Pastor Carl Lentz spent years as Justin Bieber‘s spiritual confidant — baptizing him, hosting him and shaping his public faith identity — before a 2020 infidelity scandal detonated both his career and his friendship with one of pop’s biggest couples.
Now, with the former Hillsong NYC pastor and his wife, Laura Lentz, revisiting the fallout in their 2026 book, Overcoming Infidelity: 10 Conversations to Help Heal the Hurt, fresh details about how Justin and wife Hailey Bieber cut ties have put the saga back in the spotlight.
Scroll below to learn more about Carl’s history with Justin and Hailey:
Carl Lentz and Justin Bieber’s Friendship
Carl cofounded Hillsong NYC and quickly became one of the most recognizable celebrity-adjacent pastors in the country, drawing Justin and Hailey, as well as Chris Pratt, Selena Gomez and Kourtney Kardashian, into the megachurch’s orbit.
Carl baptized Justin in a former NBA player’s bathtub in 2014, later inviting the singer to live with his family in New Jersey during a rocky stretch of the singer’s life.
“This boy is 21. He’s in a horribly toxic world,” Carl told GQ in a December 2015 profile. “He is trying to do his best to figure this out. He has never been anybody but who he has professed to be, which is a work in progress.”
Carl, however, has long downplayed his specific role in Justin’s faith.
“I think Justin has a really deep, mature relationship with Jesus,” the pastor exclusively told Us in November 2017. “I don’t think my teaching or my preaching has made even remotely as big of an impact as his own desire and passion and love for Jesus.”
Carl Lentz’s Hillsong Firing
Hillsong Church Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston announced Carl’s termination in November 2020.
“This action has been taken following ongoing discussions in relation to leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures,” Houston said in his statement, adding, “In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here.”
The next day, Carl admitted via Instagram that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Laura, with whom he shares three children: Ava, Charlie and Roman.
“I was unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life and held accountable for that,” he wrote on November 5, 2020. “This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Justin and Hailey Bieber Allegedly Evict Carl and Laura Lentz After Hillsong Firing
The Biebers had allowed the Lentz family to use their New York City apartment after Carl and his wife moved out of their New Jersey home. In the Lentzes’ book, Laura alleged that the Biebers had invited them to stay “as long as we needed it” — until the cheating scandal broke.
“It was somebody on Justin’s team calling to say that we needed to be out of his and Hailey’s apartment in the next 24 hours,” Laura recalled in one chapter. “We hastily packed our things and loaded them into a rented U-Haul.”
Carl, for his part, described the demand as “one more kick in the ribs” while his family was “already down for the count,” though he later wrote that he saw “God’s hand” in the move because the apartment was located near the home of the woman he had an affair with.
Carl further acknowledged the strain the scandal put on his friendship with Justin, writing, “Our public relationship tied [Justin’s] faith journey to mine. As the media stories about my infidelity unmasked me as a fraud, it dragged him and [his wife Hailey Bieber] into a publicity nightmare they never asked for.”
Us reached out to Justin and Hailey, who have not addressed the claims, for comment.
Justin Bieber Leaves Hillsong for Churchome
Justin publicly cut ties with Hillsong in January 2021, pushing back on a Page Six report that he was allegedly studying to become a Hillsong pastor.
“I’M NOT STUDYING TO BE A MINISTER OR ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE TO THAT. HAVE NO DESIRE FOR THAT,” he wrote on Instagram Stories at the time. “BTW HILLSONG IS NOT MY CHURCH. FOR CLARITY I AM A PART OF CHURCHOME.”
Hailey, for her part, unfollowed Carl on Instagram.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
