Months after Pastor John Gray was prayed over by T.D. Jakes concerning rumors of his infidelity, voicemails apparently left by Gray to his mistress have come to light — and the messages indicate their affair was not purely emotional.
That’s what Gray had maintained during a sit-down on “The Real” on March 11 with his wife, Pastor Aventer Gray.
“Being in the presence of someone is not the same as sleeping with them,” he said at the time. “I did not sleep with anyone. There is no baby. There’s none of that. So it’s important for me to take responsibility for the areas where I did come up short. Sharing things about my marriage outside of my wife and outside of trusted counselors, it was wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”
Pastor John Gray (right) and Aventer Gray (left) attend NAACP Image Awards special screening of OWN’s “The Book of John Gray” at Raleigh Studios on Jan. 11, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo: Robin L Marshall/Getty Images)
However, the alleged mistress, whose identity remains unknown, told the “Larry Reid Live” online entertainment news show on March 11 that the pastor would come on to her after stepping in to help her during hard times.
“He would say, ‘The Lord told me that you need some money so go ahead and check your cash app. I already put money in your account.’ Then he’ll be like, ‘What color panties you got on? Let me see your nipples,'” she alleged.
There was one instance when Gray was supposed to meet his alleged paramour in Atlanta but wound up being unable to do so, according to the entertainment talk show. The pastor left an irritated voicemail instead.
“Yo are you like ignoring me now? I’m just trying to make sure,” he fires off. “Let me get this straight. I’m being ignored by someone who I have sought to sow seed into, get resources to. I’m in your city and I can’t get a call back. I just wanted to make sure I got my facts straight. Got it!”
Later on, the woman is said to have called him back and Gray supposedly booked a room for her at the same hotel he and his wife were staying in. Aventer supposedly later saw the text messages her husband and mistress exchanged, and as their home imploded John Gray left another message.
“When you get this message, delete it,” he says. “My wife saw our text messages from Friday. She knows you were in the same hotel as me and she does not know that I went to your room. She doesn’t remember me leaving. She’s got your number.”
Two weeks after the “Larry Reid Live” report, Gray issued a renewed response on his infidelity. On Instagram March 25, he denied once again that he had ever slept with someone other than his “rib” who previously described his mistress as a “strange woman” she “put scripture on.”
“The last three months have been the hardest of my life,” the pastor began in his lengthy post, accompanied by a photo of his wife. “So many things said about me. Some of it true. Most of it not. I didn’t sleep with anyone. Period. God is my witness. And anyone who I’m accountable to will tell you that when I’m wrong–and I’ve been wrong many times–I’ve admitted, repented and moved forward. And Ive gone to God and faced ME in a way I’ve never done before. And I’m a better man for it. Some seasons simply teach you a lesson and you move on. But this season was different. People wanted blood. And on the spiritual side the devil wanted to mute me. That will never happen.”
He went on to praise his wife for her strength and support.
“So I said all that to say this: if you want to dog me out, call me names, dismiss me as many people have, That’s fine. But keep my wife’s name out of your mouth,” he went on. “She’s been the rock in this family and in my life in spite of me. So try me if you want. But you gon’ honor her. And so am I. And I’ll do so with the rest of my life. Im fair game. My wife and kids are not. My brokenness is my own. Don’t dishonor the one who loved me through it. Ever. I love you Aventer. #LoveYall #leavemyfamilynameoutofyourmouth #AlsoImNotTalkingAboutNoneOfThisAnymore.”
Fans largely responded in kind and boosted the preacher.
“Praying for you Pastor!”
“Stay strong and you will come out victorious. Strong testimony to God and your wife. God bless you.”
“Amen.”
“✊🏽💯♥️”
