Leah Remini Breaks Her Silence on Mike Rinder’s Death

Leah Remini is honoring her “closest confidant” and “trusted partner” Mike Rinder after his death.

“On Sunday, we lost a giant, and I lost a man who was more than a friend — he was my family,” Remini, 54, wrote via her Substack on Tuesday, January 7. “It’s impossible to imagine the last 13 years of my life without Mike Rinder. … The thought of moving forward without him feels unbearable.”

Rinder’s wife, Christie King Collbran, announced his death on Sunday, January 5, after his battle with advanced esophageal cancer. He was 69.

Rinder was raised in the Church of Scientology until he renounced the organization in 2007. He took part in HBO’s 2015 Going Clear documentary and teamed up with Remini in A&E’s Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

The docuseries ran from 2016 to 2019, and the duo continued to speak out about the organization with their “Scientology: Fair Game” podcast. (The church has consistently denied allegations made by both Rinder and Remini.)

“When I left Scientology, Mike was one of the first people I turned to,” Remini stated. “From that moment, he became my lifeline. … Mike was so much more than my partner in this fight — he was my brother, my father, my best friend… in every way that mattered.”

Remini said Rinder “stood by me through battles that felt insurmountable, giving me strength when I had none left.” As a result, she owes him a debt “I could never repay.”

“I haven’t yet come to terms with the reality that I can’t call him, text him or hear his voice anymore,” Remini stated. “I am shattered in ways I never thought possible, overwhelmed by the weight of this loss. I have cried endlessly and can’t seem to move from my bed since coming home from being with him and his grieving family.”

In December 2024, Remini traveled to Florida to be with Rinder and his family. At the time, she told her Instagram followers that ​​”your messages of love truly lift his spirits.”

While Remini promises she will have more to say about Rinder and his legacy, she hopes people will honor his memory by supporting his son Jack’s college fund.

“Mike adored Jack, who is just 12 years old,” Remini shared. “He was consumed with knowing he wouldn’t be there to see Jack grow into adulthood.”

When confirming Rinder’s death, King Collbran included a message that her late husband wanted to share after his death.

“If you are reading this, I have shuffled off this mortal coil in accordance with the immutable law that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes,” his statement read. “My only real regret is not having achieved what I said I wanted to — ending the abuses of Scientology, especially disconnection and seeing [my son] into adulthood.”