Jada Pinkett Smith and Leah Remini break silence on feud over Scientology
Jada Pinkett Smith sat down with Leah Remini to hash out their issues concerning Jada’s alleged involvement in Scientology.
In a brand new episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s show “Red Table Talk” which is set to air soon, Jada and Leah Remini finally confront each other over claims Leah made which the actress denied.
THE ROOT OF THEIR FEUD
In a 2017 interview with the Daily Beast, Leah, a former Scientologist, insisted Jada was a member of the controversial church.
“I know Jada’s in. I know Jada’s in,” she said of Smith. “She’s been in Scientology a long time. I never saw Will [Smith] there, but I saw Jada at the Celebrity Centre. They opened up a Scientology school, and have since closed it. But Jada, I had seen her at the Scientology Celebrity Centre all the time.”
JADA'S DENIAL
In a series of tweets in September, Jada denied being a member of the celebrity cult group and alluded to being a free spirit dipping her feet into different practices.
"I recently lit Shabbat candles with Rabbi Bentley at Temple Sinai... but I am not Jewish. I have prayed in mosques all over the world... but I am not a Muslim. I have read the Bhagavad Gita... but I am not a Hindu. I have chanted and meditated in some of the most magnificent temples on earth… but I am not a Buddhist."
“I have studied Dianetics, and appreciate the merits of Study Tech but I am not a Scientologist. I practice human kindness, and I believe that we each have the right to determine what we are and what we are not.”
BURYING THE HATCHET
Since then, Jada and Leah had yet to settle their differences. Today, upon Leah’s request, the two sat down for a one-on-one to bury the hatchet.
In a clip previewing their emotional encounter on the show, Leah addresses Jada and explains what really happened.
"Regardless of what was being presented to you, from me as a friend, you were seeing a side of me that wasn't 100 percent authentic because my job was to always be a perfect person in front of you, or any celebrity, to solely get you into Scientology, fully indoctrinated, fully on board and deserting any other beliefs.”
Jada is grateful for the opportunity to talk it out with Leah. Speaking about their rift to People in October, Jada said it was very emotional.
“What was really emotional about it was realizing that there was two broken little girls in us that were abandoned by their fathers and turned into fighters who clashed.”
Jada also lauded Leah for extending an olive branch to her.
“It was really beautiful and she reached out to me. She was much more bigger than me in that way. It was nice to reconnect and release ourselves from all that nonsense that doesn’t matter.”
OTHER CANDID REVELATIONS
Jada’s show has been a source of inspiration to many since it first aired last year. The actress has had candid moments and revelations on the show including her bout with hair loss and her suicidal past. Her most recent revelation involved dating her husband Will Smith’s former co-star on “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Before dating and eventually marrying her A-list husband, she dated Alfonso Ribiero. A the time, Will was still married to his ex-wife Sheree Zampino who he would eventually leave for Jada.