Raleigh Pastor Bishop Patrick Wooden Under Fire for Attacking Pastor Jamal Bryant’s Wife With “$2 Wh*”

A Raleigh pastor is facing backlash after using his pulpit to publicly criticize another pastor’s wife, sparking debate over faith, judgment, and Christian leadership.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Bishop Patrick Wooden is facing backlash after inserting himself into a viral controversy involving Pastor Jamal Bryant and his wife, Dr. Karri Bryant — and many are questioning what his remarks had to do with God, the Gospel, or anything resembling Christian leadership.

The controversy began after Pastor Jamal Bryant, leader of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, and his wife attended a gala event tied to a major fundraising effort. While the evening raised millions for higher education, social media critics fixated on Dr. Karri Bryant’s dress instead.

Supporters largely praised her appearance, calling the backlash petty and misplaced.

Pastor Jamal Bryant did not ignore the criticism. He addressed it directly during New Birth’s New Year’s Eve service — not by attacking anyone, but by reframing the conversation around purpose and impact.

“The other day, the internet went crazy about a dress my wife had on,” Bryant is heard saying in a 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.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Pastor Jamal Bryant (@jamalhbryant)

Rather than escalate the moment, Bryant’s remarks were widely viewed as measured — a husband acknowledging the controversy while keeping the focus on faith, education, and community impact.

But days later, Bishop Wooden appeared determined to reopen the conversation — from the pulpit.

During a sermon at Upper Room Church of God In Christ in Raleigh, Wooden devoted a portion of his message  — not to scripture, salvation, or spiritual teaching, but to critiquing another pastor’s wife.

“The lowering of standards is amazing,” Wooden said. “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.”

For many watching, the sermon took a sharp turn away from ministry and into commentary — focusing on fabric, appearance, and optics, rather than doctrine or discipleship.

Wooden then referenced Bryant’s defense of his wife, repeating his remarks before escalating the rhetoric even further.

“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.’”

What followed drew immediate backlash online when Bishop Wooden called Dr. Karri Bryant a “$2 wh*re.”

“So I guess our objection to a man of the cloth presenting his wife in public looking like a $2 w***e… 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.”

The language — delivered from behind the pulpit — stunned viewers, with many questioning how publicly degrading another pastor’s wife aligned with Christian values or pastoral responsibility.

Social media were quick to point out how Bishop Wooden used his platform to demean a woman using language many say has no place in the church.

Meanwhile, Jamal Bryant and Dr. Karri Bryant have not yet responded to Bishop Wooden’s comments.