Is it too late to say sorry?
Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Bieber, are facing accusations that they abruptly withdrew an offer to house the singer’s former pastor and close friend, Carl Lentz, and his family following his highly publicized cheating scandal in November 2020.
Carl and his wife, Laura Lentz, opened up about the alleged incident in their new book, revealing how the celebrity couple reportedly changed their minds about letting the family stay in their New York apartment after news of Carl’s infidelity began making headlines.
In “Overcoming Infidelity: 10 Conversations to Help You Heal the Hurt,” Laura recalled that the family had spent months preparing for a possible move to Brooklyn before their plans suddenly fell apart.
“We’d been planning a potential move to Brooklyn for months,” Laura wrote, according to a Thursday report by the Daily Mail.
Carl Lentz and his wife, Laura Lentz (pictured together above), detailed in their new book how Justin and Hailey Bieber allegedly gave their family just 24 hours to leave the celebrity couple’s apartment.
According to Laura, Justin, 32, and Hailey, 29, had initially welcomed the former Hillsong pastor, his wife and their three children — Ava, 22, Charlie, 20, and Roman, 17 — to stay at their home while searching for a permanent place to live.
The Biebers reportedly encouraged the family to take their time finding a new home and assured them they could stay as long as necessary. However, that arrangement allegedly came to an abrupt end after Carl’s extramarital affair became public.
“Somebody on Justin’s team [called] to say we needed to be out of his and Hailey’s apartment in the next 24 hours. We hastily packed our things and loaded them into a rented U-Haul,” Laura, 48, recalled.
Carl, 47, described the sudden eviction as a “kick to the ribs” at a time when he was “already down for the count,” following his dismissal from Hillsong Church in Manhattan over what church officials described as “moral failures.”
Reflecting on the painful experience, the former pastor acknowledged responsibility for his actions but expressed regret over the impact on his family.
“I deserved to be kicked to the curb, but I felt Laura and the kids were just innocent bystanders suffering once again for my sins,” he wrote.
Carl Lentz (pictured above with his wife, Laura) was dismissed from Hillsong Church in 2020 over alleged “moral failures” after revelations of his extramarital affair sparked widespread controversy.
Although the former pastor admitted he was “devastated” by the impact the situation had on his family, he now recognizes that his actions also placed Justin Bieber in an extremely difficult position.
Carl acknowledged that the cheating scandal destroyed his once-close friendship with the Grammy-winning singer, explaining that the controversy unexpectedly pulled Justin and Hailey Bieber into a “publicity nightmare they never asked for.”
Representatives for Justin and Hailey did not respond to Page Six’s requests for comment regarding the allegations.
Despite the turmoil, Carl and Laura have remained married. In their book, published on October 20, the couple revealed that most of their friends distanced themselves when the scandal erupted.
However, they singled out filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry as one of the few people who stood by them during their darkest moments.
According to the couple, Perry was the only person who “walked straight into [the] fire while the embers were still white hot and offered help,” providing support when many others had gone silent.
Carl Lentz admitted that his infidelity scandal had dragged Justin and Hailey Bieber into a “publicity nightmare they never asked for,” putting a significant strain on their once-close friendship.
Amid the fallout, Hollywood filmmaker Tyler Perry, 57, stepped in to help the disgraced former Hillsong pastor, his wife Laura, and their three children by offering them a place to stay at his mansion in Manhattan Beach, California.
The property was reportedly different from the home Perry had previously offered to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal duties and relocated to the United States in 2020.
Perry has maintained a close relationship with Carl and Laura over the years. He recently praised their new book on social media, describing their story as “moving.”
Meanwhile, Justin Bieber has never publicly addressed Carl’s cheating controversy or the reported breakdown of their friendship. However, the Grammy-winning singer and his wife, Hailey, reportedly unfollowed the Lentz family on social media in 2020 as the scandal unfolded.
In a 2021 interview with GQ, Justin appeared to reflect on his experiences with religious leadership, making cryptic remarks about church figures who place themselves “on a pedestal.” However, he did not specifically identify Carl as the subject of those comments.
Carl and Laura Lentz’s new book, “Overcoming Infidelity: 10 Conversations to Help You Heal the Hurt,” was released on October 20, offering an intimate look at their marriage, the fallout from Carl’s cheating scandal, and its impact on their relationships with high-profile friends.
Justin Bieber and Carl Lentz’s friendship began in 2008, years before the former Hillsong pastor became embroiled in controversy. Their bond grew so strong that the “Baby” singer temporarily moved into the Lentz family’s New Jersey home in 2014 while seeking a break from the pressures of fame.
In a 2017 interview with the Associated Press, Carl reflected on that period, describing it as a meaningful chapter in their friendship.
“There was a period where he just needed to get out of dodge, his regular life, and lived with us,” Carl recalled, calling the experience a “pretty special time.”
He explained that the family wanted to give Justin an opportunity to escape the relentless demands of celebrity life and experience a sense of normalcy.
“We thought maybe it would be cool for a little bit just to check out of the grind that you’re in as one of the biggest stars in the world and just be normal,” he added.
Their friendship remained close for years, with Carl even receiving an invitation to Justin and Hailey Bieber’s wedding in 2019, before the pastor’s 2020 infidelity scandal reportedly fractured their relationship.
