In a shocking report from Charisma News, popular Christian comedian John Crist has admitted to repeated inappropriate relationships and treatment towards women, calling his own behavior “destructive and sinful.”
Charisma reported the news after “months” of gathering information from multiple accusers, deciding to keep the names of the women anonymous.
Crist issued a response to the allegations, according to Charisma.
“Over the past number of years, various women have accused me of behavior that has been hurtful to them. While I am not guilty of everything I’ve been accused of, I confess to being guilty of this —I have treated relationships with women far too casually, in some cases even recklessly. My behavior has been destructive and sinful. I’ve sinned against God, against women and the people who I love the most. I have violated my own Christian beliefs, convictions and values, and have hurt many people in the process. I am sorry for the hurt and pain I have caused these women and will continue to seek their forgiveness. I have also hurt the name of Jesus and have sought His forgiveness.”
The report details accounts of disturbing behavior from the professing Christian comedian, including a pattern of manipulating women and attempting to leverage his fame into sexually charged relationships.
According to one of the women harassed by Crist, her encounter involved heavy drinking and multiple attempts by the star to hook up with her sexually, despite him having just met her boyfriend.
“Intoxicated, they took off their (roller) blades and ran into the water. Once there, she says Crist grabbed her and tried to kiss her, and in her drunken state, she struggled to push him off,” reads the account in Charisma. “He told her in crude terms how much he wanted to have sex with her and continued to pursue her. In response, she tried to explain that she had a boyfriend and only desired a mentoring relationship with Crist, not a sexual one. Eventually, he relented,” the report claims.
Later in the evening, according to the accuser, Crist didn’t stop there.
“She rollerbladed back with him to his apartment to get her bag. Once there, Crist again grabbed her, crudely propositioned her for sex and begged her to stay. She pushed him off, left and—on the verge of blackout drunk—called an Uber to bring her home.”
Crist does appear repentant and almost eager, in a way, to admit his sins after years of hiding them. “I’ve lived in constant fear of the darkest parts of my life being exposed publicly,” he said. “My greatest fear has been that those who have loved and supported me would hate me if they knew everything about me. I now humbly seek forgiveness and mercy and love—not just for me, but for those I’ve hurt along my path. I’m so sorry,” Crist wrote.
He also revealed in his statement that those close to him are familiar with this personal struggle and have attempted to help him get on the right track.
“Over several recent years, I have privately sought and received regular professional treatment for my sexual sin and addiction struggles. I’m committed to getting healing and freedom from my sin and have decided to cancel my remaining tour dates this year and to postpone all future commitments in order to devote all my time and energy on getting healthy spiritually, mentally and physically.”
The startling news comes as Crist announced he’d just achieved his career dream in landing a special on Netflix. The trappings of fame and opportunity clearly got the better of Crist, who for his part, appears to be taking ownership of his mistakes.
Those closest to me—my family, team and close friends—have known about this battle for some time, and now you do too. I’m ashamed of my behavior and I’m so sorry for hurting so many people. I don’t blame anyone but myself. I’m responsible for my actions and I’ve repented and am taking full ownership. I realize it will be difficult for some people to ever forgive me, and I accept that as a result of my bad decisions and actions.
It’s sad whenever we see any Christian stumble, but it’s particularly tough when one with such a strong platform to reach many stumbles as well. Sexual sin is Satan’s lowest hanging fruit, and it’s a sin that’s currently crippling the Christian church as a whole.
Faithwire recently produced an online course dedicated to helping people combat sexual sin. The course, called ‘Set Free,’ calls us to go to war with our sin. According to Barna, nearly two-thirds of Christian men admit to having looked at pornography within the past 90 days.
It’s a staggering epidemic and clearly no one is immune to it.
Be praying for the women who stepped forward to tell their stories, and be praying for Crist as well as he tries to get healthy and conquer this demon.
Read the full report from Charisma HERE.