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Rockwall-based megachurch pastor Josh Howerton just landed a podcast deal with Blaze Media.
Howerton will join the Irving-based company’s podcast lineup of conservative commentators, including Glenn Beck, who previously worked for Fox News, Jason Whitlock and Allie Beth Stucky.
Howerton leads a congregation of more than 20,000 people across numerous North Texas locations, and his “Live Free” podcast has over 1 million subscribers on YouTube.
The evangelical pastor has drawn online criticism many times, most notably for his “wedding night joke” and an alleged plagiarized apology for it.
Here are some of the wildest things Howerton has said:
On wedding Night intimacy
Howerton drew a lot of attention in February 2024 for what he called a joke about intimacy on a man’s wedding night. During a sermon, he said men should “do whatever” their wife tells them during the wedding day because “she has been planning this day her whole life.”
“So here’s what you need to do, man,” he said. “When it comes to that day, just stand where she tells you to stand, wear what she tells you to wear and do what she tells you to do. You’ll make her the happiest woman in the world.”
Howerton quickly flips the script on women’s duties for the wedding night.
“Now ladies, when it comes to his wedding night, he has been planning this day his whole life,” Howerton said. “So just stand where he tells you to stand, wear what he tells you to wear and do what he tells you to do and you’re going to make him the happiest man in the world.”
In another sermon, Howerton explains that women should never prioritize their children over their husbands because it leads to divorce.
“I’m a pastor; I see this all the time,” Howerton said during a sermon. “The marriage starts, and the wife is making the husband a priority and there is lots of sexual blessing happening for him. Then kids come along and all of a sudden she prioritizes the kids over the husband. Now the kids get her best energy and she’s too tired for fun or intimacy.”
He goes on to say this makes the husband jealous because the kids are in “his place” and he will prioritize his job over his family as a result.
On politics
Howerton frequently includes national and state politics in his sermons and podcast episodes. He often talks about voting for the most righteous leaders who will back Christians fully in government. Perhaps his favorite saying is the reason he includes politics in his sermons.
“The church is not getting more political,” He said on many episodes. “Politics are getting more theological and spiritual.”
In a post on X, Howerton said the “Live Free” podcast will still be available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music and not be behind any paywalls with the new partnership.
