Osteen, who is reportedly worth $100 million, used the loan to help pay over 350 church employees.
“Believing the shutdown would only last a few weeks, Lakewood did not initially apply for PPP assistance during the first half of the program,” said spokesman Donald Iloff said. “However, as the shutdown persisted month after month, given the economic uncertainty, Lakewood finally applied for the PPP loan and has been able to provide full salaries and benefits including health insurance coverage to all of its employees and their families.”
Iloff added that Osteen and his wife haven’t collected a salary from the church since 2004 and the PPP Loan didn’t personally benefit them. Osteen, who has been close friends with Kanye West, hasn’t released a statement regarding the controversy. Check out a few reactions to the news below.
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