Over the holidays, the social media streets sounded less like timelines and more like the sanctified hush of a Black church mid-service, where side-eyes preach louder than the sermon and whispers travel faster than the offering plate. Church group chats and social media timelines filled with opinions about the style choices of Pastor Jamal Bryant and his wife, Dr. Karri Bryant, at a gala event. Despite Pastor Bryant’s attempt to shut down the discourse, the murmurs continued to spread, shifting from social media pews to actual pulpits as other religious leaders weighed in on the viral moment.
Most recently, conservative Bishop Patrick Wooden, who leads the Upper Room Church of God in Christ (COGIC) in Raleigh, North Carolina, brought his critiques to the pulpit. Beginning the conversation by praising his wife and first lady, Pamela Wooden, for “dressing like a first lady,” Bishop Wooden went on to share his perspective on the viral moment and Pastor Bryant’s response to the discourse.
“The lowering of standards is amazing,” he shared at the 1 hour 7 minute mark. “A preacher presented his wife the other day, in what you could call a flesh-colored dress. It’s a black dress and flesh-colored. It gives the illusion that she’s not wearing anything underneath.”
He continued: “I heard the preacher when he defended her dress by saying, first of all, he bought the dress. And then he said, ‘I want to address people who don’t know anything, who haven’t been anywhere, who don’t know anything.’ So I guess our objection to a man of the cloth presenting his wife in public looking like a $2 whore… two, at least two. Now, I didn’t say she was. I didn’t. I’m not talking about her. My statement is not about her. My statement is about him. I said he presented his wife, and he said he bought the dress. Those are his words, not mine. There is nothing classy about that. There’s nothing modest about that.”
Bishop Wooden emphasized that he believed it is a matter of decency. According tot he COGIC church leader, Bryant’s decision to buy the dress for his wife to wear at a public event is “demeaning” to his wife.
Now, social media users wasted no time sharing their reactions to Bishop Wooden’s comments, specifically likening Dr. Bryant’s attire to that of “two-dollar whore.”
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As previously reported by theGrio, Bryant addressed the dress controversy “head on” during a New Year’s Eve service after social media users questioned the appropriateness of Dr. Bryant’s gown.
“The other day, the internet went crazy about a dress my wife had on,” Bryant is heard saying in the clip posted on Instagram. “Now, they didn’t say anything about the $4 million that was raised for the United Negro College Fund. They never mentioned that she prayed until Heaven came down. They never said anything about this was the largest fundraiser for HBCUs in the country. But insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people got in their feelings and set up a false barometer of holiness based off of a dress.”
Dr. Bryant, who has been at the nucleus of the discourse, shared her appreciation for her husband’s message in the comments, writing: “I Love You Baby! Thank you! Not just for me, but for every woman who has experienced what I continue to walk through. Your words have been like a healing salve to my heart and your arms like a warm bath. Not a day passes that you don’t affirm who I am and how much you love. YOU ARE HIM! Thank you for always covering me.”
Shortly after the drama, the Bryants trolled social media critics sharing photos of the first lady’s new and improved wardrobe.
Neither Pastor Jamal Bryant or Karri Bryant have commented on Bishop Wooden’s recent comments.
