Who is Judah Smith? Perez Hilton claims pastor has "a lot of influence" on Justin Bieber after Grammy winner cuts ties with Drew House

Perez Hilton discussed the role of pastor Judah Smith in the life of singer Justin Bieber in the latest episode of his podcast video on April 23, 2025. Hilton claimed that pastor Smith had "a lot of influence" on Justin Bieber after the Grammy winner cut ties with not only his brand, Drew House, but also one of his oldest associates, Ryan Good.

In his podcast video, Hilton laid out a timeline, stating that Good was practically with Bieber from the “ beginning of his career” and “worked with him as a tour manager”, “stylist” and later became “business partner in Drew House". However, Smith’s growing proximity to Bieber’s professional decisions created friction between Justin Bieber and Ryan Good.

"Trouble first started brewing when Justin named Judah to the board of directors of Drew House even though he's a pastor, not a businessman, but he clearly has a lot of influence on Bieber", Hilton remarked.

Judah Smith is the son of pastors Gini Smith and the late Wendell Smith. The couple spent 20 years as youth pastors at Bible Temple in Portland before moving to Seattle, where they started The City Church.

Judah Smith took over as Bieber’s pastor after he distanced himself from his previous spiritual guide, Carl Lentz. In his video, Hilton further added that previously, Justin Bieber had made Ryan Good join his "church home" under Judah Smith, but Ryan Good left the church home, believing it to be a “cult.”

"That was the beginning of the end of his relationship with Justin, his friendship and business partnership…Ryan has not spoken to Bieber in over a year since he left Churchhome, and he (Ryan Good) thinks Church Home is a cult, but Bieber is still very much a part of it", Hilton remarked.

In January 2025, Daily Mail reported that Bieber unfollowed Ryan Good, who was the best man at his wedding. Hilton added that even though Bieber has not spoken to Ryan Good in over a year, Good is "very concerned for Justin."

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Justin Bieber cuts ties with fashion Brand Drew House, says he’s “no longer involved”

Justin Bieber New Studio Shoot - Source: Getty

Justin Bieber officially ended his relationship with the fashion brand he helped build. On April 10, 2025, the pop star announced via Instagram that he was cutting ties with Drew House, the label he co-founded with former stylist Ryan Good back in 2019. In a now-deleted Instagram Story, the 31-year-old shared a screenshot of Drew House’s official page.

"I, Justin Bieber am no longer involved in this brand . Drew House doesn’t represent me or my family or life. If your [sic] rocking with me the human Justin Bieber, don’t waste ur money on Drew House", he wrote on top of the scrreshot.

The brand, widely recognized for its iconic yellow smiley face logo, had been closely associated with Bieber’s personal style and public identity for years. However, People magazine reported on April 10, 2025, that tensions between Bieber and the brand had been building behind the scenes.

Just a week before his Instagram post, the Sorry singer had posted a cryptic AI-generated video that showed him entering a house filled with Drew House items. In the video, he lit a match and walked away as the house burned, exiting with wife Hailey Bieber and their infant son, Jack Blues.

As the video ended, the word “SKYLRK” appeared on screen, signaling what many believe to be Bieber’s next fashion move. Since then, he has been teasing the launch of SKYLRK on Instagram, with branding that matched the graphics seen in the animated video.

As per the aforementioned report, a source close to Bieber told People Magazine:

"The SKYLRK announcement was a slap in the face to all the people who had been working hard on the next Drew House release".

Justin Bieber is currently prioritizing his family, raising his 6-month-old son, Jack, with his wife Hailey Bieber. His last single, Honest was released on April 29, 2022.