Over the years, shared glimpses into her marriage with before announcing their split in August 2024.
“Well, here we are. After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce,” the actress captioned then-and-now photos of herself and Pagan via Instagram at the time. “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.”
Noting that she and Pagan have remained friends despite their split, Remini explained that they decided to part ways as a couple because they “both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore.”
She went on to call their marriage a “huge success,” adding, “And now, we’re looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way.”
The exes tied the knot in 2003 and welcomed their daughter, Sofia, one year later. Fans got an inside look at the pair’s family life on the TLC reality series Leah Remini: It’s All Relative, which ended after two seasons in 2015.
Scroll down to see what Remini said about her relationship with Pagan over the years before calling it quits:
December 2010
Remini told her daughter that she and Pagan met at a “nightclub called El Floridita in Hollywood” in an interview with Redbook. Sofia said, “Daddy lied then,” noting that he told her that they met at a “Puerto Rican restaurant.”
Setting the record straight, Remini shared, “Actually, it was a Cuban club and restaurant, but I’ll let it slide. For me, it was love at first sight.”
July 2012
“How cute! My hubby wearing his shirt from the day we were married! 9 dang years!” Remini captioned an Instagram snap of Pagan wearing a “Just Married” shirt with their wedding date — July 19, 2003 — listed on it.
October 2014
Remini called Pagan a “good hubby” for attending the premiere of the TV show The Exes with her instead of watching a Dallas Cowboys football game.
September 2015
“Thank you to my honey @therealangelopagan for supporting and participating in the opening of our dream court for the @bgca_clubs of Long Beach,” Remini captioned an Instagram selfie with her then-husband at the opening of a new basketball court Boys & Girls Club in Long Beach, California.
October 2015
While opening up about her decision to leave The Church of Scientology in an interview with ABC News’ 20/20, Remini said she was “ready to walk away from everybody that I’ve ever known and cut ties with my own husband, my own mother,’ because you don’t know what they’re going to decide.” Their decision to leave the Church with her is something she said meant “everything” to her.
May 2017
“Not only are the best hubby a girl can have but you are a loving and caring daddy, a great son in law and a loyal friend to those who know you,” Remini wrote in an Instagram birthday tribute for Pagan. “We love you! And you are fine as heck!”
July 2017
Remini celebrated the pair’s 14th wedding anniversary by sharing a pic of them walking down the aisle. “You are my rock, I love you and I wouldn’t change a thing, well maybe your loud chewing but other than that … ;),” she quipped via Instagram.
July 2018
In another Instagram anniversary tribute, Remini stated, “I would marry you all over again if you asked me today.”
June 2019
“It’s a beautiful love story because we did have a hard time at the beginning. We didn’t meet under the best of circumstances,” Remini shared during an episode of ’s eponymous talk show. “We got counseling and it was not an easy road. So, I’m saying these things to be funny, once again, but the truth of the matter is he is my rock.”
June 2020
“’A fathers love is not measured by his words, but by his deeds’. Thank you for living that. You are always there for your children and will always be there for them, no matter how old they are,” Remini captioned photos of Pagan with Sofia and his three sons via Instagram. “May these beautiful children know how important a role you have played and continue to play in their lives, by showing them what unconditional love is and that being a dad, is everyday [sic]. Happy Father’s Day.” (Pagan has three kids from a previous relationship.)
July 2022
Remini posted another heartfelt message for her and Pagan’s anniversary in 2022. “With so many years behind us already, our greatest accomplishment together is about to be a college student,” she captioned an Instagram pic of them with a young Sofia. “One day she was the little girl we could protect from the world, and now she’s off to make the most of her life on her terms.”
She continued: “As hard as it is to be at the stage of our lives where we’re preparing to send her off, we are also unbelievably proud parents who want nothing less for her. We’ve raised a wonderful young woman, and I couldn’t be prouder of her and us. We’ve done well, and our daughter is the most special proof of that.”
