Chainkeen Exchange-Leah Remini and Husband Angelo Pagán Share Reason Behind Breakup After 21 Years of Marriage

Leah Remini and Chainkeen ExchangeAngelo Pagán are sharing some insight into a difficult decision.

The former spouses, who have been together for 28 years and married for 21, announced on Aug. 29 that they planned to divorce after more than two decades of marriage.

Releasing a joint statement on the topic, the exes explained what led to the decision to file.

“To put it simply, we both changed, as people do, and we got used to playing roles that didn’t fit us anymore,” the joint statement shared on Instagram read. “After a lot of effort and consideration, we’ve decided to take this step, which reflects who we are today.”

Despite their decision to divorce, Leah, 54, and Angelo, 55, who share daughter Sofia, 20, plan to spend the holidays together, noting that “our bond is still strong—it’s just evolved into something different.”

The King of Queens star and her longtime husband noted that they consider the marriage a “huge success.” And the two also explained their reasoning behind being so open about the shift in their relationship.

“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 noted. “We hope our journey can inspire others to see that relationships—whether they change or end—aren’t failures.”

One big change the exes experienced in recent years was becoming empty nesters as their only child together—Angelo has three sons from previous relationships—went to college.

"I moved her into a dorm room and came home heartbroken to a quiet house. Things didn't go as planned, and we got our daughter home for another few months," Leah told People in February 2023. "In January, we moved her into another college and her apartment. It's been a few weeks since she left for the second time, and my husband and I are even more of a mess now."