By: Allie Joy Hudson

6 min. read

Who Is Terry Crews?

“[P]ornography will never tell you the whole story. . . It’s killing you softly and it’s watching you bleed out and letting you and then stepping over your body and it’s over to the next guy or girl.”

Terry Crews made this powerful statement on the destruction of pornography in an interview last month for Fight the New Drug’s podcast, “Consider Before Consuming.”

Many of us know Terry Crews as “the Old Spice guy” or as an actor on popular shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine or Everybody Hates Chris. But over the past five or six years, this celebrity has really leveraged his platform well. He, honestly and often, speaks out about his own experience with porn addiction, how he found freedom, and about the harms of porn on our relationships, minds, and hearts.

As a well-known celebrity, and as a Christian, Terry Crews is an incredible voice to have on our side as we, together, seek to reveal the true harms of pornography and as we turn to Christ for healing.

So, what is Crews’ story?

“I Couldn’t Stop”

Crews grew up in a household where violence against women was a reality. His father was an alcoholic and would often abuse his wife. “We lived a nightmare for years,” Crews said in a 2018 speech. From a young age, Crews’ example for manhood was a father who took out his aggression on his wife.

In addition to growing up around violence against women, Terry Crews was only twelve years old when he was exposed to porn for the first time. Images like those of abuse and pornography (there is often overlap between the two) can be traumatizing and can affect our perceptions of ourselves and others for a very long time.

Terry Crews admits that his porn addiction continued for decades. He got married and had children, and he still managed to keep his porn habit going in secret. Around 2010, Crews finally opened up to his wife, Rebecca, about his addiction. He says, “I was getting farther and farther away from Rebecca . . .  It wasn’t that she caught me. She was like, ‘Something is wrong with you,’ and I finally had to admit it was a problem . . . I realized I couldn’t stop.”

Terry and Rebecca Crews’ marriage was on the brink of ending in divorce. Crews came face to face with the reality that, just like in our own lives, there was brokenness in him that he needed help to overcome. He took active steps and went to rehab to overcome his addiction.

Terry Crews – And US

Unfortunately, Terry Crews’ story is common. His story is many of our stories. Porn usage runs rampant in our society. And porn doesn’t discriminate. People across sexes, races, age groups, religious backgrounds, cultures, social classes – you name it – can easily access and fall prey to porn.

Although Terry Crews is a celebrity, porn messed up his life in the same way that it can wreck ours.

Although Terry Crews is a celebrity, he is a person too. He’s a sinner in need of saving, just like we are.

And though Terry Crews is a celebrity, he took and is taking steps to fight against porn in his life and in the world. We can do the same.

Related: How Porn Can Tear Apart Your Life – From Hopelessness to Healing

How Terry Crews Stands Up to Porn (And How You Can Too)

• Terry Crews is willing to be honest about the hold porn had on his life. In his 2014 book Manhood: How to Be a Better Man – or Just Live with One, Crews opened up about his struggles with porn. In 2015, he started sharing videos of him candidly talking about pornography. He has made multiple of these “Dirty Little Secret” videos to educate people about porn’s harms in his life, on his marriage, and on our culture.
• He prioritized healing in himself and in his marriage and family. Terry went to rehab to deal with his addiction, and Rebecca also went to therapy to process through her hurt and betrayal trauma. Like all addictions, the hurt and pain go beyond the user. Crews draws the comparison between a hit and run and apologizing to your family for your porn habit without taking steps to change it. He explains that he had to work with his family to demonstrate that he was getting help, getting better, and honoring them. Today, Terry and Rebecca Crews have been married for thirty years! Our God is a God who heals hurts and brings about new life.
• Crews speaks out against porn with admirable boldness. He calls out the way that porn twists relationships and our view of other people. “Pornography is an intimacy killer,” he says. He also shares, “My issue was, and is with pornography is that it changes the way you think about people. People become objects; people become body parts; they become things to be used rather than people to be loved.” Crews leverages his platform in Hollywood to reach many people with this crucial message. Though our platforms might be a little smaller, we too have the ability to educate people and to speak out against porn with courage. 

Jesus Heals Us

Terry Crews is intentional about proclaiming a message of truth and about honoring his family, himself, other people, and the Lord in the process. Terry Crews has said that he is a Christian and that he “does everything unto the Lord.” This is exciting! Knowing that we have a brother in Christ with such an influential platform that he uses to speak truth is huge. Let’s pray for Crews and his family and follow his example of living life in the light and freedom of Jesus.

As Christians, we all have a call on our lives to love the Lord by loving others and pointing people to Jesus. The truth of the Gospel is that each one of us has brokenness in our lives, whether that brokenness involves porn or something else entirely. When we expose porn (and sin in general) as the slave masters they are, we must also help people begin the healing process. One way that we offer that here at Proven Men is through our new Protector Initiative, a movement designed with the goal “no more victims” in mind. 

Overall, know that Jesus is the only One who can heal our souls. He took our sin and shame upon Himself on the cross. He now lives and gives us true life in Him! Jesus sees you in your hurt and loneliness, and He cares because He loves you unconditionally.

If you are struggling, look to Jesus and receive the hope that only He can offer.

And if you belong to Christ, follow the Spirit’s leading and speak out with the truth of the Gospel: We are all broken and in need of Jesus as our Savior.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR NEW PROTECTOR INITIATIVE! 

Allie Joy Hudson is first and foremost a daughter of the King. She has worked with Proven Men for two years and serves as the Content Manager. Allie graduated from Liberty University with a B.A. in English and minors in Spanish and Psychology. She completed her Senior Honors Thesis on the presentation of postmodern sexuality in short fiction. She enjoys reading, writing, playing the viola, running, singing, and photography. Allie is passionate about her ever-growing C.S. Lewis collection, cultivating relationships, and proclaiming truth in the twisted arena of postmodern sexuality. Allie lives in Pennsylvania and is overjoyed to be married to the love of her life.