What Happened to Jen Hatmaker? Where Is the Evangelical Christian Now?

May 2024 · 8 minute read

Christian author and speaker Jen Hatmaker has had quite the journey over the past few years. What is the evangelical Christian up to these days?

Sara Belcher - Author

Finding an online community to discuss and share your faith and beliefs with is one of the best parts of social media. Filling your feed with support from like-minded individuals is what draws people to certain influencers — but what happens when that influencer suddenly speaks out against your faith?

That's what happened to Jen Hatmaker, a Christian speaker and influencer, who was well-loved in the evangelical community. Where is she now?

Article continues below advertisement

Who is Jen Hatmaker?

Jen made a platform for herself as a prominent Christian influencer. She currently has more than 800,000 Facebook followers and more than 500,000 followers on Instagram. She's written many books, including the bestsellers For the Love and Of Mess and Moxie, and is the host of the For the Love podcast. Much of Jen's audience are evangelical Christians, and her platform was built on her faith.

Article continues below advertisement

But in 2016, mere months before the presidential election, she used her platform to speak out against Donald Trump. According to Politico, she told her hundreds of thousands of followers that she found Donald Trump to be “sad and horrified and despondent.” She told her Twitter followers after the Access Hollywood tape leaked “We will not forget. Nor will we forget the Christian leaders that betrayed their sisters in Christ for power.”

Add to that her public statement that she supports same-sex marriage, and Jen quickly made an enemy of much of her audience. She received many death threats from her followers, with some sending her damaged and burned books of hers in the mail, continuing more than a year after she initially made these comments.

Article continues below advertisement

What happened to Jen? Where is she now?

Despite the overtly negative response she had received from some of her following, Jen never wavered from her stance. She's spoken on her podcast about her support of the LGBTQ community and revealed that her daughter recently came out as a lesbian. 

She admitted that ever speaking against homosexuality was her "greatest regret." 

Article continues below advertisement

"I wouldn’t change one ounce of who she is," she said about her daughter on a podcast, according to Premiere Christian News. "Not a molecule. Not a moment. The only thing I would change in our story, is I wish I could go back and shake myself to life sooner — well, well, well, before."

View this post on Instagram

Beloved community, w/ great love & tender hearts, my daughter Sydney & I bring you a bonus podcast Pride Month ep. in which Sydney talks about being loved by God, loved by people, loved by her parents….& gay. This is not news. This is not a “hot take.” Sydney has been true & out w/ her whole family & community for years, but I always told her when she was ready to “be out” to this community, the mic was hers. She is not “a secret”. This is her story, her words, her terms, as it should be. She talks about the suffering, the fear, the unaffirming church experience, the worries her young heart endured alone. We both bawled. It is devastating and important. .⠀ This convo is for every beloved person in the LGBTQ community, mamas & daddies of LGBTQ kids, those reexamining what they’ve always been taught in the church, those asking new questions, allies & friends, pastors & faith leaders, people yearning to come out…but its' mainly for my daughter. She deserves to be free in her own gorgeous life & she said it was time so here we are. .⠀ This is our girl. We are so proud. We love every inch of her & celebrate her queerness alongside every other wonderful characteristic. This community has loved her since she was little, so I know you will be good to her young, beautiful heart. .⠀ But to any interlopers tempted to Bible-splain, deliver shame, drop some “love the sinner, hate the sin” trauma, or criticize our family, our theology, or our kid in any way, please know it will be the last thing you say on this page. My team is having a block party today: BLOCK & DELETE. This is our party & our story & our incredible daughter & your disapproval/judgment/self-righteousness isn’t just annoying - it is traumatizing to LGBTQ people & I won’t have it. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. .⠀ Here is my girl bravely telling her story. Listen & learn from her. We love her like crazy. We are the luckiest. (Please don’t mob her social feeds or DM her or whatever because 20-year-olds don't want to manage 1k texts from middle aged moms. Just comment here & let the young thing live her life.) .⠀ https://tinyurl.com/y8fr7mwh(link in profile) #HappyPrideMonth #HappySydney #whyisshesocute

A post shared by Jen Hatmaker (@jenhatmaker) on Jun 26, 2020 at 7:55am PDT

Article continues below advertisement

In July of 2020, Jen revealed that her family was going through a hard time.

"We are deeply hurting in our little life," Jen started the post. "As I’ve written, there is a difference between secrecy marked by shame, and privacy marked by discretion, and we are in the second category. Our family is navigating an unexpected crisis, and I’ve taken a step back from socials and work to help steer toward healing and wholeness."

She reassured her followers that she and her family are well and safe, but that she wishes for patience and prayers and she navigates this time.

View this post on Instagram

Hi. It’s been quiet here. I’ve been quiet. In short, we are deeply hurting in our little life. As I’ve written, there is a difference between secrecy marked by shame, and privacy marked by discretion, and we are in the second category. Our family is navigating an unexpected crisis, and I’ve taken a step back from socials and work to help steer toward healing and wholeness. Please know that everyone is safe, and all our kids are okay. Also know that our community and family has radically cared for us, and we are surrounded by love and support. Jesus loves us. We are not alone. . Please don’t worry but please do pray for us if you pray. A request: don’t pry or ask or push, even out of sincere concern. Please don’t blow up our phones and inboxes and DMs (or our friends’). Just hold us close to your heart in great love. As I reengage our online community here, I’ll be whatever I am that day, so thanks for the space to be a human person. I’ve always known you were a soft place to land. Thank you for loving us in all things, at all times, through all moments.

A post shared by Jen Hatmaker (@jenhatmaker) on Jul 31, 2020 at 3:38pm PDT

Article continues below advertisement

"A request: don’t pry or ask or push, even out of sincere concern," she wrote. "Please don’t blow up our phones and inboxes and DMs (or our friends’). Just hold us close to your heart in great love."

In September of that same year, it came to light that Jen and her husband, Brandon, had decided to get a divorce. "I don’t know how to say this, and I still cannot believe I am even saying it, but Brandon and I are getting divorced," she shared in another Instagram post. "Although the details are ours alone, this was completely unexpected, and I remain stunned as we speak. I am shocked, grief-stricken, and broken-hearted."

Article continues below advertisement

In the months since the divorce announcement, Jen has tried to maintain a balance between sharing her life on a very public platform and grieving a very personal loss. Fast forward to July of 2021, and people once again began asking what had happened to her — this time, because of yet another Instagram post:

Article continues below advertisement

"One year ago today, my entire world fell apart," Jen wrote in the caption. "July 11th, 2020 was the worst day of my life. Every nightmarish second of it is seared into my brain. My body has known this date was coming up, as it has been steadily falling apart the last month."

Although she doesn't explicitly state what happened on July 11, 2020, it seems likely that that date may mark the end of her marriage to Brandon. Happily, it seems as though July 11, 2021 was a much better day for Jen. She says that she spent the day laughing with her friends, going to a craft fair, and even sharing a kiss with someone new. "My first first kiss since 1992," she wrote in the caption.

"The body can heal. She can recover. She can rebuild. She can find her way back to life," she said. Although Jen's life has been turned upside down over the past year, we're sure her fans are happy to see her enjoying her life and making new, happy memories.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfrLWiwIyhmKmolaOypXnJnqVmoJGpuqK3xKs%3D