Leah Remini Scientology: Actress Leaves Church After 30 Years (VIDEO)

Actress Leah Remini, best known for her role of the CBS television show "King of Queens," has confirmed her exit from Scientology, according to US Weekly. News first broke of Remini's exit on Thursday after a post appeared on the blog of Tony Ortega, a former editor of the Village Voice, who has written about Scientology since 1995.

"I wish to share my sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the overwhelming positive response I have received from the media, my colleagues, and from fans around the world," Remini said in the statement. "I am truly grateful and thankful for all your support."

Remini's problems with Scientology have reportedly been building since 2006, when she innocently asked church founder David Miscavige about his wife's whereabouts while attending the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Upon returning home, Remini allegedly wrote up a "Knowledge Report" where she criticized Miscavige and other church members.

New Yorker has previously reported that his wife, Shelly Miscavige, has not been seen in public since 2006, with the exception of when she attended her father's funeral in 2007. The reporter was Lawrence Wright, who has written a book on Scientology. It has since also been reported by the New York Post, before Ortega, who said she has been "kept out of sight at a secretive Scientology facility near Lake Arrowhead."

After her question, Remini was subject to years of church investigation because she questioned Miscavige's management of the church, as well as the practice of excommunication, where someone is declared a Suppressive Person (SP) and all communication with them is cut off.

"We're told that Miscavige and his minions made multiple attempts to convince Remini that she was out of line, but their heavy-handed efforts only convinced her that her questions were valid, and that the church had no right to tell her who she could talk to and what questions she could ask," Ortega wrote on his blog.

Many comments of support have been posted to Remini's Facebook page.

"Leah remains convinced of the value of L. Ron Hubbard's work, but will no longer tolerate the squirreling and human rights abuses perpetrated in the church," Mike Rinder, a former Scientologist, who was declared an SP, wrote on his blog about Scientology. "Nor will she allow anyone to tell her who she can and cannot talk to or associate with."

Squirreling is a process of harassment perpetrated by Scientologists who harass former members by showing up at their residence and doing things to provoke them, such as trying to get them to hit them so they can be arrested for assault. Marty Rathbun, another former Scientologists, who also maintains a blog about Scientology, was a victim of squirreling, which was documented in a piece on "Rock Center" with Brian Williams.

The church has responded to the media coverage of Remini's departure by releasing a statement.

"The church respects the privacy of parishioners and has no comment about any individual Church member."

Remini was a member of the church of Scientology for about three decades and has defended it in the past. Some of her recent tweets on her Twiiter account have been indicative of her plans to leave.

"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind," Remini retweeted.