2018-12-19, Marlow Stern, Daily Beast
It's the question that's haunted
Leah Remini for over a decade. And in the latest episode of her A&E series Leah Remini:
Scientology and the Aftermath, the ex-Scientologist turned whistle-blower, a former friend and pen pal of Shelly's, interviewed several of her closest confidantes who provided valuable context for why the wife of Scientology leader
David Miscavige hasn't been seen publicly since August
2007, at her father's funeral.
According to author
Lawrence Wright's book
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, Shelly both functioned as Miscavige's right-hand woman as well as a handler to Scientology's biggest star,
Tom Cruise. And, in the latter capacity, Wright claimed that she supervised the auditing of the
Mission: Impossible actor's then-girlfriend
Penelope Cruz, as well as the search for Cruise's new partner following his split from the Spanish actress.
The problems for Remini began at the
2006 wedding of Cruise and this new partner,
Katie Holmes—a $3 million, star-studded affair at a 15th century castle in
Italy. Among the guests were
Brooke Shields, Giorgio Armani,
Jim Carrey, Will and
Jada Pinkett Smith, David and
Victoria Beckham,
Jennifer Lopez and
Marc Anthony, and fellow Scientologists
John Travolta and
Kelly Preston. The couple was serenaded by Andrea Bocelli, and took part in Scientology's Double Ring ceremony, with Miscavige serving as Cruise's best man. Remini was there too, and when she began asking guests and Scientology officials at the bash why Shelly was nowhere to be found, says she was subsequently "punished for asking where the leader's wife was."