When 2019 rang in, most people probably were just trying to deal with the fact that a new year had arrived, but Pastor John Gray, of Relentless Church in Greenville, S.C., was dealing with a scandal.
In January a video surfaced of Gray admitting to his congregation that he let a woman get too close when he and his wife Aventer Gray were near divorce. The pastor also admitted that he was “failing as a husband.”
(From left) Aventer Gray, Pastor John Gray, Loni Love, and Adrienne Bailon . Pastor John Gray and his wife Aventer talked about rumors of his infidelity on “The Real” (Photo: The Real Daytime YouTube Channel)
“I started listening to the wrong voices and let some people get too close. She found out, and she set it off, just like a good wife should,” he explained.
What added another level of scandal to his story was that in late 2018 Gray bought his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini, and there was speculation that the gift was to make up for the other woman and for allegedly getting her pregnant.
On Monday, March 11, the Grays appeared on an episode of “The Real,” and co-host Adrienne Bailon asked the pastor flat-out if he had had an affair.
“The answer is no. I didn’t,” he said. “Over a year ago, my wife and I were in a very difficult place in our marriage, and in that time I began to converse with someone other than a counselor, other than a pastoral leader … And I was even in the presence of that person one time.”
“I did not sleep with anyone, there’s no baby, there’s none of that,” the pastor added. “Sharing things about my marriage, outside of my wife and outside of trusted counselors is an emotional affair. It’s wrong, and I take responsibility for that. But I will not take responsibility for that which I did not do.”
A YouTube clip of the episode generated various responses from people who thought Gray was lying.
“Their body language says they’re being dishonest. They made more eye contact with the ceiling,” one person commented.
“Tbh he still had an emotional affair — and he met up with this mystery women? Hmmm…it sounds sketchy,” another wrote.
One commenter just said: “No hate, but something about this couple don’t sit right with me.”
Another wrote: “Cringe Worthy Damage Control” about the couple’s visit.
Then there were some who told the Grays’ critics to leave them alone, because whatever occurred is their business alone.
“I feel like this not my pastor, this not my marriage, it’s not my business 🤷🏾♀️,” one person commented.
And based on an Instagram post by Aventer Gray, it seems she was tired of the talk surrounding her marriage and chose to go on “The Real” to set the record straight.
“Everyone else has had their moment to post what they think they know,” she wrote on Monday before her visit aired. “We share from our heart and clarify the REAL.”
