On New Year’s Eve, Pastor Jamal Bryant took to the pulpit to not only lead his New Birth Missionary Baptist Church congregation into the new year but also to defend some public accusations about his wife, Karri. The couple attended a formal benefit, and Karri was photographed in a dress some people thought was see-through.
“I needed to deal with it head-on,” said Bryant during his sermon.
Pastor Jamal Bryant Defends Wife’s Dress and Calls Out ‘Insecure’ Critics
Earlier this year, Pastor Jamal Bryant promoted a boycott of Target after Target rolled back DEI initiatives.
More recently, he received backlash for the outfit his wife, Karri, wore when the couple attended the 2025 UNCF Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball. The “internet went crazy,” according to Bryant, about the dress Karri wore to the event.
Karri wore a flesh-colored dress with details of black lace and complemented the look with black gloves. Bryant was appalled by the public’s focus on his wife’s dress rather than the good that came from the event.
People mistook the flesh-colored fabric as sheer, or see-through, and questioned the appropriateness of a pastor’s wife wearing such a garment in public. The accusations and opinions quickly went viral.
“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,” argued Bryant.
The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) argues that people “can’t simply believe in equality in education. We have to create it.” Through benefit events and donations, the organization awards “more than 11,000 students scholarships, worth more than $62 million, each year.” The fund also financially supports Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and raises awareness and community engagement.
“Insecure, jealous, petty, small-minded people got in their feelings and set up a false barometer of holiness,” Bryant said.
However, Bryant wanted to “help some people” as they had “embraced the full knowledge of ignorance without any assistance for understanding.”
“The dress was not see-through,” countered Bryant. “The dress was flesh-color. But because you ain’t never been nowhere, and they never been exposed to nothing, I needed to set the record straight.”
Bryant went on to curb any public opinions about Karri’s dress. “I need to set the record straight,” continued Bryant. “I bought the dress, and I like it! I don’t care whether you like it or not. She ain’t married to y’all, she’s married to me!”
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