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Gwen Stefani is facing major backlash for her latest partnership with the Catholic prayer and meditation app Hallow.
The No Doubt frontwoman, 56, a devout Catholic, recently shared a collaborative post on social media, promoting the “anti-abortion” app. The company’s CEO Alex Jones in 2023 stated that Hallow “proudly and unequivocally” supports “the pro-life stance of the Church and the USCCB’s affirmation of [the end of] abortion as the preeminent priority.”
“It is important this holiday season to spend time in prayer. That is what Christmas is all about: letting God into our hearts and letting Jesus bring us his peace,” Stefani said in the video, calling on her fans to “download Hallow today and join me and millions of others in praying every day this Advent and Christmas season on Hallow.”
“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 in the caption. “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 “Sweet Escape” and “Hollaback Girl” singer has endorsed the app. She previously sparked backlash when she partnered with Hallow during the Lenten season and Christmas in 2024. And this time is no different.
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Gwen Stefani, a devout Catholic, previously partnered with Hallow, the prayer and meditation app, last Christmas (Getty Images)
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Stefani is scheduled to reunite with No Doubt in May 2026 (Invision)
“I love you, Gwen but unfortunately I ain’t no Hallow app girl,” one fan commented on Instagram. Actor and reality star Chrishell Stause also joined in on the criticism, writing: “Gwen-DON’T SPEAK. Please take your own advice on this one.”
“Well this is a huge disappointment,” a second said, while a third added: “Lots of your fans are from the LGBTQ+ community and this feels like a deep betrayal.”
“Honestly never thought that you would be anti-abortion,” another conceded.
Hitting out at the app’s subscription model, one noted: “God is free, Gwen. Touch some grass,” with a second agreeing: “Pay for pray is CRAZY WORK.”
The Independent has contacted Stefani’s representative for comment.
In her Lent campaign with Hallow earlier this year, Stefani revealed that while she was raised in the church, she “fell away from my faith” once her music career kicked off. “And then came a time in my life where I felt like I was losing everything,” she said. “Feeling so desperate, I got on my knees, I asked God: ‘Please, please get me well. Please use my gift of music again. Please let me be the person I used to be.’”
Launched in 2018 by co-founders Jones, Alessandro DiSanto and Erich Kerekes, Hallow is famous for partnering with celebrities, including Chris Pratt, Mark Wahlberg and Jim Caviezel.
In 2023, it partnered with Irish actor Liam Neeson, who is known for being an outspoken pro-choice advocate.
The partnership drew strong criticism from several conservative Catholics. Initially, Jones defended the partnership, explaining that Hallow’s goal is to reach “folks who have fallen away, in the same way that I once had, and to invite them into a relationship with Christ. This often means partnering with non-traditional partners and people from different backgrounds.”
Last December, however, he backtracked on his former statement, instead calling the collaboration a “mistake.”
“There’s a bunch of stuff we’ve worked through and learned over the last couple of years about all the ways that we have to be careful in terms of how we work,” Jones told the National Catholic Register of the controversy. “There’s the sin of scandal. There’s material cooperation with evil. There’s a bunch of stuff that we learned and are growing in understanding.”