"King of Queens" star Leah Remini will soon be putting on her dancing shoes. It was announced that Remini has joined the cast of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
The 43-year-old sitcom star has officially joined the cast of the reality show's 17th season, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
The actress hinted to Us Weekly at the 15th Annual DesignCare benefit in Malibu this past July that she may be joining a reality show. "I'm deciding to do something right now and we'll know in the next week," she teased. "It will be television. It might be in the reality, sitcom world."
Remini recently made headlines for something other than her television work.
Remini has garnered a great deal of media attention due to her very public split from the Church of Scientology. Remini has gotten a lot of publicity--both good and bad-- about her criticism of Scientology church members and the allegedly despotic leadership of the head of the church, David Miscavige. While she was blasted by Scientology members for her criticism of the Church, she mostly received approbation from the media and the general public for her exit.
"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 told Us in July. "I am truly grateful and thankful for all your support."
It was also reported that Remini filed a missing person's report with the Los Angeles Police Department for Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader David Miscavige, on Aug. 8. Shelly has not been seen in public for years. However, the case was dropped that day after the LAPD confirmed that Shelly was not missing; she is supposedly living on a compound in California.
Remini said that she is going to pen a tell-all book about the religion, which is sure to create a storm of controversy.
"No one is going to tell me how I need to think, no one is going to tell me who I can, and cannot, talk to," Remini said about her reasons for leaving Scientology.
As for Remini's television work, her ABC series "Family Tools" was officially cancelled in May. Her stint on "Dancing With the Stars" will signal her return to television after the cancellation of the series.
It has been rumored that some other potential cast members for the 17th season could be Valerie Harper, who was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, "Jersey Shore" reality star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi and "Showgirls" star Elizabeth Berkley.
The popular reality series will also see some changes this season, such as the shift to a single, two-hour airing each week instead of two nights a week.
An official cast announcement will be made on "Good Morning America" on September 4.
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