UPDATE as of July 1, 2026: A spokesperson for Pastor Jamal Bryant has emailed the following statement:
“Pastor Bryant is committed to fulfilling his obligations to his son. This is a private family matter already addressed through the family court system. Out of respect for his son, Pastor Bryant will not litigate personal family matters in the court of public opinion. He respectfully asks that his child's privacy, dignity, and well-being be honored.”
The original story is below.
Pastor Jamal Bryant is facing renewed scrutiny after a woman claiming to be the mother of one of his children publicly accused the megachurch leader of being an absent father.
The allegations come from Latoya Shawntee Odom, who appears in a forthcoming interview with online personality Tasha K. According to The Christian Post, Odom alleges Bryant has "never been" present in the life of their son, John Karston Bryant, who turns 11 this summer. Odom also claimed Bryant has provided little financial support, saying, "The last payment I received was $96."
Her most emotional allegation centers on what she says was their son's attempt to meet his father.
"And John loves him," Odom said. "One day, he told me, he said, 'Mommy, I love you, and I love my daddy.'" She recalled taking her then-2-year-old son to see Bryant in Atlanta after the child repeatedly asked to meet him.
"So, I dressed him up at 2," she said. "He was in Atlanta. And I took him. Do you know Jamal never touched him? Just looked at him. They had a staring contest."
Bryant has not publicly addressed Odom's latest claims. When contacted by reporters, a spokesperson for the pastor did not immediately respond.
The allegations revisit a controversy that first surfaced more than a decade ago. In 2016, while Bryant was leading Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, Odom publicly released what she said was a DNA test showing a 99.9999% probability that Bryant was the father of her son.
She has also previously alleged that Bryant urged her to terminate the pregnancy, a claim he has not publicly addressed.
Bryant is the father of eight children from multiple relationships. His best-known children are daughters Grace and twins Angel and Adore, whom he shares with Real Housewives of Atlanta star Gizelle Bryant, as well as daughter Naomi from an earlier relationship. Odom's son, John Karston Bryant, is among the children publicly linked to the pastor.
