{"id":91402,"date":"2026-01-06T19:29:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T19:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/91402\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T19:29:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T19:29:11","slug":"king-of-queens-star-reflects-on-grief-a-year-after-losing-beloved-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/91402\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018King of Queens\u2019 Star Reflects on Grief a Year After Losing Beloved Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"

A star of the classic television series King of Queens is reflecting on grief<\/a> one year after losing a beloved, close friend.<\/p>\n

Leah Remini took to Instagram<\/a> to share her thoughts about loss and love, and to commemorate the first anniversary<\/a> of the death of her close friend, Mike Rinder. He died on January<\/a> 5, 2025.<\/p>\n

Accompanying a reel, Remini wrote, “It’s been one year today without Mike Rinder. We only filmed one episode of our podcast in person.”<\/p>\n

“Mikey and I were so excited to be together in the same room,” she continued. “Because grief teaches you nothing, except how to miss.”<\/p>\n

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In the clip, the longtime friends were clearly thrilled to be working closely together again. Remini began with “I miss you.” Rinder replied, “I miss you too, a lot.”<\/p>\n

He continued, “Here we are again. It’s hard for me to focus on what we are supposed to be doing here because I am excited to see you, I haven’t seen you for so long, and I feel like all I want to do is say ‘did you watch this show’ or ‘have you done this?’<\/p>\n

Remini appeared confused, telling Rinder, “But you act like we don’t talk.” He replied, “Talking on the phone or texting to me is different than when you can look someone in the eyes and get the inflection in their voice and the smile<\/a> in your eyes and that sort of stuff.”<\/p>\n

The duo connected after the King of Queens star left Scientology in 2013, ending a 30-year association with the organization. After breaking ties, Remini turned to Rinder, a former high-ranking church official, for guidance and support.<\/p>\n

Per Deadline<\/a>, the longtime friends teamed up to host the three-season A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath, for which they each won a 2020 Emmy Award<\/a> for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special. Following, they hosted four episodes of the podcast Scientology: Fair Game.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Jan 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n