Days after an explicit pornographic video appeared on his X account, Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston sought to assure supporters that he doesn't watch pornography and alleged that someone with access to one of his devices compromised the account.
“I wanted to take a moment to speak to people personally and address a vile post that appeared on my X account a few days ago. A good starting point is to say, I do not watch pornography, not online, not on social media, nowhere else,” the founder of the Australia-based global megachurch declared in a video on Facebook Wednesday.
“I've been in active ministry for over 54 years, and in that time, I've seen the fallout of pornography on individuals, on marriages, on families, and I detest it.”
The 72-year-old Houston said at the time the post appeared on his X page that he and his wife, Bobbie, were “in bed.”
Taking issue with The Christian Post’s use of the word "hacked" in last week's report, Houston clarified that he never used the word hacked and instead said "compromised," adding that there is a difference between an account being hacked and compromised.
“According to The Christian Post, and probably others, they said, and a tweet that I did since then, that I said that I was hacked. I never used the word hacked. That's false. It's untrue. I did say my account was compromised, and you might say, 'Well, what's the difference?' But I think that there's a difference,” he explained.
“I don't believe that it's likely that anyone actually hacked into my X account. Not impossible, but not likely. I think there's a different explanation. I believe that someone has used one of my own devices, using my own passcode, to access my phone without my knowledge or my permission.
"Someone with a grudge wanted to cause maximum damage, but perhaps minimum effort, to smear me and to humiliate me. And I don't think it's the first time it's happened.”
Houston, who, after leaving Hillsong, launched the ministry Jesusfollowers.tv with his wife, said in an X post last week: “This account was compromised overnight. Any odd posts, links, or messages shared earlier were not legitimate and have been reported and deleted. Thank you for your patience.”
The pastor further clarified that he didn’t believe this was the first time the unknown person had gained access to his accounts and said he and his wife were offended by the post.
“If you were exposed to that video, and you were disgusted or offended, I totally understand. Bobbie and I feel exactly the same way,” he said before asking for prayers.
“Bobbie and I are not quitters. We keep trucking on. I'm asking you to pray for us, and we will certainly continue to pray for all the people in our world. God bless you,” he ended.
In a separate incident in 2024, Houston said his X account was hacked after the account tweeted the words “ladies and girls kissing,” drawing scrutiny from social media users.
Houston later reposted a statement shared by one of his assistants urging users to disregard any recent posts that “seem out of the normal.”
“Rest assured we are working on discovering how Ps. Brian was hacked,” the statement read at the time. “Our team has ascertained that someone logged into his account from a location within the USA. We’ve changed his password so here’s hoping they no longer have access. Please disregard anything that seems out of the normal. For your safety remember Pastor Brian does not contact anyone privately.”
Houston resigned as Hillsong Church’s global senior pastor in March 2022, amid revelations that two women made allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
In January 2022, Hillsong Church announced that Houston was stepping down from his role at the church's helm.
Before his formal resignation from Hillsong Church, Houston initially stepped down from Hillsong's boards in September 2021 as he faced criminal charges related to allegations he concealed sex abuse committed by his father, Frank Houston, decades earlier after he heard about it in 1999. Houston denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian court later found him not guilty of the charges.
Four months before the acquittal, Houston pled guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more in California. He was also sentenced to three years' probation, a $140 fine, and other penalties.
Court records show that after an arrest on Feb. 26, 2022, Houston pled "not guilty" to driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more, and failing to display two license plates on the vehicle he was driving.
The Hillsong Church founder, who was set for a pre-trial hearing that June, reversed course on the drinking charges while the charge for failing to display two license plates on the vehicle he was driving was dismissed.
In addition to the three-year probation and the $140 fine he received for the driving under the influence charge, the court required him to complete a three-month first-offender alcohol program, victim impact counseling, and participate in self-help meetings for one year.
