Judah Smith is a pastor who leads Churchome along with wife Chelsea.

Justin Bieber (Photo: Everett Collection)
Justin Bieber (Photo: Everett Collection)

Justin Bieber’s pastor, Judah Smith, addresses rumors that his church, Churchome, was a cult. Smith took to his Instagram on Friday, May 2, 2025, to share a video recalling the time he jokingly responded to a paparazzi asking him about the same.

Who is Justin Bieber's controversial pastor, Judah Smith? The singer and Hailey Bieber were recently spotted with the trendy Churchome figure in Vegas, who's also been featured on a Lana Del Rey

For the unversed, speculations surrounding Churchome began circulating last month after TMZ reported that Bieber’s long-time associate, Ryan Good, distanced himself from the singer in a year. Citing “sources with direct knowledge,” the outlet claimed Good felt Bieber was getting “close” to Judah and that he felt Churchome was a “cult.”

In the clip, Judah Smith brought up a recent incident involving “paparazzi,” where one “nice lady” point-blank asked if he ran a cult. Noting that he wasn’t expecting the question, he is seen humorously turning around, asking the stagehands:

“So guys, if you could bring the snakes out… we’ve (also) got some blood.”

Notably, in popular culture, snakes and blood are stereotypically associated with cult rituals.