DALLAS (TX)
The Roys Report [Chicago IL]
December 28, 2023
By Liz Lykins
Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor at the non-denominational megachurch The Potter’s House, denied allegations he engaged in gay sex at wild parties hosted by embattled music producer Sean ‘Puffy’ Combs, aka “Diddy.”
Unconfirmed reports on TikTok and YouTube allege that Jakes had sex with men at Combs’s parties and groomed a former mentee.
The 66-year-old preacher appeared to respond to the claims during the Christmas Eve service at The Potter’s House, calling the accusers “liars,” according to a video of the service posted on the church’s website. Jakes added that even “if everything was true, all I got to do is repent sincerely from my heart.”
Jakes urged his congregation in Dallas not to worry about him because “I’m good.”
“Would y’all please do me a favor and stop worrying about me and give God some praise and honor and glory?” Jakes said in a public livestream which has since been made private. “I can feel you . . . I am fine. I’m good. I’m good. I’m the man for the job. I’m good.”
He continued, “The worst that could happen, if everything was true, all I got to do is repent sincerely, from my heart. There’s enough power in the blood to cover all kinds of sin. I don’t care what it is, the blood would fix it. But I ain’t got to repent about this.”
Jakes added he wanted to use the service to preach, rather than address lies. “All of you who expect me to address a lie, you can log off,” Jakes said.
A viral TikTok video, though, claims Jake slept with multiple men at Comb’s parties. The video has been viewed more than 1.7 million times on the platform.
The video also alleged that years ago Jakes slept with a former mentee, unidentified in the video, when he was a boy. The video claims that the boy’s parents were paid off to keep quiet but now the mentee plans to soon come forward.
Larry Reid, host of the show Larry Reid Live, claimed the groomed mentee is Prophet Manasseh Jordan in a recent YouTube video.
Jordan also posted a video discussing grooming in ministry settings and how 2024 will be a “year of exposure.” Jordan doesn’t mention Jakes in the video.
However, Reid claims that Jordan confided to the host that it was Jakes who groomed and assaulted the mentee.
The social media and video allegations are baseless, said executive director of public relations and communications for T.D. Jakes Ministries, Jordan A. Hora.
“Recent claims circulating on pockets of social media about Bishop T.D. Jakes are unequivocally false and baseless,” Hora told The Christian Post. “Chairman Jake — undeterred by false, perverse, ignorant, and conspiratorial speculations — will persevere in his continued dedication to create meaningful change for millions around the globe guided by the timeless principles of compassion, service, and ministry.”
Hora said it was “disheartening to witness the proliferation of numerous deep fake photos and the distortion of words through false, sensationalized misrepresentations, encapsulating purported statements to falsely speculate and attack others, including Bishop Jakes.”
Jakes’ allegations came to light after Diddy was sued in federal court in November by Cassie, an R&B singer once signed to his label, who accused the music mogul of rape and repeated physical abuse over about a decade.
In the last month, four additional plaintiffs have filed civil lawsuits against Combs accusing him of rape, sex-trafficking a minor, assault and a litany of other alleged abuses, according to The Columbian. Combs and his attorneys have denied the accusations.
Jakes was tied into Combs’ controversies when a Facebook video alleged that the bishop attended Combs’ 53rd birthday party in Los Angeles.
However, Derrick Williams, executive vice president of TD Jakes Entertainment, told The Christian Post that the video was captured during a brief stop at the party while he and Jakes were on business in the area.
“As a filmmaker, executive producer and one of the pioneers of value-based movies, Bishop Jakes, in his role as CEO of T.D. Jakes Entertainment, paid respect to the former Chairman of Revolt during the celebration of his birthday,” Williams said. “We felt that a quick appearance at the former Chairman of Revolt’s birthday event was the respectful thing to do since Bishop Jakes’ sermons are aired on the Revolt Network.”
Williams continued, “We both greeted the family, Bishop Jakes recorded a brief celebratory birthday video and left immediately to take our other scheduled meetings. Any accusation to the contrary is wholly unsubstantiated, unverified, and false.”
Jakes is known for being a “charismatic leader, visionary, provocative thinker, and entrepreneur,” according to the Potter’s House website. He has been in ministry for more than 40 years and has been listed as a “Top 10 Religious Leaders” by PBS’ Religion and Ethics Newsweekly.
Jakes previously made headlines in 2012 when he was accused of heresy while attending an Elephant Room conference, a theological roundtable featuring blunt conversations amongst pastors.
James MacDonald invited Jakes to speak at Round 2 of the conference. However, many Reformed Christians criticized Jakes’ attendance and accused him of being a “heretic” due to his purported belief in modalism — which is the view that members of the Trinity are distinct modes rather than part of one Godhead,
MacDonald’s invitation to Jakes allegedly led to MacDonald resigning as a council member on The Gospel Coalition.