Yahoo News Fired Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz to Give First Interview in New FX Docuseries ‘Secrets of Hillsong’
UPDATED with an editor’s note below
FX has set a new docuseries, “The Secrets of Hillsong,” which will feature the first interviews with married couple Carl and Laura Lentz since they were ousted as pastors of the infamous megachurch.
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The four-part series is based on reporting from Vanity Fair’s Alex French and Dan Adler about Hillsong, which became famous for attracting celebrities like Justin and Hailey Bieber and Kylie and Kendall Jenner — before the church was exposed for involvement in misconduct including marital infidelity and child sexual abuse.
The church was previously the subject of the Discovery+ docuseries “Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed.”
Along with the Lentzes, “The Secrets of Hillsong” includes interviews with former congregants and others connected to the church, such as Tiff Perez, Ashley Jones and Mary Jones, Josh Canfield, Janice Lagata, Geoff Bullock, David Shoebridge, David Cowdrey and Tanya Levin.
Stacey Lee directs the docuseries, which hails from Scout Productions and Vanity Fair Studios. Executive producers include French, Adler, David Collins, Joel Chiodi, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, Agnes Chu and Sarah Amos.
“With the depth and clarity of this project owed to the excellent reporting of Vanity Fair, and the perspectives of those speaking out for the very first time, we have been committed to telling a well-rounded and definitive story of Hillsong,” said Chiodi, who serves as head of documentary at Scout Productions. “Because of these voices, along with unprecedented access to Carl and Laura Lentz, ‘The Secrets of Hillsong’ offers new insights into how decades of scandal and corruption went unchecked within the church, and more importantly, at what it meant for the community left in their rubble.”
“Uncovering stories that contend with power and the people who hold it is core to Vanity Fair’s mission,” said Chu, president of Condé Nast Entertainment. “Thanks to stellar reporting by Alex French and Dan Adler, and the courage of those who stepped forward to share their experiences, we know that power —and its systemic abuse over people seeking faith and community — is central to the Hillsong collapse. I’m grateful to our partners at Scout Productions, and to FX for helping us bring this eye-opening story to light.”
“The Secrets of Hillsong” premieres on May 19 at 10 p.m. with two episodes, followed by two more episodes on May 26.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Through an editing error the original version of this article erroneously stated that Carl Lentz’s father sexually abused him. This information was incorrect, without any basis and has been removed. Variety regrets the error.
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