Meet Leah Remini, Dancing With the Stars Season 17 Cast

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Leah Remini‘s probably one of the highest profile stars on this season of Dancing with the Stars, and I have a theory to why she took the show. Let’s be real, she didn’t need it. She has syndication money rolling in from The King of Queens, and she’s had plenty of films and television success. But – and this is a big but – she has publicly quit Scientology, and it’s important for her not to stay out of the public eye for too long. And what better way than to get on a show that practically half the country watches?

According to her official bio, “For nine seasons, Leah Remini starred in the hit comedy series, The King of Queens. The show continues to enjoy huge success through daily syndication, airing in over 33 countries. Remini produced and starred in the one of the earliest and most successful comedic web series, In the Motherhood. She co-produced a series of webisodes for the Suave/Sprint brands under the In the Motherhood banner.

The highly successful series drew over 5 million viewers to the site. In her first jump behind the camera, Remini co-produced the Inside Out: Leah Remini wedding and baby specials for VH1. On the big screen, Remini starred in Old School, alongside Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell. In 2010, Remini helped launch and was co-host of the first season of the daytime talk show, The Talk and recently starred in the ABC series Family Tools. A fixture on television since the age of 18, Remini has had memorable recurring roles on NYPD Blue, Friends, Saved by the Bell, Who’s the Boss?, Fired Up, Evening Shade, and Cheers.”

Leah’s very involved in charity work and philanthropy, and she has been working tirelessly for the past few years on behalf of several different non-profit organizations.

Leah’s partner on Dancing with the Stars is Tony Dovolani. Dovolani is a Dancing with the Stars pro, having debuted all the way back in Season 2. He has previously won the Mirror Ball Trophy and is considered one of the show’s best dancers, which makes sense since they put him with one of their highest profile stars.

Will you guys be rooting for Leah Remini and Tony Dovolani? Let us know in the comments. More DWTS news here!