Gwen Stefani: harsh criticism for living the Lenten challenge with Hallow

U.S. singer Gwen Stefani unwittingly returned to the cultural and political debate in the United States after announcing on social media that she would participate in the 40-day Lenten prayer challenge promoted by Catholic prayer application Hallow.

The message, published on the occasion of Ash Wednesday - February 18 - surprised part of her follower base and generated a wave of criticism on platforms such as X and Instagram, where @gwenstefani has 17.7 million followers (2.3 million on X).

“A very special time for me.”

In a video shared that same day, the 56-year-old artist appeared with visible enthusiasm explaining that she was beginning her Lenten journey accompanied by this meditation and prayer application. 

“It's a very special time for me,” she said, inviting her followers to join the spiritual challenge. The naturalness with which she spoke of her Catholic faith broke the image that many Internet users maintained of the pop star associated for decades with a transgressive aesthetic. 

‘Catholic turn’.’

Stefani thus joins the so-called ‘.‘Catholic turn’, in which singers, actors and other celebrities incorporate faith and spirituality into their professional creations and lives.

These include David Henrie, Michael Bublé, Chris Pratt or Patricia Heaton, as well as Mark Wahlberg, or the Spaniards Rosalia, Jaime Lorente, or the creators of the film ‘Sundays’, to name just a few. 

Reactions

In the case of Gwen Stefani, the reaction was swift in the United States. Numerous users accused her of aligning herself with ultra-conservative positions and some directly linked her to the political movement MAGA (“Make America Great Again”), a slogan popularized by President Donald Trump. Messages circulated on social networks calling her a “religious extremist” and a “traitor to progressive values”. Some comments went further and accused her of indirectly supporting anti-abortion policies by her collaboration with the platform.

The focus of the controversy was amplified by previous statements by Hallow CEO Alex Jones, who in 2023 stated that the company “proudly and unequivocally supports the Church's pro-life stance and the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) statement, which considers ending abortion as a priority.” That institutional stance was used by critics to argue that Stefani's participation implied an ideological endorsement.

Serious accusations. Living the faith without political labels

Some of the accusations The most serious online allegations included insinuations that the singer was indirectly funding conservative political campaigns or that her public adherence to the prayer challenge was “a religious whitewashing strategy” to attract Christian voters. However, no evidence has been presented that Stefani made political donations as a result of this campaign.

Media coverage reflected the polarization. Entertainment media such as People magazine highlighted the personal nature of the decision and recalled that Stefani has spoken on other occasions about the importance of faith in her family life. Networks such as Fox News underscored the cultural dimension of the debate and the pressure public figures face when expressing religious convictions. Catholic portals such as ChurchPop defended the artist's freedom to live her faith without being labeled politically.

Stefani: thanks for the support, and assures that it is “a personal decision”.”

Faced with the avalanche of comments, Stefani did not enter into direct confrontations, but in a subsequent Instagram story she thanked the support she received and wrote that her participation in the Lent of Hallow was “a personal decision, based on the desire to grow spiritually”. He also stressed that his faith “is not a political statement,” but part of his identity since childhood.

Beyond the controversy, the announcement also brought to the forefront the rise of digital religious apps and the involvement of celebrities in spirituality initiatives. The Lent, traditionally a time of prayer, fasting and reflection for Catholics, now takes on a media dimension.