‘The Secrets of Hillsong’ Doc: 13 Celebrities Linked to the Controversial Church
At one point, Hillsong Church might have seemed more like a Hollywood party than a holy gathering, with pop idols and screen stars joining other congregants at services.
“People say we cater to celebrities,” Carl Lentz, then a Hillsong pastor, told GQ in 2015. “And I say, yes, we do. Celebrities deserve a relationship with God. Celebrities deserve a place to pray.”
But as the Hillsong controversies piled up, the church’s A-list started decamping to other congregations.
In 2021, Lentz was accused of repeated sexual abuse by another pastor at the church. He had also been fired from Hillsong for “moral failures” the prior year, later explaining on Instagram that he had been unfaithful in his marriage.
A couple of months after that, Hillsong founder Brian Houston was charged for allegedly covering up child sex abuse perpetrated by his late father. (Both Lentz and Houston have denied the aforementioned allegations against them.)
Plus, Hillsong “does not affirm a gay lifestyle,” as Houston wrote in a 2015 blog post. He added that the church “[does] not knowingly have actively gay people in positions of leadership.”
Now FX’s The Secrets of Hillsong will delve into the church’s turbulent history. FX says the four-part series, based on Alex French and Dan Adler’s reporting for Vanity Fair, “goes beyond the sensational headlines and behind the velvet rope to examine the church’s long pattern of covering up misconduct to protect itself.”
The documentary also features a sit-down with Lentz and his wife, plus “poignant conversations with many of the congregants navigating the still-unfolding global reckoning as the church faces a rash of fresh revelations.”
As we wait for the doc, scroll down to see more than a dozen celebrities who’ve been linked to Hillsong and its leadership over the years.
The Secrets of Hillsong, Docuseries Premiere, Friday, May 19, 10/9c, FX, Next-Day Streaming, Hulu
Justin Bieber & Hailey Baldwin
Bieber got baptized by Lentz in 2014, GQ recounts, and attended Hillsong services regularly, Elle reported in 2020. In 2021, however — after Lentz’s infidelity made headlines — the pop star revealed on Instagram that he had changed churches.
Baldwin, Bieber’s wife, told Elle that she started going to Hillsong services at age 16. “It started to feel like my own little community of people who were also young and following God and just immersed in a church community,” the model added.
Austin Butler & Vanessa Hudgens
When Elvis star Butler and High School Musical alum Hudgens were still dating, they attended Hillsong services together. “It feels like Arcade Fire — it’s epic like that,” Hudgens told The New York Times in 2015. “They really focus on you having your own personal relationship with Jesus, which is wonderful.”
Kevin Durant
Like Bieber, Durant was also baptized by Lentz, according to GQ. “He came to me as a friend first, and I can say that he genuinely cares,” the Phoenix Suns star told Bleacher Report in 2015. “We just grew from there, and then our relationship as far as being attached to the church. I went to church growing up, but I didn’t really pay attention, honestly. I knew the basics. I just wanted to learn more and grow as a man, and he taught me a lot about the Bible and learning from God.”
Selena Gomez
The Only Murders in the Building star, who once dated Bieber, was such a Hillsong devotee that she listened to a Hillsong United song to gear up for an awards show, she posted lyrics of the same song on Instagram, and she wore Hillsong apparel during hangouts with friends. Gomez reportedly left the church in 2020, however.
Kyrie Irving
TMZ reported in 2017 that Irving, a basketball player with the Dallas Mavericks, had been a longtime Hillsong member and that Lentz talked him through his 2017 decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nick Jonas
The actor, singer, and Jonas Brothers member once attended a Hillsong service and posed for a photo with a fan, who then posted the pic to Twitter, according to People.
Kendall & Kylie Jenner
Lentz told Harper’s Bazaar in 2015 that Kendall and Kylie had attended Hillsong services. He also clarified, though, that a pastor who appeared on Keeping Up With the Kardashians around that time wasn’t a Hillsong spiritual leader but was an occasional guest speaker at the church.
Kourtney Kardashian & Luka Sabbat
Chris Pratt
Though the Guardians of the Galaxy actor was long associated with Hillsong in the media, he told Men’s Health in 2022 that he “never went” to the church. “I’ve never actually been to Hillsong,” he added. “I don’t know anyone from that church.” (Entertainment Tonight and other outlets, however, reported that Pratt attended a Hillsong service in 2017.)
