Maher compared the college system of never-ending education to Scientology. "This is what Scientology does, makes you keep taking courses to move up to the bridge of total freedom," he said.

New Rule: The College Scam | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) www.youtube.com

‘Really Hard To Watch’: Meghan McCain Compares Meghan And Harry To ‘Ex-Cult Members’ After Oprah Interview

'It reminded me of, like, watching people who had somehow escaped Scientology'