Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan announce divorce after 21 years of marriage: 'It’s what’s best for us'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan have parted ways after more than two decades of marriage. 

The actress and her entrepreneur husband announced their divorce in an Instagram post, reflecting on their journey together and their hopes for the future. They’re sharing their transition with fans with honesty and optimism, offering a glimpse into their evolving relationship and the new chapter ahead.

Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan announce divorce

Remini, a former Scientologist, and Angelo Pagan shared the news of their divorce in a joint statement on Instagram on Thursday, August 29. They said, "Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce."

"This decision came after a lot of thought and care, and as hard as divorce is, we are approaching this with a positive outlook because we know it’s what’s best for us," the couple explained.

 "We are proud of how we have worked through this together," they added. Despite the change, they plan to continue celebrating holidays, watching their favorite TV shows, and gathering as a family while adjusting to their "new normal."

The couple also addressed the reason for their decision, saying, "So, the big question—why? To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore. After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today." 

They emphasized, "Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different. We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate. From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success. And now, we’re looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way."

Remini, who is friends with Jennifer Lopez, is also known to have supported her pal as news of her split with Ben Affleck emerged. Both Remini and Pagan expressed their desire to be as "transparent" as possible, given their public presence over the years.

"We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly," they shared.

"We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year." 

They concluded the statement by saying, "We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures. We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter."

It also unclear how her dealings with Scientology may have affected their marriage, but Remini on her part has previously been very vocal about her fraught relationship with the organization. 

Fans praise Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan for maturely handling divorce

Just hours after Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan announced their divorce, the Instagram post received over 61,000 likes. Social media users expressed their thoughts on the same in the comments section of the post.

One Instagram user wrote, "This is the most human and mature way I’ve seen people dealing with divorce. I hope the best for the both of you! Love you both!!"

Another said, "We love you both so very much."

One person added, "Sending you guys love."

One individual wrote, "Folks always think that when there's a breakup it means the relationship wasn't successful. Thank you for providing the opposite." 

Another commented, ""Till death" is antiquated. This is progress. This is a successful marriage. Divorce is not necessarily failure. Well done!"

One fan on Instagram, "28 years is a beautiful, successful marriage, no matter what!! ❤️ A chapter of friendship awaits. Sending love and strength as you navigate these new waters! 🙏"

One netizen shared, "A successful relationship! There is no such thing as failure when you've lived, loved, raised a child, and agreed to keep growing! I applaud you and wish you both all the best and so much love."

How did Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan meet?

Leah Remini first crossed paths with Angelo Pagan in 1996 while he was performing at El Floridita, a Cuban club and restaurant in Los Angeles, according to People.

The couple got married in 2003 and welcomed their daughter, Sofia Bella, on June 16, 2004. Pagan also has three sons from a previous relationship— Angelo Jr, Alex, and Nico.

Remini described their initial meeting as "love at first sight" in a 2010 interview with Redbook magazine. 

In 2019, she humorously recounted their first encounter on the short-lived talk show RuPaul, saying, "I saw him across the room and was like, 'Damn! What time do you get off?'"

She joked about her bold approach, admitting, "It was like everything wrong, like everything that you should not do as a girl is ask a guy when he gets off work, hit it real quick, and it was a lot of that ... I was like a groupie. It was just really bad, all bad looks."

Remini also candidly discussed the challenges they faced in their relationship. She shared, "It's a beautiful love story because we did have a hard time at the beginning. We didn't meet under the best of circumstances. We got counseling and it was not an easy road. So I'm saying these things to be funny, once again, but the truth of the matter is he is my rock.."

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