1 Pastor Claims Radio Host Ambushed, Disrespected Him
On his Instagram account, Whitehead said he had just been interviewed by Hughley. He called the encounter an “ambush, which is cool” and said, “You will not walk over me, you will not villanize me, and you will not disrespect me.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
He then challenged the comic to a boxing match. “Meet me in the ring because y’all think y’all can walk over pastors,” he said. “Let’s set up a celebrity match. Me and you in the ring. Bishop Whitehead and D.L. Hughley. Because you run your mouth behind the mic, right, and y’all think these preachers are punks behind a pulpit.”
After Whitehead accused Hughley of supporting the men who robbed him, he said, “I’m dropping the top on you, D.L. Let’s get in the ring,” dropping the top on his Rolls Royce convertible.
2 Who Is Lamor Miller Whitehead?
Whitehead, the bishop at Leaders of Tomorrow International Churches in Canarsie, Brooklyn, attracted headlines after he was robbed of jewelry valued at $1 million during a live-streamed church service on July 24. The former candidate for Brooklyn borough president in 2020 is a close associate of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Whitehead was previously convicted of identity theft and served time in New York state prison. Recently, he has been accused of stealing $90,000 of life savings from a parishioner, and New Jersey and New York state courts have levied judgments against him for unpaid real estate debts.
3 “I’ll Knock You Out in the Name of Jesus”
Whitehead later published a second video, accusing Hughley of coming after him like “a lil’ girl…like a lil’ chihuahua” on his radio show.
“But at the end of the day, he needs ratings, y’all,” said Whitehead. “So, lil’ man D.L. Hughley, I challenge you in a boxing ring, right, tough guy? I don’t want to hear you don’t box, because if your mouth is big, let’s get in the ring. I ain’t gonna hurt you. I’ll knock you out in the name of Jesus.”
4 Pastor Offers to Bet a Million on Hughley’s KO
Whitehead predicted he would knock out Hughley in the first round and offered to put a million dollars on the result. “Train for 90 days. I’ll set it up,” he said. “I’ll put up a million. Me and my team will put up a million dollars right now.”
Despite his trash-talking, Whitehead claimed he wasn’t a “punk.” “Yes, I’m a bishop,” he said. “I got the word of the Lord in my mouth.”
5 Hughley Responds
Hughley responded on Instagram, commenting on a post by gossip site the Shade Room. “HE SPITTIN’ ALL OVER THE SCREEN,” wrote Hughley.
He added: “What ‘Pastor’ you know can ‘PUT UP A MILLION DOLLARS RIGHT NOW’?? Reading from the book of Scamalations.”
6 Both Go Another Round
In response, Whitehead called Hughley a punk and reiterated his challenge to a boxing match.
Hughley then shared an Instagram post of a series of TikTok videos criticizing Whitehead. They showed Whitehead wearing a large ruby ring during the robbery, then the next week during his sermon, during which he wore a suit printed with the Gucci logo. The TikToker suggests Whitehead staged the robbery as insurance fraud.
“Hey TD FAKES… I know JESUS rose after 3 days, but a RING?? C’mon bruhhh,” Hughley wrote. “You need to save that MILLION for bail money. #TeamDL.”
The insurance-fraud rumor has dogged the pastor since the incident, and he publicly denied it during an interview with iHeart Radio personality Jazmyn Summers earlier this month. “If it was an insurance thing, right, why would I do it in my church?” he said. “Why not have it done when I’m driving or something? They could pull me over, and then boom.”