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Kanye West does not have a lot of people defending him these days. But at least one person is willing to throw themselves in front of the fire to protect him — megachurch pastor, Joel Osteen.
Joel Osteen Stands Behind Kanye West Despite Past Controversy
Osteen appeared on this week’s episode of Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast earlier this month. And said that despite West being the subject of public scrutiny by many, he has not given up on him just yet.
“I believe he has a heart for God and a heart to do the right thing,” Osteen said when asked his thoughts about the controversy surrounding the Grammy-winner (via AllHipHop).
Kanye became the topic of controversy in 2025 for his constant display of erratic behavior. Aside from the multitude of social media rants, West also leaned into antisemitism. Even dropping a song called Heil Hitler. Those chickens came home to roost in 2026 when he was announced as the headliner for Wireless Festival in London. However, the UK government quickly nixed that after denying West a visa to perform, based on his past behavior.
Osteen says that rather than ridiculing West, as many others have done, he has instead decided to pray for him.
“I pray for him often because I know his heart. We need to pray,” he added while also empathizing with Ye’s struggles with mental health.
“Mental illnesses are real, and they can throw you off,” he said. “But I believe you can be healed and you can be restored.”
Earlier this year, West apologized to the communities that he had hurt in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. All of it went too far,” he said. “I look at the wreckage of my episode and realize that this isn’t who I am. As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realize and understand which side of history I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity.”
