Patricia Heaton warns Kanye West of what’s to come for sharing Jesus in Hollywood
Actress Patricia Heaton says she's praying for Kanye West because people want to see him fail at Christianity.
"I was just listening to the Kanye interview with Big Boy this morning as I was getting dressed. I never thought I'd be downloading any Kanye West music, but here we are,” the “Everybody Loves Raymond” actress told The Christian Post on Tuesday.
West released his ninth studio album last week, titled Jesus Is King, and its loaded with scripture and gospel content. The emcee and fashion mogul started hosting Sunday Service events at the top of the year that feature gospel music and, more recently, sermons. A few months ago, West announced that he was a born again Christian and found healing after he was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.
Heaton, a devout Catholic who frequently speaks out about social issues and her faith, said she’s “definitely praying for” West.
“It's very hard. I think when someone of his stature in the industry and someone who has his amount of fame makes that kind of proclamation, people then really watch and scrutinize everything he does to catch him falling down,” she said.
“I hope that he is able to handle that, because that's what's going to happen,” Heaton predicted.
"People want to see him fail at Christianity,” she said.
Heaton has continued her commitment to humanitarian work alongside the Christian nonprofit organization World Vision and is not afraid to boldly talk about Jesus and eternity.
"I think that if you have the Christian perspective that this time we have on Earth is actually very small compared to eternity, and that our lives are so filled with nonessential information — especially with the advent of social media — there has to be someone talking about eternal things and talking about our souls, and people actually are hungry for that, even if they aren't aware of it.
"People are crying out for meaning in their life and for something that lasts, something that's not temporary,” she stressed.
Heaton’s advice for West comes from her own experience of being ridiculed for her faith, but the Ohio native said she doesn’t care because people are longing to hear about eternity.
“We're created for eternity. We're not created for temporary life. So I feel that even if I get pushback on it, or people think I'm weird or strange, that there's somebody out there that wants to hear this, that's craving that message,” Heaton declared.
The Emmy Award-winner kicked off her new comedy series "Carol's Second Act" in September.
The sitcom is about “a woman who embarks on a unique second act after raising her children, getting divorced, and retiring from teaching: pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. At age 50, Carol is a medical intern and must sink or swim with peers who are half her age. It's her enthusiasm, perspective, and yes, even her age that may be exactly what will make her second act a great success,” the show’s synopsis says.
The 61-year-old actress received her big break at 38, and said she wants the new series to inspire older generations to keep pursuing their dreams.
"As long as you're breathing there's a purpose for you on this Earth. What I love about ‘Carol's Second Act’ is that it’s talking about people who are older in our society who have often been dismissed. But I think wisdom and experience in life is needed in this day and age. That you have older people who have this perspective of what lasts and what's important. And I think it's important for young people to have that in their society,” Heaton said.
"I also think it's just important for us older people to feel that there's still a purpose for us because everybody needs a purpose, everybody needs something to strive for. I think we're doing much better now in seeing the value of people's wisdom and experience. I just hope that this show, in a funny way, confirms that.”
“Carol’s Second Act” airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.