Leah Remini is officially heading to Beverly Hills. The King of Queens star has joined The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for Season 16, adding one of the franchise's most recognizable Hollywood names to a cast already packed with big personalities. Remini confirmed the news herself on Instagram on August 26 with a characteristically brief response: “It’s true!!”
Bravo has since confirmed Remini's arrival, with the network declaring that the actress is officially entering her “diamond era.”
© FilmMagicThe casting comes at a particularly interesting moment in Remini's life. The actress is moving forward following the end of her 21-year marriage to Angelo Pagán while continuing the public battle against the Church of Scientology that has defined a significant part of her career outside acting.
Leah Remini Joining RHOBH Season 16
Remini, 56, is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 16 and is expected to begin filming in Los Angeles this week. Remini joins returning cast members Kyle Richards, Erika Jayne Girardi, Dorit Kemsley, Bozoma Saint John, Rachel Zoe and Sutton Stracke.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles alum Tracy Tutor is another new addition, while Jennifer Tilly is expected to appear as a friend of the cast, as reported by People.
Remini is hardly a stranger to Bravo. She has appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen multiple times and has never seemed particularly interested in giving carefully polished answers. Bravo itself highlighted those appearances while announcing her casting.
© Getty ImagesLeah Remini's RHOBH Casting Follows Her Divorce From Angelo Pagán
Remini's new reality TV chapter arrives two years after she and longtime husband Angelo Pagán announced their decision to divorce.
The former couple had been together for 28 years and married for 21 when they revealed their split in August 2024. “After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” they said in their joint announcement.
© Getty ImagesRemini and Pagán made it clear that they viewed their decades together differently. “To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore,” they explained.
Remini filed for divorce in Los Angeles County, citing irreconcilable differences and listing August 1, 2024, as their date of separation. The pair share daughter Sofia Bella, while Pagán has three sons from a previous relationship.
© Getty ImagesTheir relationship had already played out on reality television years earlier. Pagán and Remini appeared together on TLC's Leah Remini: It's All Relative, which ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2015.
The split also appears to have remained unusually amicable. “We’ve been best friends for so many years,” Remini and Pagán said when announcing the breakup, adding that they still spent holidays and family time together. “Our bond is still strong. It’s just evolved into something different.”
Bravo reported in August 2026 that the former spouses remain close, pointing to Remini's recent reflections on families changing shape without losing their underlying relationships.
Leah Remini's Scientology Fight Could Follow Her to RHOBH
Of course, Remini's life story goes far beyond sitcoms and divorce. She was raised in Scientology and spent more than three decades associated with the organization before leaving in 2013. Her departure eventually transformed her into one of Scientology's most prominent celebrity critics.
Remini later wrote the 2015 memoir Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and teamed with late former Scientology executive Mike Rinder for A&E's Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
© Penske Media via Getty ImagesThe series examined allegations made by former Scientologists about their experiences within the organization and ultimately earned two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Remini has described leaving Scientology as potentially costing her almost everything. Asked about the most frightening part of leaving, she once answered: “Losing my family. The second part was losing all of my friends of 30-plus years.”
She has also explained how dramatically her worldview changed as she questioned the organization. “As time goes on, you start to lose touch with the real world,” Remini told ABC News in 2015. “The mindset becomes ‘Us against them.’”
© Paul ArchuletaHer activism has continued long after Scientology and the Aftermath ended. In a 2025 interview with Us Weekly, Remini alleged that she and her family continued to experience harassment and surveillance connected to Scientology. “There are good days and bad days, but in general, it’s been worth it,” she said of leaving.
The Church of Scientology has strongly denied Remini's accusations. In response to her claims, a representative told Us Weekly that her allegations were “unsupported and untrue” and denied surveilling Remini. The organization has also repeatedly disputed allegations featured in Scientology and the Aftermath.
Leah Remini's Legal Fight With Scientology Is Still Relevant
Remini's conflict with Scientology has also moved into the courts. She filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and related entities in 2023 containing allegations including harassment, surveillance and defamation. The defendants have disputed her allegations.
© Jesse GrantThe litigation was still producing significant developments in 2026. On July 31, a California Court of Appeal issued a decision addressing competing appeals over an anti-SLAPP motion, affirming parts of the lower court's order while reversing other portions and sending the matter back with directions.
