A few weeks ago, our inside sources at A&E had us believing that Leah Remini’s third season would play out this way: A final “regular” episode on February 5 (which did happen, featuring Jay Wexler and Yulanda Williams), then a “special” episode tonight (which is not happening), and then the long-delayed episode featuring actor Danny Masterson’s rape accusers on Monday, February 18.
As Amy Zimmerman at the Daily Beast reported last night, however, the Masterson episode has been delayed indefinitely, and A&E claimed it had never set a date of February 18, even after high-ranking executives at the network did, indeed, tell Masterson’s accusers that they planned to air it on that date.
Last night, one of the accusers, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, confirmed that with a statement on her Twitter account…
Why the double-talk from A&E? Well, we’re learning that A&E has had more than a few issues with Leah Remini’s third season, with a couple of cancelled episodes we can now tell you about.
— One episode, titled “Dismissed Attackers,” was filmed with a young former Scientologist from Florida about the abuse he had gone through in the church, and about being disconnected from his Scientology family. Besides filming the episode, he also accepted help from the Aftermath Foundation. But he later told Leah that he was so unwell emotionally, he threatened to commit suicide if the episode was aired. So it was shelved, to great expense.
— Another episode was scheduled for December 11 which was never shown. It was titled “The Disappeared,” and it featured a woman trying to reach her uncle, Church of Scientology International’s nominal “president,” Heber Jentzsch, who at 83 lives at Scientology’s secretive Gold Base in California.
The episode not only showed how difficult the church made it for the woman to reach her uncle, but it portrayed the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department as complicit in Scientology’s total control of worker lives at the base. The episode was among the most gripping that we have ever seen, and featured stunning admissions from a law enforcement officer and impromptu scenes of Fair Game harassment. We have not been given a reason for why A&E shelved the episode.
(You may remember, however, that the filming of the episode had some repercussions that we reported.)
As for the Masterson episode, A&E can say what it wants to the Daily Beast, but the truth is the production was working rapidly to prepare a newly edited version of the episode in time for the February 18 date, and a rough cut was available for review by key members of the production last week. The episode was ready to air. But now it’s in limbo.
There may be very good legal reasons for that since Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey continues to drag her feet and after more than two years of investigation still hasn’t made a decision on filing charges, but it does a disservice to the accusers to say that they were not told by A&E that the episode was coming on February 18.
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60 Minutes Australia, a show with real guts
In case you didn’t get to see it yet, here’s the full 25-minute segment about Shelly Miscavige, from 60 Minutes Australia’s YouTube channel…
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Start making your plans!
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] How Scientology gamed Google to increase the effectiveness of its Super Bowl ad
[TWO years ago] Welcome to your Scientology nightmare, people of Clearwater, Florida
[THREE years ago] SCIENTOLOGY’S SPACE MAN: The newest defector from church management opens up
[FOUR years ago] Fact-checking Danny Masterson’s remarkable Paper interview about Scientology
[FIVE years ago] This is Scientology today: Oregon 10-year-old celebrated for donating $100,000
[SIX years ago] Scientology does Star Wars: That’s no moon, it’s a fundraiser!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Fresh meat in the Windy City!
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Bernie Headley has not seen his daughter Stephanie in 5,358 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,489 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 1,991 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,471 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 534 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 422 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 3,729 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,597 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,371 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,145 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,491 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,057 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 6,977 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,144 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 2,725 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 2,985 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,025 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 1,737 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,263 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,352 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,492 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 2,812 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 7,668 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 2,787 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,143 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,445 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,551 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 1,954 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 1,825 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,408 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 1,903 days.
Mary Jane Sterne has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,157 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,266 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 12, 2019 at 07:00
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Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
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Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
