The relationship between Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan seemed unshakable after more than twenty years together.
Even after they opened up about going to couples therapy together and how leaving the Church of Scientology affected their relationship over the years, fans were shocked to hear that the actress, 54, and the singer, 56, were divorcing.
Though they’ve spoken openly in the past about overcoming adversity together, the two announced in a joint statement on their respective social media accounts on Thursday that they have decided to end their 21-year marriage.
The couple, who have a 20-year-old daughter together, Sofia Bella Pagan, explained that they made the decision to call it quits “after a lot of thought and care.”
“As difficult as separation is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it is what is best for us,” they explained. “We are proud of how we have gotten through this together. Yes, we are sad and we still have some figuring out to do as we continue to navigate our new normal: still together in many ways, and apart in some new ways.”
They assured their followers that they “still celebrate holidays together, watch their favorite TV shows together, and come together as a family.”
Following their split, DailyMail.com has looked back at all the signs that the actors were growing apart. For example, there was no report on their most recent anniversary.
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan’s marriage seemed unshakable after 21 years of marriage
Leah admits she was ‘ready to walk away’ from their marriage
In a 2015 interview with ABC News’ 20/20, the actress revealed that she was prepared to end her marriage after deciding to leave Scientology in 2013.
Reflecting on the decision, she said she was “ready to walk away from everyone” she had “ever known and cut ties with” her “own husband” and mother.
Ultimately, Pagan and her mother left Scientology with her that same year.
Remini later said that their decision to stay by her side meant “everything” to her.
In a 2015 interview with ABC News’ 20/20, the actress revealed that she was prepared to end her marriage after making the decision to leave Scientology in 2013 (pictured in 2019)
She revealed he was a ‘serial cheater’ before they started dating
In her 2015 memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, the mother of one says she already had a problem with infidelity before they got together.
“In 1996, the universe gave me Angelo Pagán. A man with a history of cheating and three kids. Perfect. Now, I’ll preface this by saying that this is not a love story. I mean, it’s a story about love — just not the kind you ever hope to tell your kids,” she wrote in her book.
Remini, who claims she fell in love with Pagán at first sight, said their relationship felt like “instant magic” and that she was “completely in love” with him.
She remembers finding out he was married.
According to TODAY, “Remini, at the urging of the Church of Scientology, of which she was a member at the time, asked Pagán to reconcile with his wife and seek psychological help.”
After attending couples therapy, Pagán told his wife he was leaving and began dating Remini.
In her 2015 memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, the mother of one said he had a problem with infidelity before they got together; seen in 2015
They had a ‘hard time’ at the beginning of their relationship
After a rocky start to their relationship, Remini revealed that they had been “getting therapy.”
“It’s a beautiful love story because we had a hard time in the beginning. We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances,” she said during an episode of RuPaul’s eponymous talk show from 2019.
She continued, “We went through therapy and it wasn’t an easy road. So, I’m saying this to be funny, again, but the truth is he’s my rock.”
After a rocky start to their relationship, Remini revealed they were “getting therapy” (seen in 2018)
Disagreement and arguing while the cameras were rolling on their reality show
Their short-lived reality show, Leah Remini: It’s All Relative, which ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2015, chronicled the ups and downs of their relationship.
That includes times when they didn’t always see eye to eye, from their sex life to her disapproval of his clothes.
In an episode, a clip of which she posted on her Instagram in 2022, she confronts him about wearing pants in which she says she can see “the entire outline” of his penis.
The comment, made in front of a group of people, seemed to make him uncomfortable and he decided to zip up his jacket to cover the front of his pants.
“I have a hard time seeing man parts in their clothes!” she explained in a confessional. “I don’t care if you have a big dick or a small dick, I don’t want to see it in your sweatpants.”
Their short-lived reality show, Leah Remini: It’s All Relative, which ran for two seasons from 2014 to 2015, chronicled the ups and downs of their relationship
Telling him she ‘doesn’t give blowjobs anymore’
In another episode, she confronts him about asking her for a blowjob.
“First of all, I don’t give blowjobs anymore, I’m a mother,” she tells him. “You know that.”
“I know that,” he jokes back.
She then rudely tells him to find “a girlfriend.”
“Can you imagine me doing that on my knees?” she asks.
After he says he can imagine that, she jokes back, “Okay, so you were expecting us to come here with the cameras… have sex and then quickly make a porno for TLC?”
She tells him that he’s “really messed up” and reminds him that their daughter watches the show.
He claims that this conversation will ‘never’ happen.
“You shouldn’t bet on that,” she teased.
In an episode of their reality show, she is seen challenging him for asking her to give him a blowjob
“First of all, I don’t give blowjobs anymore, I’m a mother,” she tells him. “You know that.”
Hinting at cracks in her personal life amid her battle with depression
In February, Remini revealed that she was struggling with “depression and isolation.”
In a new post uploaded to X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram, the star candidly opened up about her mental and physical health struggles.
She shared that she is in perimenopause, the transition period before menopause.
“On top of my battle with depression, my body has seemingly changed overnight, something that women my age (53) naturally experience, but I know it still comes as a shock to many of us,” the star added.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, symptoms include trouble sleeping, night sweats, headaches, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, hot flashes and more.
In February, Remini revealed she was struggling with “depression and isolation” (see in 2019)
No anniversary message
Neither Remini nor her husband posted a message on their 21st wedding anniversary on July 19.
In 2022, on their anniversary, she reflected on the “years behind them” and the moment they sent their daughter off to university.
“As hard as it is to be at the stage in our lives where we are preparing to wave her goodbye, we are also incredibly proud parents who would want nothing less for her. We have raised an incredible young woman and I could not be more proud of her and us. We have done well and our daughter is the most special testament to that,” she wrote.
Two years after both of them left their children behind, the former couple announced that they had decided to file for divorce “after 28 years of togetherness and 21 years of marriage.”
They explained: ‘Simply put, we both changed, as people do, and got used to playing roles that no longer suited us. After much effort and consideration, we decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today. Our bond is still strong, it has just evolved into something different.’
“We think a marriage that has lasted this long and created so many wonderful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate,” the couple wrote. “From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success. And now we look forward to creating more cherished moments, albeit in a different way. We want to be as transparent as possible here, as we have shared our marriage so publicly for years, whether it was on our specials on VH1 or on our reality show that ran for two seasons on TLC.”
They acknowledged that this is “uncharted territory” for them and pledged to continue sharing “fragments” of their lives together as they navigate this “new chapter.”
Neither Remini nor her husband posted a message on their 21st wedding anniversary on July 19, 2003