(KTLA) – Actress Leah Remini and her husband, Angelo Pagán, are headed for divorce after 21 years of marriage and being together for 28 years.
The couple made the announcement Thursday night on Instagram.
“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,” the lengthy caption explained. “We are proud of how we have worked through this together.”
While both are sad and trying to figure out their “new normal,” the split is amicable.
“But here’s the thing: 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,” they assured her followers.
“So, the big question—why? 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,” they continued.
The couple tied the knot in 2003 and have one daughter together, Sofia Bella. Pagán, who is also an actor, has three sons from a previous relationship.
“We think a marriage that lasted this long and created so many beautiful memories, especially raising our incredible daughter, is something to celebrate,” the caption reads. “From our perspective, this marriage was a huge success.”
The “King of Queens” actress and her salsa singer husband say they’re “looking forward to creating even more cherished moments—just in a different way.”
The split comes a decade after Pagán and Remini starred in their own reality show “Leah Remini: It’s All Relative” on TLC.
“We want to be as transparent as we can be here because, for years, we shared our marriage so publicly, whether it was on our specials on VH1 or our reality show, which ran for two seasons on TLC,” they said. “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.”
The actors say they hope their “journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures.”