Word Network aware of ‘Jesus’ prophet Joshua Holmes’ sex tape, won’t say if he’s now banned
The Word Network, which dubs itself as “the largest, African-American religious network in the WORLD!,” confirmed Tuesday that they are aware of a sex tape featuring self-styled Texas prophet Joshua Holmes, but would not say if he would continue to appear on their platform.
A representative who did not give her name during a discussion with The Christian Post, confirmed that Holmes' infidelity was brought to their attention but could not say if the network would bar him from making further appearances.
“It’s not something that I’m at liberty to speak on,” the representative told CP before directing further questions to David Sheffield, the network’s general manager. Sheffield did not immediately respond to questions from CP.
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Holmes, who has posted videos on social media encouraging his followers to make donations to the network, was a featured guest of Bishop George G. Bloomer on the platform just last month where he delivered a vague prophesy about what 2019 would look like. He was also a featured guest on the Word Network's "Greg Davis Live" show last fall where he declared that the Lord had been leading him to focus on "wealth in the body of Christ."
In 2016, The Comcast Corporation, the world's largest media corporation with headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, replaced The Word Network with the Bishop Wayne T. Jackson-led Impact Television Network due to what a Comcast representative said was a lack of variety in the network’s programming targeting lucrative markets of black Americans on the East and West Coasts.
"We've been told that there are certain states that will still be carrying it (The Word Network) and they made the decision that the Impact channel has a broader array of programming, and so they opted to drop The Word channel and replace it with the Impact channel in certain markets," a representative told CP at the time.
Holmes’ wife, Stephanie, with whom he has a young daughter, publicly commented on her husband’s infidelity and the women involved during a Facebook Live broadcast with internet personality Larry Reid.
“Anything after me issa’ downgrade! They ain’t even on the scale of cute,” she noted last Wednesday.
Holmes’ origins remains unclear and his team has repeatedly dodged interview requests from CP.
On his Instagram account, however, he has posted several videos promoting his ministry, including one in which he claims to have healed a woman from blindness.
The flamboyant young minister, whom many critics have dismissed as a dangerous departure from orthodox Christianity, rose to internet stardom as many of his followers began claiming he was “Jesus in the flesh” and promotional videos for his ministry began showing women and men swooning with a wave of his jacket or what appeared to be a mere breath from his mouth.
Many of his followers also fiercely defend him.
“For all you haters, if you don't know Prophet Joshua Holmes you ain't got the Holy Spirit. That's all I gotta say," a young woman exclaimed in a viral video on Facebook rebuking Holmes' critics. "He is changing lives every day. He is Jesus in the flesh. He is very tangible. He's got the power of God on him."
