EXCLUSIVE: Megachurch 'Cult' Tactics Exposed — Documentary Probe Reveals How Pastor is 'Manipulating Troubled Justin Bieber Like a Puppet' Amid 'Diddy' Sex Trial
A new documentary will reveal insight on Justin Bieber's relationship with Pastor Judah Smith.
May 20 2025, Published 1:26 p.m. ET
Justin Bieber's pals fear he's gotten too deep into a megachurch cult – and a new documentary could back them up.
The upcoming 7-part series, The Religion Business, takes aim at church leaders and the suspected mismanagement of massive funds – pointing the finger directly at Pastor Judah Smith and his "puppet" Bieber, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Filmmaker Nathan Apffel claimed the documentary will show receipts between Bieber and Pastor Judah.
The alleged "cult" revolves around Bieber’s religious beliefs and connection to Churchome – Judah's celebrity-driven Christian mega-church – with which he has been linked since at least 2010.
While his old crew thinks the Peaches singer has been under Pastor Judah's thumb recently, the church leader has chalked it all up as nothing but gossip.
However, filmmaker Nathan Apffel exclusively told RadarOnline.com his documentary will directly "take down" Smith and show "real receipts" between him and the 31-year-old singer – exposing their financial ties.
Apffel claimed Judah is 'using Justin' to build his own 'celebrity status.'
He revealed: "We have financial data on Judah Smith’s church Churchome, his financials and his connection to Justin Bieber.
"We understand the connection between P. Diddy, Justin Bieber and Judah Smith with Lou Taylor."
Apffel also claimed the pastor's been offloading church assets to fund his lavish lifestyle.
He said: "Judah spends like he is a celebrity, which means he needs serious cash.
"We have a paper trial of money that comes from selling off church assets that his father took decades to carefully raise from donors and steward before his death.
"We have these sales receipts and financials."
Bieber's ex-friend Ryan Good allegedly left Churchome due to it having 'cult-like' tendencies.
He concluded: "Our gut is, Judah is using Justin to build his celebrity status as Justin suffers from the relationship.
"We see a lot of this 'pastor authority' that destroys people's lives."
The documentary, which premieres on July 10, comes as fears have been growing over the singer's overall health and well-being.
According to Good, Bieber’s Gone Bad
Bieber has reportedly iced out longtime friend Ryan Good – his former road manager, wedding best man, and Drew House co-founder – after Good distanced himself from Churchome, which he allegedly saw as a "full-blown cult."
Insiders claimed he became uneasy with Bieber’s deepening ties to Pastor Judah and quietly walked away from the church.
In April, Good raised red flags about Bieber’s mental state and rocky marriage to Hailey, citing the singer’s erratic Coachella behavior and emotional online posts.
He also said he hadn't spoken to the singer in over a year.
Unfazed by the accusations, Pastor Judah dismissed them as baseless chatter – he even cracked, "What kind of cult only meets once a month?"
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Bit of Diddy in the Mix?
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' controversy added fuel to Bieber's growing emotional unrest, but Bieber's rep recently denied him as one of the rapper's 'victims.'
Bieber has been sparking major fears over his mental health and well-being, especially recently while "begging God for help" on social media.
Additionally, fans have been speculating things took a sharp turn for the singer back in the fall – particularly when he became entangled in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' legal troubles.
Disgraced rapper Combs, currently on trial in New York, once took a young Bieber under his wing at the start of his career.
A resurfaced video showing them spending 48 hours together when Bieber was a minor stirred controversy, but Bieber has firmly denied being one of Combs’ abuse victims.
His representatives stressed that while others were genuinely harmed, Bieber was not – with insiders explaining how Bieber’s connection was closer to Combs' sons and that their interactions were largely "performative."
