In a breaking article published by Charisma News, John Crist announced the cancellation of his 2019 tour dates following allegations of sexting, harassing, and coercing young women.
While changing the names of their primary sources to protect the five women who came forward, Charisma claims this is not a reflection on their credibility.
“The names of primary sources have been replaced with pseudonyms,” the publication wrote in an editor’s note. “This was an intentional decision made by Charisma and should not reflect on the witnesses’ credibility; four of the five women stood by their claims enough to let us publicize their names. After prayerful deliberation, our editorial board has chosen instead to protect the reputations and identities of those sources.”
The first of five witnesses who explained her unsettling encounter with Crist was *Kate. Admitting that she was “blown away” when Crist invited her to do an interview with him for her senior project, Kate had no concerns whatsoever that such a well-respected Christian figure could be a threat to her.
Kate explained that she opened up to the comedian about her mental health struggles, addiction issues, and how he inspired her to become an interviewer and podcaster. In return, Crist confided in her with some of his own struggles.
“It was at this point John confided in both my boyfriend and me that he was a sex addict,” said Kate. “Both my boyfriend and I felt it was cool how open he was about his past, and I continued to feel grateful and excited I was getting to meet my comedy idol. Moreover, I was so excited to have a mentor I had so much in common with.”
However, it didn’t take long for her to discover that Crist’s intentions may not be as Christ-like as the persona he projected on stage.
After he got her number, invited her to go roller-skating with a bottle of raspberry vodka in hand, and then made advances on her in her drunken state, Kate knew she was seeing a different side of the man she idolized.
Crist crudely explained how badly he wanted to have sex with her, but Kate turned him down, reiterating that she had a boyfriend.
“I was truly blinded by his celebrity status,” Kate admitted. “The one thing that stopped me from believing he was creepy is John so proudly parades his face as a Christian. 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.”
Even two years later, Kate is emotionally wrecked by the shocking encounter and says it’s hard for her to know “what it means to be Christian after being so disgustingly let down by a role model I considered a man of God.”