Kanye West, Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry are three of the celebrities lined up to join Pastor Joel Osteen and his Lakewood Church for a virtual service this Easter, on Sunday, April 12.
Osteen spoke about the event with TMZ in an interview that TMZ published online on Wednesday. He shared that Kanye reached out to him about wanting to do something for Easter.
As for Carey, Osteen said he’s known her for quite some time. He also said she contacted him to help make a tribute for health-care workers, as well as other first responders who are helping during this pandemic.
Osteen then talked about how Perry got involved.
“Tyler has spoken at my church before,” he explained. “He’s a very powerful speaker, so he sent us a five-minute clip where he’s just encouraging everybody through this difficult time.
“He’s just a very loving man and a very generous man and just became a good friend of ours,” added Osteen. “People at Lakewood love him … He supports the ministry, and he’s generous with his time and with his finances.”
Osteen also said that he isn’t exactly sure what West will do for the service musically, but he plans to use his choir while still practicing social distancing.
“Kanye is one of a kind,” stated Osteen. “He’ll figure out some way to do it.”
West and Osteen first joined forces in November of last year when the rapper performed at his Lakewood Church.
They also planned to co-host a worship service at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York this May, but that event has since been postponed because of the virus outbreak.
