Leah Remini and her husband Angelo Pagan are divorcing after 21 years of marriage.
The couple announced their split in a joint Instagram statement on Thursday, revealing “why” their relationship ended.
The former Scientologist married Pagan in 2003 and they have a 20-year-old daughter, Sofia Bella.
The news comes just over a week after her best friend Jennifer Lopez, with whom she recently reconnected, pulled the plug on her 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.
“We have thought long and hard about this decision. As difficult as a divorce is, we are approaching it with a positive attitude, because we know it is the best for us.
“We are proud of how we got through this together,” they continued.
Leah Remini and husband Angelo Pagan are divorcing after 21 years of marriage; seen in 2018
The former Scientologist married Pagan in 2003 and they have a 20-year-old daughter, Sofia Bella
Although they are both “sad” about the end of their marriage, the two stressed that they are still “best friends.”
“Yes, we are sad and have a lot to figure out as we move toward our new normal: still together in many ways, and apart in some new ways.
“But here’s the thing: We’ve been best friends for so many years. We still celebrate holidays together, watch our favorite TV shows together, and come together as a family,” they wrote.
Leah and Angelo then opened up about ‘why’ they decided to divorce after nearly three decades together.
‘So the big question: why? Simply put, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that no longer suited us.
“After much effort and consideration, we have decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today. Our bond is still strong, it has just evolved into something different,” they explained.
Leah and Angelo consider their marriage a “success” and look forward to making “beautiful memories” as exes.
‘We think a marriage that has lasted this long and created so many wonderful memories, especially raising our wonderful daughter, is something to celebrate.
“From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success. And now we look forward to creating more cherished moments, just in a different way,” they wrote.
The couple wanted to be “transparent,” as they previously introduced fans to their family life on their TLC reality series Leah Remini: It’s All Relative, which ran for two seasons in 2014.
“We want to be as transparent as possible here because we have talked openly about our marriage for years, whether it was on our specials on VH1 or on our reality show that aired for two seasons on TLC,” the two sisters said.
‘We share this uncharted territory with all of you as we publicly take our first steps into the next phase of our lives.
The couple announced their shocking split via a joint Instagram statement on Thursday, revealing ‘why’ their relationship ended; seen in 2015
“We would love for everyone to have more access to different types of relationship stories and not feel so isolated when navigating the changes that millions of couples go through every year.
‘We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships, whether they change or end, are not failures.
“We continue to share snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter. Love, Leah & Angelo,” the couple concluded.
Their announcement also included photos of Leah and Angelo side by side: one from when they first met and the other from more recently.