‘I Bought the Dress, and I Like It’: Pastor Jamal Bryant Claps Back at Critics of Wife’s Viral Gown
In a fiery New Year’s Eve sermon that has since ricocheted across social media, Pastor Jamal Bryant launched a formidable defense of his wife, Dr. Karri Turner Bryant, against a torrent of online criticism over her attire. The controversy ignited after the First Lady wore a striking black-and-nude illusion lace gown to a prestigious UNCF gala last month, with some detractors questioning the appropriateness of the ensemble. From the pulpit, Pastor Bryant dismantled the scrutiny with pointed fervor, highlighting the glaring omission in the debate: the record-breaking $4 million raised for Historically Black Colleges and Universities that very night. “They never mentioned that she prayed until heaven came down,” he thundered, framing the uproar as a petty distraction from monumental philanthropic achievement.
Labeling the critics “insecure, jealous, petty, and small-minded,” Bryant rejected what he called a “false barometer of holiness” dictated by fabric and fashion. To roaring applause from his congregation at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, he laid claim to both the choice and the charge, stating unequivocally, “I need to set the record straight. I bought the dress, and I like it. I don’t care whether you like it or not. She isn’t married to you. She’s married to me.” The pastor, a known activist behind the recent Target boycott, concluded with a boundary-setting flourish, telling those seeking a different aesthetic, “you’ve got the wrong church.” The moment transcends a mere fashion debate, crystallizing into a public stand against the policing of Black women’s bodies and a reclamation of who defines grace, elegance, and devotion.
