Leah Remini and her husband Angelo Pagan are divorcing after 21 years of marriage.
The couple announced their shock split via a joint statement shared to Instagram on Thursday, explaining that their dynamic has ‘changed’ but they will remain ‘best friends.’
The former Scientologist married Pagan in 2003 and they share 20-year-old daughter Sofia Bella.
The news comes just over a week after her BFF Jennifer Lopez — who she recently reconnected with — pulled the plug on her own marriage to Ben Affleck.
‘Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,’ Leah and Angelo began in Thursday’s statement.
Leah Remini and her husband Angelo Pagan are divorcing after 21 years of marriage; seen in 2019
The former Scientologist married Pagan in 2003 and they share 20-year-old daughter Sofia Bella
‘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.
‘We are proud of how we have worked through this together,’ they continued.
Although they’re both ‘sad’ about the end of their marriage, the duo insisted they’re still ‘best friends.’
‘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.
‘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,’ they wrote.
Leah and Angelo then went on to reveal ‘why’ they’ve decided to divorce after nearly three decades together.
‘So, the big question—why? 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. Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different,’ they explained.
Leah and Angelo see their marriage as a ‘success’ and are looking forward to making ‘beautiful memories’ as exes.
‘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. And now, we’re looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way,’ they wrote.
The couple wanted to be ‘transparent’ as they previously let fans in on their relationship on TV.
‘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,’ they said.
‘We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly.
‘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.
‘We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter. Love, Leah & Angelo
