On Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, the Christian magazine, Charisma, reported that comedian John Crist had allegedly sexually harassed several women.
Crist issued a statement following the story and said that his “Immature Thoughts Tour” has been cancelled. His Netflix special is “up in the air,” and his upcoming book has also been postponed.
According to Charisma, five women cited accounts where Crist sexually harassed them. While their names were replaced with pseudonyms, Charisma said that it “should not reflect on the witnesses’ credibility.”
According to one of the women, Crist exploited his status as a celebrity to take advantage of her as well as harass multiple other women.
“The one thing that stopped me from believing he was creepy is John so proudly parades his face as a Christian,” Kate said in the article. “I’ve let myself believe that just because someone is a Christian means they won’t do something intentionally bad. But the truth is, John invited me to his apartment with the intention of sleeping with me after shaking hands with my boyfriend.”
According to the magazine, other allegations that Crist sexted multiple women at the same time, had sexual relationships with both married and unmarried women and offered tickets to his shows in return for sexual favors.
Crist emailed Charisma an official statement regarding the allegations.
“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,” the statement reads in part. “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.”
Following the news that Crist had cancelled his “Immature Thoughts” Tour, multiple venues attributed the reason to concerns surrounding the comedian’s health.
“In an effort to focus on his health, John Crist has made the decision to postpone his 2020 tour dates,” JaxEvents tweeted.
Along with the cancellation of his tour, Crist’s book “Untag Me: The Subtle Art of Appearing Better than You Really Are,” has been postponed according to Charisma. His Netflix special, which was scheduled to air on Thanksgiving is “up in the air,” according to a Netflix spokesperson that spoke with Religion News Service.
“WaterBrook takes the troubling allegations of sexual misconduct against John Crist extremely seriously,” Waterbook said in a statement.“We are postponing the publication of his book.”
John Crist visited Samford University last year for his “Human Being Tour.” Crist graduated from Samford in 2006 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. Samford journalism professor Betsy Emmons, who taught Crist his freshman year, shared her reaction to the news.
“John was from freshman year an extroverted, funny, jovial student who very easily had a presence. He didn’t take over the classroom, but had a presence in the classroom. I do remember that his public speaking skills were on point,” Emmons said.
Emmons recalls Crist acknowledging that he was going to therapy or counseling on social media.
“I just assumed at the time it was probably some sort of substance abuse because it’s a very difficult lifestyle being up on stage,” she said.
Emmons said she is saddened by the news, and her heart is broken for both Crist and the victims.
“I also have empathy and compassion for any of the women who have felt victimized,” Emmons said. “Yes, my heart is broken for him, but those victims should not be forgotten in this.”
These allegations come after Lauren Alaina announced on the radio talk show “The Bobby Bones Show” in September that her and Crist broke up.
“There’s no big story,” Alaina said during the interview.“We were best friends before we dated and we are still best friends. It just didn’t work out.”
Crist’s last performance before the Charisma story was published took place at Liberty University on Nov. 1.
