Leah Remini Just Forgave Her Mom For Bringing Her "Into A Cult"

Leah Remini took home a Creative Arts Emmy today and used her opportunity at the podium to forgive her mom for introducing her to the church of Scientology.

According to Deadline, Remini's A&E series, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, earned the Emmy for Best Informational Series or Special.

"Mom, thank you. You are officially forgiven for getting us into a cult," Remini said.

While she grew up Catholic, Remini's mother converted to Scientology when Leah was 9 years old. Subsequently, Leah also joined the church.

Remini's mother, Vicki Marshall, was in the audience for the ceremony. The actor said that she had dreamed about bringing her mother to an awards show and have her see her daughter come home with a trophy. After thanking her mother, an emotional Remini also dedicated the statuette to the show's contributors, who "spoke out and told their stories" despite fears surrounding the Church of Scientology and the possibility of facing backlash from members of the organization.

"It's not an easy job but they were the one's putting their stories out there for everyone to hear. And we are honored to be the vessel to tell these stories," she said. "This belongs to our contributors, the brave ones, who are telling their stories."

Remini also noted that as an actor, she had always dreamed about receiving an Emmy award, but as she grew older and started to branch out from her comedic work, she saw that it was more important to focus on "doing the right things." For her, that meant showing people unfamiliar with Scientology what it is all about.

"I spent most of my life being told the world outside Scientology would fail me, that I would fail, and that without it I wasn’t worth a whole lot," Remini said during the Television Critics Association Awards last August. "I thank you for proving those theories wrong."