Actress Leah Remini makes devastating announcement after two decades of marriage

“Well, here we are,” Leah Remini and Angelo Pagan wrote as they began their joint statement shared Aug. 29 on Instagram. “After 28 years together and 21 years of marriage, we have decided to file for divorce.”

The actors first met in 1996. Pagan was performing at a Cuban club in Los Angeles known as the El Floridita. Now, they share a daughter together, Sofia Bella.

“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,” Remini and Pagan continue. “We are proud of how we have worked through this together.”

The couple admitted their decision to divorce has left them “sad” and that they still have “some figuring out to do as we continue to move forward into our new normal — together still in many ways, and apart in some new ones.”

“But here’s the thing,” Remini and Pagan continued, “we’ve been best friends for so many years. We are still celebrating holidays together, watching our favorite tv shows together, and gathering as a family.”

So why divorce at all? They answer that question head on.

“To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore. After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today. Our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different,” they explained.

“We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate. From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success.”

As a result, Remini and Pagan now want to continue “creating more cherished memories, just in a different way.”

The couple admitted that they chose to be so open and transparent about their decision because of their time spent on reality television. “We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly.”

“We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year,” they continued. “We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures.”

They concluded their statement promising to “keep sharing snippets of our lives as we navigate this new chapter.”