Gwen Stefani has caught significant blowback from fans after the ‘No Doubt’ singer posted a sponsored ad for Hallow, a pay-to-pray app that features explicit anti-abortion prayer sessions.
Gwen Stefani is no stranger to controversy, and the singer has just found herself in a new one.
Last week, the No Doubt singer posted a paid Instagram Reel promoting the Christian prayer app Hallow, which she described as a way to use “audio-guided meditation sessions” to grow in faith and find “peace in God”.
As part of the sponsored content, she encouraged her fans to join the app’s Advent Challenge, reminding viewers that it’s important to spend time in prayer during the holiday season and to “let Jesus bring us his peace”, which people can do if they download Hallow and pray every day leading up to Christmas.
Stefani would continue in the post’s caption, writing:
“The season of Advent has always been a reminder to slow down, even when everything around us is moving so fast. It’s such a special time to reflect, pray, and make room in your heart for Jesus,” she added. “The @hallowapp Advent challenge is called Be Still, and together we’ll learn how to find stillness amidst the chaos and embrace peace even when our lives are so busy. Join me for Pray25: Be Still on Hallow.”
This isn’t the first time the 56-year-old singer has promoted the app, or caught controversy for doing so. Last year, Stefani partnered with Hallow to promote its Advent Pray25 calendar.
Fans have mostly been critical of the artist’s endorsement, pointing out the app’s subscription fee, which they found odd for a prayer app to include.
Matt Bernstein, host of the podcast A Bit Fruity, would share in a TikTok post that Hallow runs on a subscription model, which features explicitly anti-abortion prayers, with sessions available for women considering abortion after rape or incest. Bernstein would also note that early funding for the app came from influential conservative figures, including US Vice President JD Vance and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel.
The ‘Hollaback Girl’ has found herself in a few controversies in recent years, most notably over her previous statements about her belief that she is actually Japanese, which were considered cultural appropriation.
As of writing, Stefani appears just to be “posting through it”, largely ignoring the backlash while promoting her new song ‘Shake The Snow Globe. ‘
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