Beck distancing himself from Scientology was a "pussy move," Leah Remini says

Beck, who has long been considered a “famous Scientologist” (and admitted as much in old interviews), gave a new interview recently where he said, “I think there’s a misconception that I am a Scientologist. I’m not a Scientologist. I don’t have any connection or affiliation with it.” That raised the eyebrows of actress and famously former Scientologist Leah Remini. Speaking to The Underground Bunker, a blog that’s critical of the church, Leah said, “he’s acting like he was never a Scientologist, which is his way of not publicly speaking out and therefore not getting labeled like us and attacked like us. Pussy move. You can quote me on that.”

Leah continued:

You can’t be married to a Scientology family such as the Ribisi family and not be fully on board. Beck was there every day doing courses and auditing. He was very much a Scientologist. To say that he was more focused on his thing and the press just ran with it is a pussy move. This is his way of not publicly stating that he was very much in and now he’s not. It’s very clever of him to use these words. It allows him to evade publicly denouncing Scientology. It’s his way to get around being attacked as we all have.

Former Senior Executive of the Church of Scientology International, Mike Rinder, also had words for The Underground Bunker about Beck’s efforts to distance himself from the church:

Beck took the chicken’s way out. To say, “I’ve never really been a Scientologist” is an “acceptable truth.” There is no doubt he was a Scientologist. But it’s a way of avoiding questions like “Why did you leave?” His father is still doing seminars at the Hollywood Celebrity Centre trying to attract new members.

He doesn’t want to have to say out loud that “it didn’t help me” or “they made promises they didn’t keep,” let alone things like “they abuse people” or “Miscavige is a sociopath.” I know he has never been a big promoter. For him to actually distance himself is indicative he cannot say nothing any longer and just how toxic it is to be identified as a Scientologist.

Beck filed for divorce against his Scientologist wife, Marissa Ribisi, back in February.