How Kanye West Really Feels About Joel Osteen
Every industry often has a figurehead or two attached to it. When you hear "basketball," you think of Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. When you hear "wrestling," you think of John Cena or Hulk Hogan. When you hear "innovation," you think Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos (well, this one really depends on who you ask). But when you hear "televangelism," there is only one man fit to lead the charge: Joel Osteen.
Osteen, who is as widely revered as he is reviled, is arguably the most famous televangelist of them all. With his charismatic speeches and Matthew McConaughey-esque facial structure, Osteen represents the ideal sonic and visual package for many, and thus, has amassed millions of followers over his famed career. But despite televangelism's seemingly good intentions, Osteen's line of work has long been the subject of criticism for their documented money-grabbing ways. And the irony of it all? 1 Timothy 6:10 states, "For the love of money is the root of all evil" (via BibleGateway).
Despite such, Osteen and the business of televangelism still maintain their legion of supporters. Osteen himself even has a devoted sect of celebrities who go to bat for him, including Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey. A mysterious case, however, is the relationship between Osteen and fellow Christian devotee, Kanye West. The highly controversial hip-hop star is known for always stirring the pot, so how exactly does Kanye West feel about Joel Osteen?
Kanye West had a lot of praise for Joel Osteen's mission
In 2019, Joel Osteen and Kanye West linked up for conversation amidst a packed house at Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. You know, the same church Osteen allegedly refused to open the doors to after Houstonians were battered by Hurricane Harvey? (Reuters says otherwise.) Well, the 21-minute conversation, which has received nearly 3 million views on YouTube, featured the two discussing God and how Ye came to partner with Osteen following his mental health struggles.
Near the end of the video, Osteen asks Kanye if he has anything he'd like to mention before they depart. The rapper then followed up with a long-winded soliloquy to God himself: "Thank you for this moment, thank you for the anointed words and the mission that Joel has been set on [and the] hundreds of thousands of people that Joel has brought to Christ," Kanye stated, per CBN News.
Kanye and Osteen's meetup at Lakewood Church was not a one-off, either. The two eventually developed a fruitful relationship that saw them continually promoting their spiritual endeavors in interesting ways. Stay tuned, because this one is a doozy.
Kanye West and Joel Osteen allegedly 'walked' on water
Even if you're not a devout believer, chances are you're aware of how Jesus Christ walked on water. Even though that is a feat humanly impossible, that did not stop avid believers Joel Osteen and Kanye West from staging a similar event. In 2020, TMZ reported that the two held one of Kanye's Sunday Service gatherings, which featured a number of devoted followers rocking what appeared to be prison garb and "walking" on water.
The outlet noted that Osteen delivered a sermon discussing Jesus' water-walking endeavors and how Saint Peter endured a similar fate. In a shocking turn of events, Osteen, West, and company then led the group of followers onto the water in a jarring replication of the New Testament's accounts. "I'm watching these fine men and women singing. It looks like they're walking on water and my mind goes back to that time where Jesus invited Peter to walk on the water," Osteen said during the service as he himself stood on some good ol' H2O, per Entertainment Tonight.
And of course, social media had a field day with the incident, as users likened the service to "cult" behavior and deemed it "disrespectful" and "embarrassing," per Complex. Only time will tell what West and Osteen will plan next for their fellow believers.