Hillsong Church Scandal: The Woman Carl Lentz Allegedly Had an Affair With Speaks Out

Hillsong Church pastor Carl Lentz’s scandal appears to be far from over. 

Ranin Karim, a woman who alleges she had an affair with Lentz, is speaking out in a new interview with Vanity Fair. (Lentz admitted on Instagram earlier this month to being “unfaithful in his marriage.”) 

Karim, who lives in New York City and is a jewelry designer, says she was not aware that Lentz would be posting about the cheating on Instagram. “I was hurt, yeah,” she said. “I wanted to speak my part.” She claims the two had a five-month affair (during the pandemic) and that he told her he “managed celebrities.” When she asked him for more information, she says he told her, “You don’t have to Google me.” However, she found out his last name by doing a reverse phone number search. 

“I know what I got myself into, but at the same time I wanted to do the right thing and walk, walk away,” Karim said. “I am not a monster.” She admits in the interview that she was in love with Carl Lentz but regrets the affair. “I really wish I never met him,” she said. “I told him that many times because it was just, just like, what’s the point?”

Karim says the two did eventually talk about Lentz’s role at Hillsong Church. “He was very conflicted with his own work,” she told Vanity Fair. She also said she spoke to the former pastor after he was fired and that he “feels free.” 

“I think it’s [Hillsong] a joke, I’m sorry,” Karim said. “It’s not genuine. That’s the truth. It’s a money machine…and I think it’s wrong. I think he is a victim of his own church. He gave his life to this church, and that’s how they played him.”

In case you’re not totally up to speed, the megachurch leader—who once served as a close spiritual advisor to Justin Bieber—was fired from his position because of “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.” The news was announced in a statement from Hillsong founder Brian Houston. 

In a subsequent Instagram post, Lentz admitted to cheating on his wife, Laura, who was also reportedly let go from her position at the church. “I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that,” he wrote. “This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions.” 

Lentz has not spoken publicly about who he was unfaithful with and did not respond to Vanity Fair’s requests for comment.