TLC Airing New Episode of Previously-Ended Series
TLC is airing the hit Discovery+ documentary series Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed later this month and will include a brand new episode. The three-part series will air over two nights on Wednesday, Dec. 28, and Thursday, Dec. 29. Hillsong: The Newest Revelations will air at 10 p.m. ET on the second night, reports Variety.
The new episode will cover the latest news on the Hillsong Church since A Megachurch Exposed was released earlier this year. "The episode will offer new expert perspectives and uncover even more shocking details with added context," TLC teased. The network also shared the opening scene with Variety, showing one woman noting that she began to panic, worrying that she was part of a cult.
The Newest Revelations will include interviews with Roxanne Stone, the managing editor of Religious News Service and co-host of the Saved by the City podcast, and Christian Post reporter Leonardo Blair. Allen Parr, a minister and host of The Beat YouTube channel; Alec Spencer, former executive director of Assemblies of God Churches; and former Hillsong members Jotana Santini and Joe Sanders were also interviewed for the new episode. The series is produced by Breaklight Pictures with New York Post Entertainment LLC.
Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed was released on Discovery+ in March. The series tracks the history of the controversial church, which has attracted celebrities like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kevin Durant, Kylie Jenner, and Kendall Jenner. It also focused on pastor Carl Lentz's extramarital affair with Ranin Karim. Lentz was the charismatic leader of the first Hillsong Church in the U.S. and helped it expand throughout the East Coast. In 2020, Hillsong fired him after learning he engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. Karim was extensively interviewed for A Megachurch Exposed.
Hillsong was founded in 1983 by Brian Houston in Australia. As the church expanded internationally, it continued attracting celebrities. It became a "cultural phenomenon" and "crossed over from religious culture into pop culture," executive producer Dan Johnstone told Variety. He said the documentary was meant for general viewers and those obsessed with learning about Hillsong's development from a religious entity to a big business. Johnstone and Discovery also released a podcast series, Hillsong: A Megachurch Shattered, which is available on most podcast platforms.