Pastor Joel Osteen sat down on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast this week and made it known that he’s been holding the rapper in his prayers, believing that despite all the controversy and chaos, West’s got genuine faith underneath it all.
The pastor’s been around Kanye West before, back in 2018 when the artist showed up at Lakewood Church in Houston and spoke openly about his commitment to Jesus. That connection left an impression on Osteen, who described West as respectful, kind, and sincere during their time together. Osteen emphasized that his personal experience with West paints a completely different picture than what the headlines have been screaming about. West had a rough few years in the court of public opinion after his antisemitic remarks drew serious backlash, though he’s since issued a public apology and opened up about his mental health struggles. He even expressed openness to reconnecting with West if the opportunity presents itself, saying he’d be willing to help however he can. The timing of this message hits different too, because West is in the middle of a serious comeback right now.