{"id":336225,"date":"2025-12-10T06:25:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T06:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/336225\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T06:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T06:25:14","slug":"gwen-stefani-receives-backlash-for-promoting-anti-abortion-catholic-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/336225\/","title":{"rendered":"Gwen Stefani receives backlash for promoting \u2018anti-abortion\u2019 Catholic app"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it&#8217;s investigating the financials of Elon Musk&#8217;s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, &#8216;The A Word&#8217;, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-1uza6dc-0 iCTyfe\">The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n<p>Your support makes all the difference.Read more<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/tv\/lifestyle\/gwen-stefani-blake-shelton-divorce-update-b2878796.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gwen Stefani <\/a>is facing major backlash for her latest partnership with the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/jd-vance-finances-donald-trump-b2594131.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Catholic prayer and meditation app Hallow<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/music\/news\/gwen-stefani-no-doubt-reunion-las-vegas-b2843289.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The No Doubt frontwoman, 56,<\/a> a devout Catholic, recently shared a collaborative post on social media, promoting the \u201canti-abortion\u201d app. The company\u2019s CEO Alex Jones in 2023 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/cna\/hallow-app-defends-partnership-with-liam-neeson-a-supporter-of-abortion#:~:text=Jones%20said%20that%20Hallow%20does,and%20minds%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.\">stated<\/a> that Hallow \u201cproudly and unequivocally\u201d supports \u201cthe pro-life stance of the Church and the USCCB\u2019s affirmation of [the end of] abortion as the preeminent priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt 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,\u201d Stefani said in the video, calling on her fans to \u201cdownload Hallow today and join me and millions of others in praying every day this Advent and Christmas season on Hallow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe season of Advent has always been a reminder to slow down, even when everything around us is moving so fast. It\u2019s such a special time to reflect, pray, and make room in your heart for Jesus,\u201d she added in the caption. \u201cThe @hallowapp Advent challenge is called Be Still, and together we\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t the first time the \u201cSweet Escape\u201d and \u201cHollaback Girl\u201d singer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/americas\/us-politics\/trump-kari-lake-press-conference-b2593708.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">has endorsed the app<\/a>. She previously sparked backlash when she partnered with Hallow during the Lenten season and Christmas in 2024. And this time is no different. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Gwen-Stefani.jpeg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gwen Stefani, a devout Catholic, previously partnered with Hallow, the prayer and meditation app, last Christmas\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>Gwen Stefani, a devout Catholic, previously partnered with Hallow, the prayer and meditation app, last Christmas (Getty Images)<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Music-No_Doubt_Reunion_59236.jpg\"  loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Stefani is scheduled to reunite with No Doubt in May 2026\" class=\"sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn\"\/><\/p>\n<p>open image in gallery<\/p>\n<p>Stefani is scheduled to reunite with No Doubt in May 2026 (Invision)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love you, Gwen but unfortunately I ain\u2019t no Hallow app girl,\u201d one fan commented on Instagram. Actor and reality star Chrishell Stause also joined in on the criticism, writing: \u201cGwen-DON\u2019T SPEAK. Please take your own advice on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell this is a huge disappointment,\u201d a second said, while a third added: \u201cLots of your fans are from the LGBTQ+ community and this feels like a deep betrayal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly never thought that you would be anti-abortion,\u201d another conceded.<\/p>\n<p>Hitting out at the app\u2019s subscription model, one noted: \u201cGod is free, Gwen. Touch some grass,\u201d with a second agreeing: \u201cPay for pray is CRAZY WORK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Independent has contacted Stefani\u2019s representative for comment. <\/p>\n<p>In her Lent <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DHbJLFOpFk2\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=2c085423-4a54-4163-b2c8-0899ae9d3eff\">campaign<\/a> with Hallow earlier this year, Stefani revealed that while she was raised in the church, she \u201cfell away from my faith\u201d once her music career kicked off. \u201cAnd then came a time in my life where I felt like I was losing everything,\u201d she said. \u201cFeeling so desperate, I got on my knees, I asked God: \u2018Please, please get me well. Please use my gift of music again. Please let me be the person I used to be.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Launched in 2018 by co-founders Jones, Alessandro DiSanto and Erich Kerekes, Hallow is famous for partnering with celebrities, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/arts-entertainment\/films\/news\/mark-wahlberg-religion-catholic-hollywood-b2287900.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Pratt, Mark Wahlberg and Jim Caviezel<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, it partnered with Irish actor <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/people\/liam-neeson-criticised-by-prolife-activists-for-appearing-in-amnesty-prochoice-abortion-advert-a6706146.html\">Liam Neeson, who is known for being an outspoken pro-choice advocate<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The partnership drew strong criticism from several conservative Catholics. Initially, Jones <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/cna\/hallow-app-defends-partnership-with-liam-neeson-a-supporter-of-abortion#:~:text=Jones%20said%20that%20Hallow%20does,and%20minds%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.\">defended<\/a> the partnership, explaining that Hallow\u2019s goal is to reach \u201cfolks 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last December, however, he backtracked on his former statement, instead calling the collaboration a \u201cmistake.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a bunch of stuff we\u2019ve 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,\u201d Jones told the<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/news\/hallow-apps-alex-jones-calls-neeson-partnership-mistake\"> National Catholic Register <\/a>of the controversy. \u201cThere\u2019s the sin of scandal. There\u2019s material cooperation with evil. There\u2019s a bunch of stuff that we learned and are growing in understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-336225","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}