Leah Remini and Angelo Pagán have announced that they’re filing for divorce.
“After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” Remini and Pagán wrote in a lengthy joint Instagram post. “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.”
Remini and Pagán characterize the split as completely amicable, writing, “We’ve been best friends for so many years. We are still celebrating holidays together, watching our favorite TV shows together, and gathering as a family.”
“Our bond is still strong — it’s just evolved into something different,” the couple wrote.
Remini starred on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens for nine seasons and has become the leading celebrity critic of Scientology, earning two primetime Emmys for her documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. Pagán is a salsa singer and actor, appearing on episodes of Shameless, 24, and several episodes of The King and Queens, on which he played four characters across eight years.
“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 wrote. “We are proud of how we have worked through this together.”
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Remini and Pagán have one daughter, Sofia Bella, who they referenced in the post: “We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate.” They also co-parent Pagán’s three sons from a previous relationship.
The post continued, “We want to be as transparent as we can be here because, for years, we shared our marriage so publicly, whether it was on our specials on VH1 or our reality show.” Leah Remini: It’s All Relative ran for two seasons on TLC. “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.”
Remini recounted meeting Pagán on a 2019 episode of RuPaul‘s eponymous daytime talk show: “I met him in a club.” The location was L.A.’s Cuban restaurant and dance spot El Floridita. “I saw him across the room and was like, ‘Damn! What time do you get off?'” she joked. Pagán was singing in a salsa group, and Remini described herself as a “groupie.”
The couple have been together for 28 years and got engaged in 2003.
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Pagán most recently appeared on four episodes of Bosch: Legacy on Freevee and regularly sings salsa at the Sofitel Hotel in Beverly Hills. Remini continues shining a light on the various abuses the Church of Scientology perpetrates against its members, and recently earned an Associate’s degree from NYU.
“We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships — whether they change or end — aren’t failures,” Remini and Pagán wrote in closing out their announcement.