Despite numerous allegations and discussions about Jakes’ staff, Pastor Keion Henderson vehemently supported his “mentor” TD Jakes, a person with whom he has a “father-son relationship.”
On the September 20 episode of Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast, Henderson addressed Jakes’ controversial relationship with disgraced mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The Bad Boy Records founder is being held in a New Jersey jail pending trial after being arrested last week on charges of sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit organized crime and transportation for the purpose of prostitution. Diddy pleaded not guilty at a hearing and was twice denied bail.
As for Jakes, his team refuted “clearly false and unsubstantiated” allegations that he attended events hosted by Diddy and allegedly engaged in same-sex relationships and engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor last December.
“I know nothing about nothing,” Henderson said before dismissing the questioning. He said, “Real journalism asks the accused questions before they publish anything.”
Bishop TD Jakes, who leads the Potter’s House megachurch in Dallas, Texas, came under increased scrutiny a month after Diddy settled a lawsuit reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars in November 2023 from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who had accused the hip-hop mogul of abuse, rape and other allegations spanning a decade.
In February, Jakes was named in another multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Diddy, filed against him by his producer for “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. Jones, who is seeking $30 million, made similar sexual harassment allegations, claiming he was drugged, possibly raped and forced to sleep with prostitutes.
Although Jakes was not named as a defendant, Lil Rod accused Diddy of planning to “exploit his relationship with Bishop TD Jakes to mitigate the impact of Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit on his public image.”
The revelation bolstered persistent rumors that the two are closer than anyone thought. In 2022, Jakes was videotaped at Diddy’s 53rd birthday party, and he continues to loudly deny rumors about his attendance at sex parties at the rap mogul’s home.
“Nobody is going to drag me into this conversation,” Henderson admitted on the podcast. “Nobody is going to get any sound from me about this conversation. He doesn’t deserve that from me. He doesn’t deserve that from anyone who talks about it.”
Pastor TD Jakes addresses the rumors about Diddy… pic.twitter.com/TFa1rN4i7m
– HarrietEve9 (@HarrietEve9) December 24, 2023
Pastor Keion fondly recounted how he was completely smitten with fame when he met Jakes as a 14-year-old, and how they later forged an unbreakable bond as Henderson climbed the corporate ladder.
“Man, this man has given me so much information, not only about the Bible, but he was there when I made my biggest real estate deal,” he told Newton. “To me, the opposite of lazy love is reciprocity. If someone has been nice to you, you have to be nice to them, no matter what anyone thinks. So, yeah, I’ll rock with him,” he added.
The conversation quickly turned to the controversy “simmering in the department” over the Diddy connection. The “Lazy Love” author responded by quoting the Vice President of the United States when asked about Donald Trump’s idiotic remarks questioning Harris’ blackness.
“I’ll just put it in the words of Kamala Harris when Dana Bash asked her a question about Donald Trump: ‘Next question, please,'” Henderson explained.
When Newton, a former NFL quarterback, pressed Shaunie Henderson’s husband for a response, the usually accommodating pastor cited a “negativity bias” as the reason for his refusal to comment.
“You scored two touchdowns today… ran for 115 yards, your QB rating was 89, you played a good game. For one day. Tomorrow they’re talking about Tom Brady,” Henderson said, comparing it to what happens after a fight at a barbecue. “They talk about it for two weeks because the negative bias in people’s minds stays with the negativity longer than it should,” he explained.
Pastor Keion knows firsthand what it’s like to be the target of public criticism. After a Lighthouse Church campus in Houston was badly damaged by Hurricane Beryl last summer, he and his wife, Shaunie Henderson, asked their congregation to step in and fund the $4 million needed to rebuild it – and many former supporters cried foul. The couple’s estimated combined net worth is $43 million.
In a surprising admission on the podcast, Henderson confirmed that Jakes wrote him “the second check” to cover costs related to Hurricane Beryl, “when we didn’t even have a building to go into.”
“So my final word is that he was good to me. I will continue to be good to him,” Henderson added.
Why is Pastor Keion Henderson asking his parishioners to donate $4.4 million to help rebuild the church after the hurricane damage? The church should be insured. Shaunie, please come and pick up your husband.
— ItsSewToya (@SewToya) 12 August 2024
Many fans praise the pastor’s loyalty to his longtime mentor. “What did he want, dragging his own friend/mentor? That’s true loyalty in its purest form,” wrote one staunch supporter on Instagram.
Another said: “The unpopular opinion of everyone he knew was not part of his antics, no one around him joined in his nonsense!”
But critics also voiced their opinions, especially after Pastor Keion confirmed that TD Jakes had invested in his church after Hurricane Beryl.
“So he basically wrote you a check,” joked one critic, with another adding, “He’s a celebrity. There’s nothing rustic about him.”
With Diddy’s investigation still “active and ongoing,” more charges and defendants could be added in the coming months; U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said at a recent press conference that “nothing is out of the question,” CNN reported. With that, more rumors will swirl. As one person put it on Instagram, “You’re all going to be disappointed time and time again if you idolize a person or believe they’re perfect, no matter what profession they have.”
