The notorious now-disgraced ex-pastor on the head of uber-popular celeb church Hillsong is talking out. And his spouse is, too.
Perezcious readers will little doubt recall the sordid story of Carl Lentz. The 44-year-old true believer helped get Hillsong’s New York City department working waaaay again in 2010. Then, he rose to fast and lasting fame as one of many megachurch’s most seen pastors worldwide within the years after. He frolicked with Justin Bieber, he was the last word cool youth pastor.
But all of it got here crashing down after he admitted to “moral failures” and being “unfaithful” in his marriage to spouse Laura Lentz amid a jaw-dropping 2020 scandal. Now, everybody concerned is addressing the place it went improper in a brand new documentary.
Related: Carl Lentz Allegedly Caught Having Sex With A ‘Young Celebrity’?!
Set to debut on Friday, FX is releasing their much-anticipated docuseries The Secrets Of Hillsong. In the primary two episodes of the sequence, Laura takes middle stage. As you could recall from our reporting final April, she was on the middle of a really particular second within the controversy the place she allegedly punched the household’s nanny, recognized as Leona Kimes, after catching the girl and Carl collectively within the Lentz household house.
While being interviewed for the FX sequence’ second episode, Laura first recalled her experiences with studying about Carl’s repeated infidelity with Kimes. The mom and spouse recoiled on the shock of being instructed she was being cheated on again in 2020:
“It was October 25, I remember that day. Carl was like, ‘hey, can I talk to you for a second?’ As soon as he shut the door, my heart just dropped. He basically said, ‘I’ve been unfaithful to you.’”
Carl additionally recalled that second on this new interview, including:
“There are some things that you can recover from. There’s other things that I’ll never recover from. Just the sound of her voice, the kind of cry that she had was like no other cry I’ve ever heard. Nobody should go through that, especially a wife that is flawless in character. I told her the best I could at that time and at that time I wasn’t even fully honest. She wasn’t mad, she was just so broken. People who have walked through infidelity know what I’m talking about right now.”
Laura additionally recalled how Hillsong’s founder Brian Houston (who was additionally ousted on account of sexual misconduct complaints), and the church’s different board members, questioned Carl about his relationship with Leona throughout a Zoom name within the fall of 2020. Laura defined:
“They asked Carl about Leona. He hadn’t told me this part yet.”
Carl’s spouse went on to say how Leona was “always” on the household house, busy serving to round the home and taking good care of the couple’s youngsters. She was even there with them for Christmas day!
Related: Hillsong Was ‘A Breeding Ground For Unchecked Abuse’
Still, earlier than having the infidelity confirmed, Laura already couldn’t shake the sensation that one thing was occurring. That is, till one night time, when she discovered Carl and Leona in “a compromising position” collectively:
“I’d sometimes get these little feelings. And then one night I found them in a compromising position.”
Wow. She truly walked in on them having intercourse?! She then confirmed one of many wildest issues we’d heard concerning the dishonest scandal — that the girl scorned circled and assaulted the nanny whom she’d simply discovered beneath her husband!
“I ran into the room and I shoved Carl and hit him and then I jumped on top of her and I punched her.”
OMG!!!
Laura continued on within the FX sitdown, confirming the emotional upheaval in addition to the bodily altercation:
“Something came over me. I was angry and I definitely freaked out.”
At the time, she claimed, Leona “denied there was something going on” between her and Carl. And to make issues much more awkward, Laura defined how they “never talked about it again.” Wait, she SAW them, and gurl nonetheless denied? Whoa.
Still, the harm was completed. In the forthcoming new doc, Laura reveals:
“We were her pastors. We were her leaders. She was on staff. It got really messy. Instead of talking about it again, I would just stuff it down. I was in a really tormented place mentally. I don’t know what’s happening in my house anymore. I was pretty much gaslit by both of them for quite a while.”
Jeez…
Months after Carl was canned from Hillsong, Kimes got here ahead to say she was sexually and emotionally abused by the pastor. Also new within the second episode of the FX sequence? Carl denies these allegations.
He did cop to the affair, although, lastly! He says on digital camera:
“[I am responsible] for allowing an inappropriate relationship to develop in my house with someone that worked for us … but any notion of abuse is categorically false.”
And the disgraced former pastor continues:
“There were mutual adult decisions made by two people who lied profusely, mainly to my wife. It’s an issue because I was a boss, this person was an employee. I’m responsible for that power dynamic and the management of it and the wisdom that goes with it and I failed absolutely miserably.”
Yeah, no kidding… The query turns into now… is that this man nonetheless hiding issues? Just like he saved mendacity to his spouse concerning the affair, is he simply admitting to what he can’t cover and making an attempt to cowl up the worst of it?? Hmm…
Elsewhere within the documentary, Carl added extra about his anxiousness concerning being interviewed in any respect:
“I’m so nervous about how this is going to be portrayed, but I can’t control that. I had some major lies and secrets I was carrying for years. If you are led by somebody, you have to trust them. One of the biggest [mistakes] of my life was that breach of trust for thousands of people, especially my wife, my children.”
As the docuseries notes, Carl and Laura stayed collectively within the aftermath of the affair fallout. Shockingly. They just lately celebrated their twentieth wedding ceremony anniversary collectively!
You can see extra within the Secrets Of Hillsong trailer launched earlier this month (under):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSgiyTf5GH8
Like we famous up high, the sequence debuts to the general public this coming Friday, May 19. Will U be tuning in, Perezcious readers??
[Image via FX Networks/YouTube]
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