Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images
Leah Remini appeared to take a cue from Jennifer Lopez’s when it came to filing for divorce.
According to court docs obtained by Us Weekly, Remini, 54, filed for divorce from Angelo Pagan on Thursday, August 29 without a lawyer. Lopez, 55, also did not use a lawyer when she filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on August 20.
In her divorce filing, Remini listed her and Pagan’s date of separation as August 1, 2024, and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. The King of Queens alum also requested that neither of them receive spousal support and did not request child support, as their daughter, Sofia, is 20 years old.
Remini and Lopez were close friends for several years but sparked rumors of a falling out after Remini didn’t attend Lopez and Affleck’s August 2022 nuptials to take her daughter to college. It’s unclear what their current status is, but Remini’s pal Michelle Visage teased that the two were on the outs during a September 2023 episode of the “Las Culturistas” podcast.
“No comment,” the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge, 55, said when asked if Remini and Lopez were still “best buds.”
Remini announced via Instagram on Thursday that she and Pagan, 56, had split after 28 years as a couple and 21 years of marriage. “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,” wrote alongside old and recent photos of the two of them.
Leah Remini & Angelo Pagan Gregg DeGuire/WireImage/Getty Images
She continued: “We are proud of how we have worked through this together. 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.”
Remini went on to offer reasoning behind their separation, telling fans: “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. Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different.”
Despite their relationship coming to a close, Remini wrote that she considers their marriage to have been a “huge success,” adding, “We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships — whether they change or end — aren’t failures.”
Remini’s divorce filing comes less than two weeks after news of Lopez and Affleck’s split. Lopez — who has since requested that her legal name be restored to Jennifer Lynn Lopez — also cited irreconcilable differences for her and Affleck’s breakup. The date of their split was listed as April 26, the same month she and the Oscar winner, 52, first sparked rumors of marital troubles.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
The date of Lopez’s divorce filing is notable as it’s the anniversary of the pair’s second wedding ceremony. They said “I do” in Georgia in August 2022 after secretly tying the knot in Las Vegas one month prior.
“The timing of the divorce was a big f—k you to Ben,” a Hollywood insider exclusively told Us earlier this month.
A second insider also stated that “it was more and more apparent they weren’t a good match” in the leadup to their split. “It boiled down to [the fact that] they are two different people.”
Some celebrity couples have gone the distance, but others haven’t been as lucky. 2024 kicked off with a handful of Hollywood duos calling it quits. Fans were shocked when The Bachelorette couple Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo split after four years of marriage. Us Weekly confirmed on January 2 that the chiropractor filed for divorce […]
A third source later told Us that Lopez and Affleck had “already agreed” to the terms of their divorce before Lopez submitted her filing, noting that the separation was “planned.”
“J.Lo finally pulled the trigger because that was their agreement that she would file, and she was the one who ultimately made the decision,” the third insider added.