Pastor Keion Henderson adamantly supported his “mentor” T.D. Jakes, a person he has a “father-son relationship with,” amid various accusations and discussions about Jakes’ associates.
On the Sept. 20 episode of Cam Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast, Henderson broached the topic of Jakes’ controversial relationship with disgraced mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The Bad Boy Records founder is being held in a New Jersey jail until trial following his arrest last week for charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. At a hearing, Diddy plead not guilty and has been denied bond twice.
As for Jakes, his team shut down “unequivocally false and baseless” claims that he attended events hosted by Diddy and allegedly engaging in same-gender relationships, and allegedly participating in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor last December.
“I don’t know nothing about nothing,” Henderson stated before dismissing the line of questioning. He said, “Real journalism asks questions of the accused before they post.”
Bishop T.D. Jakes, who leads the Potter’s House mega-church in Dallas, Texas, came under increased scrutiny a month after Diddy’s settled a lawsuit from ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, allegedly for tens of millions, after accusing the hip-hop mogul of over a decade of abuse, rape and other claims in November 2023.
In February, Jakes was mentioned in another multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Diddy from his “The Love Album: Off the Grid” producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. Jones, seeking $30 million, made similar accusations of sexual harrassment, alleging he was drugged, possibly raped and forced to sleep with prostitutes.
Though Jakes was not named as a defendant, Lil Rod accused Diddy of planning to “leverage his relationship with Bishop T.D. Jakes, to soften the impact on his public image of Cassie Ventura’s lawsuit.”
The revelation bolstered persistent rumors that the two are closer than anyone realized. In 2022, Jakes was caught on video at Diddy’s 53rd birthday party, and he continues to vociferously deny rumors about his participation in sex parties at the rap mogul’s home.
“Ain’t nobody going to drag me into that conversation,” Henderson confessed on the podcast. “Ain’t nobody getting no sound bites out of me on that conversation. He don’t deserve that from me. He don’t deserve that from anybody who’s talking about it.”
Pastor TD Jakes addresses the Diddy rumors… pic.twitter.com/TFa1rN4i7m
— HarrietEve9 (@HarrietEve9) December 24, 2023
Pastor Keion fondly recounted how he was a starstruck 14-year-old when met Jakes and how they later forged an unbreakable bond as Henderson worked his way up the ladder.
“Man, the amount of information that that man has poured into me, not just about the Bible, he was there when I closed my biggest real estate deal,” he told Newton. “For me, the opposite of Lazy Love is reciprocity. Like, if anybody been good to you, you got to be good to them no matter what anybody thinks. So yeah, I’m gonna rock with him,” he added.
The conversation quickly turned to the controversy “looming in the ministry” because of the Diddy connection. The “Lazy Love” author responded by quoting the vice president of the United States from when she was 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 stated.
When Newton, a former NFL quarterback, pressed Shaunie Henderson’s husband for an answer, the typically forthcoming pastor cited “negativity bias” as his reason for refusing to comment.
“You scored two touchdowns today… ran for 115 yards, QB rating was 89, you had a good game. A day. Tomorrow, they talking about Tom Brady,” Henderson said, contrasting it with what happens after a fight at a barbecue. “They talk about it for two weeks because the negativity bias of people’s minds stays on negativity longer than they should,” he explained.
Pastor Keion knows first-hand what it’s like to be the target of public criticism. After one campus of The Lighthouse Church in Houston sustained heavy damage from Hurricane Beryl this past summer, he and his wife, Shaunie Henderson, asked their congregation to help foot the $4 million cost to build back bigger — and many former supporters cried foul. The couple have a combined estimated net worth of $43 million.
In a surprising admission on the podcast, Henderson confirmed that Jakes wrote him “the second check” to cover the expenses associated with Hurricane Beryl “when we didn’t even have a building to go into.”
“So my last word is he’s been good to me. I’m going to stay good to him,” Henderson added.
Why is Pastor Keion Henderson asking his church members to donate 4.4 million dollars to help to rebuild the church due to damage from the hurricane? The church should have insurance. Shaunie, please come get your husband.
— ItsSewToya (@SewToya) August 12, 2024
Many fans are commending the pastor’s loyalty to his longtime mentor. “What he wanted him to drag his own friend/mentor? That’s real loyalty at its finest,” wrote a staunch supporter on Instagram.
Another stated, “Unpopular opinion everyone diddy was around wasn’t part of his shenanigans, everyone around him didn’t participate in his nonsense!”
But the detractors made their opinions known, too, especially after Pastor Keion confirmed that T.D. Jakes made an investment in his church after Hurricane Beryl.
“So basically he cut you a check,” quipped a critic, with another adding, “He’s a celeb. Ain’t nothing about him pastorial.”
With Diddy’s federal investigation still “active and ongoing,” more charges and defendants may be coming in the months ahead; U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that “nothing is off the table” at a recent press conference, reported CNN. With that will come more rumors, too. As one put it on Instagram, “Y’all going to be disappointed over and over again if you worship or believe any human is perfect no matter their profession.”
