Leah Remini and Angelo Pagán have split after 21 years of marriage.
The estranged couple announced their divorce news in a joint statement via Instagram on Thursday.
“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. We are proud of how we have worked through this together,” the statement began.
“Yes, we’re sad, and we’ve got some figuring out to do as we continue to move forward into our new normal — together still in many ways, and apart in some new ones. But here’s the thing: 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.”
The pair then went into detail about their decision.
“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,” the explained.
“After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today. 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,” they continued. “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.”
The “King of Queens” alum, 54, and Pagán, 56, tied the knot in 2003 after they met when Pagán was performing at El Floridita, a Cuban club and restaurant in Los Angeles, in 1996.
They welcomed a daughter, Sofia Bella, on June 16, 2004. Pagán also has three sons — Angelo Jr., Alex and Nico — from a previous relationship.
“Leah Remini: It’s All Relative” ran for two seasons on TLC from 2014 to 2015.
“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, which ran for two seasons on TLC,” the statement went on Thursday.
“We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly. 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.
“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. Love, Leah & Angelo.”
Remini’s news comes just more than a week after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage. In May, Page Six reported that the ex best friends reconnected after having a falling out in 2022 over Affleck.
Remini warned Lopez to remember the reason she originally broke up with the “Gone Girl” star when they first dated in 2002: “Because he is selfish and is not fully committed as a partner,” a source said at the time.
Remini did not attend Lopez and Affleck’s second wedding ceremony in Georgia.
