Leah Remini leaves Scientology, reports say

Actress Leah Remini, who has been a highly visible member of the Church of Scientology, reportedly has quit the controversial religion.

The Hollywood Reporter Thursday said it had confirmed reports that the former "King of Queens" star, 43, left Scientology after questioning how the church treated its members and because of what the trade publication characterized as the "allegedly autocratic leadership of [Scientology leader] David Miscavige."

A Scientology representative said in a statement, "The Church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no comment about any individual Church member."

Remini, whose mother became a Scientologist in the 1970s, reportedly had been a member for at least 30 years. Remini's spokeswoman did not return Newsday's request for comment.

Former high-ranking Scientologist Mike Rinder, who writes the dissident blog Something Can Be Done About It, and who had known Remini through the church, wrote that she "will no longer tolerate the . . . human rights abuses perpetrated in the church. Nor will she allow anyone to tell her who she can and cannot talk to or associate with."