Christian Comedian John Crist Engaged: ‘God’s Redemptive Plan’

Published: September 3, 2025

John Crist Getty Images-1966599756 — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JANUARY 27: Comedian John Crist performs at the Ryman Auditorium on January 27, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

By Lillie Jaenchen

Last month, Christian comedian John Crist announced his engagement to girlfriend Lydia Fielder, a Nashville-area reporter.

“The best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire life by far, I love you so much, [Lydia],” Crist wrote in a post accompanied by photos of him and Fielder when he popped the question.

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Fielder also shared the news, writing, “God wrote it from the start — my first love is now my forever love,” calling their romance “God’s redemptive plan.”

Over the years, Crist built up a massive following, thanks to his clean humor that often poked fun at Christian stereotypes in a lighthearted way. But in 2019, his life turned upside down when the secret sins he’d been hiding came to light when he faced sexual abuse accusations.

“I didn’t really understand why people were coming to the shows totally, but it grew so much more and more shame and more and more shame and that led to more and more drinking and it led to more and more secrecy [and] hiding,” he previously told Pastor Carey Nieuwhof.

“If they hadn’t broken that story, I think I would have,” Crist wrote in his book. He was so tired of his double life that he couldn’t keep up his “good boy” Christian image anymore and needed an out.

“It was horrible because…I was under false agreement with those people that were coming into the shows at the churches,” he said. “It was a dishonest agreement…it [was] the hypocrisy, not so much the behavior.”

In the years following, he went into rehab and admitted that he wanted to commit suicide, but through the process, he discovered what God’s love really means.

“The only thing worse is if that had never happened to me,” he said, adding: “Every time I had like a sold-out show or anything I did on television…I thought that if everybody knew the truth about me that all of these people would hate me.

“In that whole rehabilitation process, I found out there’s a God that loves you, and He cares about you, and He’s not mad at you,” he continued.

He thought his career would be over, so Crist was surprised when his fans welcomed him back with open arms.

“[They said], ‘We just want to let you know that we love you and we care about you and we’ve been thinking about you,’” he recalled of a family he ran into at Five Guys. “It was the first time in my life that people knew everything about me, and they still chose to love me.”

“The people that are out here that bought tickets to my show saved my life in a lot of ways,” he added.

Today, he continues to see God’s redemption, especially through his recent engagement. His friends, fans and followers couldn’t be more thrilled for him.