Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan Divorce After 21 Years of Marriage, Say Their Bond Has Evolved but Remains Strong
Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan are going their separate ways after more than two decades of marriage. The couple announced their decision to end their union after 21 years in a joint Instagram post on Thursday, August 29.
“Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” the lengthy Instagram statement began. “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.”
Later in their statement, the parting couple shared that they will keep celebrating holidays together, watching their favorite TV shows together, and gathering as a family. Being aware that this promise would bring the attention of their admirers to the reason for the divorce, Remini and Pagan shared that they both have simply changed a lot over the past few years, hence the decision to take the step that would better reflect who they are today.
“Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different,” they explained.
Noting that they feel it is worth celebrating a marriage that lasted this long, the duo expressed that they are now looking forward to being in each other’s lives and making more cherished memories together, but in a different way. As for the decision to share the news publicly, the soon-to-be former couple shared that they felt it would only be fair to share it with their fans because they shared the marriage “so publicly” on TV over the years.
Remini and Pagan expressed hope to inspire others to see that relationships, even when they change or end, aren’t failures. “We’ll keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this chapter,” they concluded.
Remini and Pagan got married in Las Vegas in 2003 after the actress first met him in 1996 while he was performing at El Floridita, a Cuban club and restaurant in LA. “For me, it was love at first sight,” Remini recalled during a 2010 interview with Redbook magazine.
In 2019, she opened up about their first meeting during an appearance on RuPaul, recalling seeing Pagan across the room and making all the “wrong” decisions, including asking him what time he gets off work.
Over the years, Remini and Pagan worked together on various occasions, including on her hit sitcom The King of Queens, where he made several guest appearances.
The soon-to-be exes are parents to daughter, Sofia Bella, whom they welcomed on June 16, 2004. Pagan also has three sons from a previous relationship.
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