Netflix drops John Crist Thanksgiving comedy special from calendar amid sexual misconduct allegations
Netflix is mulling whether to cancel John Crist’s comedy special amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the popular Christian comedian.
In an email to The Christian Post on Thursday, the day after Charisma News ran a story about multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Crist, a Netflix spokesperson said the debut was being held off. Netflix has already pulled the special from its calendar.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Crist would have a comedy special titled “I Ain't Prayin For That” scheduled for release on Netflix on Thanksgiving Day.
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“Ladies and gentlemen, listen, very important. Your boy, yours truly, will be bringing his next standup comedy special to Netflix, everybody!” Crist said in a Facebook video in October. “The rumors are 100 percent true, ladies and gentlemen. This Thanksgiving Day, my comedy special ‘I Ain't Prayin’ for That’ will be available worldwide.”
The page on Netflix's website that initially promoted the comedy special now shows a site error message, as it did when CP visited the site on Friday morning.
On Wednesday, Charisma News broke the story that five women have accused Crist of sexual misconduct, including sexting, having sexual relations with married women, and giving away show tickets in return for sexual favors.
“Many of the stories relayed to Charisma follow a similar pattern of behavior: Crist would initiate contact through social media, cultivate a flirty relationship and then initiate (or attempt to initiate) sexting and other sexual activities in addition to emotional manipulation,” reported Taylor Berglund of Charisma.
“Over the years, Crist's behavior has gradually become a kind of open secret among certain Christian circles. Some individuals contacted for the investigation expressed surprise that the general public was not already aware of Crist's behavior.”
The report included the testimonies of five women, who were given pseudonyms, even though four of the five gave permission to use their names, according to an editor’s note.
In a statement published by Charisma, Crist denied being “guilty of everything I've been accused of,” but he admitted to treating “relationships with women far too casually, in some cases even recklessly.”
“My behavior has been destructive and sinful. I've sinned against God, against women and the people who I love the most. I have violated my own Christian beliefs, convictions and values, and have hurt many people in the process,” Crist said.
“I am sorry for the hurt and pain I have caused these women and will continue to seek their forgiveness. I have also hurt the name of Jesus and have sought His forgiveness.”
