He lentzed him some change.
Tyler Perry dropped nearly $100,000 so disgraced Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz and his family could live in a luxury Los Angeles mansion, the UK’s Sun is reporting.
Perry, 51, covered six months of rent upfront on the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom Manhattan Beach home — valued at $4 million — where Lentz, 36, and his family moved after unloading their New Jersey home days before he was sacked from the megachurch for infidelity.
The Sun reports that in addition to splurging on the $16,000-per-month rental, Perry has been a shoulder to cry on for Lentz, who’s been “leaning” on Perry since his dramatic fall from grace. Another source told the paper the pair have been “consistently” talking with each other.
“Tyler has been friends with Carl and his wife, Laura, for years and is sticking by them and their kids during this difficult time,” a source said. Indeed, Perry posted a picture of himself on a plane reading Lentz’s “Own the Moment” in 2018, and the pair now share a PR firm in Hollywood power players Sunshine Sachs, who also rep Ryan Seacrest and Meghan Markle.
Hillsong founder Brian Houston publicly cited “moral failures” when Lentz got the boot. Recently leaked audio suggested that Lentz was unfaithful several times — including with Brooklyn designer Ranin Karim, whom he split from in October — and former Hillsong members echoed that accusation on social media, alleging that Lentz’s behavior was known to Hillsong for years.
Lentz — who could still collect a severance package from the church — and Laura, who was also reportedly fired from Hillsong, are in “intense therapy” following the scandal. The two have been spotted out with their kids while in LA, and apparently, nothing will keep Lentz from doffing his shirt, as he’s already also been snapped sans chemise on the beach, talking on the phone and meditating.
Hillsong has hired an independent law firm to investigate its inner workings after Lentz’s tarnishing of the megachurch’s million-dollar brand.