Lauren Daigle says some of her Christian fans thought she had “gone to the dark side” after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The singer tells People she faced backlash after performing on the show in 2018 because host Ellen is openly gay. She further faced criticism from conservative Christians when she refused to call homosexuality a sin in a subsequent radio interview.
“I flew home, got in my parents’ bed and just cried for three days,” she says. “I do feel like certain Christians were like, ‘Is she real anymore? Has she gone to the dark side?'”
She says she was eventually able to find peace with the situation, after a father at one of her shows tearfully recounted to her that his church told him to choose between them or his gay son.
“He whispered to me, ‘I’ll never reject my child,'” Lauren recalls. “You see the ache that so many have felt in having to stand up for who they are against the powers that be. I just want people to feel accepted and safe.”
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