Comedic offerings continue to pour in days after gospel singer Marvin Sapp shook the internet with his $40,000 donation request from churchgoers. Now, fellow purveyor of the musical good word Kirk Franklin is getting in on the action.
The “Stomp” composer posted a group photo of himself, singer John P. Kee, Sapp, musicians Zacardi Cortez, Jon McReynolds, Isaac Carree, and producer Eric Dawkins on April 3. The image was taken at the 2025 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards in Atlanta earlier that day, where Kee received the Trailblazer of Gospel recognition.
His caption read, “Open The Doors!” which was widely interpreted as a reaction to the resurfaced video of Sapp ordering ushers to “close the doors” during the 109th Pentecostal Assemblies of the World Convention in August 2024. He tagged everyone except for the target of the joke.
The “Never Would Have Made It” artist went on to ask that 1,000 attendees donate $20 and that 1,000 more who were tuned in to the livestream do the same. The clip began to circulate on March 26, generating an array of reactions. The same digital outpouring unfolded as Franklin’s post landed on The Shade Room.
“Kirk might as well go into comedy,” wrote someone who assumed the Grammy Award-winning songwriter was making light of the controversy. “And Marvin should respond with how Kirk was cussin in that phone call & got exposed,” wrote someone hoping that a petty exchange between the men would resurface Franklin’s volatile 2021 leaked phone call with adult son Kerrion Franklin.
A third individual wrote, “Pastor beef? Good lord.”
Despite some fan reactions, there is no indication that the faith figures are at odds. Someone completely turned off by the jest commented, “This is so distasteful.”
During a March 31 interview on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show,” Sapp revealed backlash to his “close the doors” snafu provoked people to call The Chosen Vessel Church, where he serves as senior pastor in Fort Worth, Texas, to cuss him out and to issue death threats.
He also clarified, “I never said lock the doors… Shutting the doors means people still have the ability to go in and out,” but that he had been more assertive than necessary. The “Who Can I Run To” actor has limited comments on his Instagram posts but has still managed to make light of the situation by promoting upcoming church events with #shutthedoors.
