Is Scientology Behind 'Kevin Can Wait' Bashing?

Erinn Hayes, whose departure from CBS' Kevin Can Wait has been widely criticized by her fans, [...]

Erinn Hayes, whose departure from CBS' Kevin Can Wait has been widely criticized by her fans, appears to have suggested that Scientology is behind attacks of Kevin James and Leah Remini.

Hayes has been liking tweets from upset fans this week, but held off on making comments until one suggested the controversial religion was behind the anti-Kevin Can Wait campaign.

"U know Scientology is behind bashing [Kevin Can Wait], right? They have an agenda. No hate here, just sayin,'" one fan wrote to her, adding Remini and James' Twitter handles.

"Very aware and don't condone any of the bashing. Watch the show or don't, but I find the personal attack's very ugly," Hayes responded.

Hayes hasn't said anything about the subject since. But in a statement to Us Weekly, the Church strongly denied having anything to do with the Kevin Can Wait backlash.

"Whoever suggested to Ms. Hayes that these messages were from Scientologists is purposely misleading her and operating on an anti-religious agenda. This is pure bigotry," a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology told the site.

Previously, Hayes asked fans to stop attacking Remini.

Up Next: Erinn Hayes Is 'Liking' Fan Tweets Calling for a 'Kevin Can Wait' Boycott

"So I've been silent on this and have enjoyed the support of all the fans that have reached out to say something positive," she wrote on Sept. 30. "But please can we stop the personal attacks on [Leah Remini] in my name? It's ugly, I never asked for it and let's be above it."

Hayes was surprisingly fired after the end of season one of Kevin Can Wait following Remini's guest appearances. Remini was then promoted to a series regular, reviving the chemistry she had with James during The King of Queens. In the season two premiere, Hayes' character was killed off with little explanation. James said in a recent interview that the writers were "just running out of ideas" for her character Donna.

Up Next: Leah Remini's New Claims About Scientology Will Shake You to Your Core

Remini is a former Scientologist who has been critical of the religion and its leader, David Miscavige. She published a book in 2015 called Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology and produced the hit A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

Kevin Can Wait airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST.

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