Who are Katy Perry’s pastor parents, who reportedly misused donations? Keith Hudson called her a ‘devil child’ while Mary Hudson dated Jimi Hendrix – and has political aspirations with the Republicans

But most people forget – or don’t realise – that Perry actually launched her career with a Christian album in 2001, only ditching her strict religious upbringing, and finding stardom, with her 2008 pop album One of the Boys.

But even with all her fame and fortune, there seems to be one crowd that isn’t quite on board with Perry’s transformation – her own family. Perry’s parents are both devout preachers with conservative values. Still, despite their differing beliefs, her parents have always tried to be supportive.

Read on to learn more about Keith and Mary Hudson.

Katy Perry’s parents are Pentecostal pastors

Per Hello!, Keith, originally from Las Vegas, met Mary while she was a radio news director and freelance journalist. The pair married in Vegas in 1979, then set up their own church in Santa Barbara. Since then, they’ve travelled the globe sharing their faith.

They weren’t always religious

Perry’s parents weren’t always so strict. In fact, in the 60s, Mary once dated Jimi Hendrix while Keith was “part of the Strawberry Fields Forever” scene, helping hallucinogenic drug researcher Timothy Leary manufacture LSD, according to reports. Their lives changed some 50 years ago when Keith claimed God spoke to him in an apple orchard, inspiring him to become a devout Christian and start his own ministry.

Mary Hudson is an author, public speaker and loving wife

Keith Hudson has clashed with his daughter over their differing views

With Keith being staunchly religious and Katy admittedly “a little bit secular”, per Pop Culture, there was always going to be some family tension. In 2013, NME reported that Keith delivered several sermons criticising his daughter’s career. In one sermon, he even called Perry a “devil child”, asked the congregation to “pray for his daughter”, and said, “They ask, how can I preach if I produce a girl who sang about kissing another girl?”

Perry’s parents weren’t always her biggest fans, to say the least, but the pop star has learned to accept this. In a 2017 Today interview with Natalie Morales, Perry shared, “They don’t agree with some of the things I do, and they do wish that I could do other things.”

In 2021, they faced accusations of misusing charity donations

In 2021, Perry’s parents were under scrutiny for their charity spending habits. A whopping 96 per cent of donations to their charity, Keith Hudson Ministries, actually went towards expenses like lavish Marriott Hotel retreats, flights, meals and cars, per media reports. In 2019, the charity raised US$186,000 – but spent US$178,000 on expenses. The charity had just US$7,600 left in cash at the end of the year.

What is Katy Perry’s relationship with her parents like now?

Katy has openly discussed the contrast between her values and her conservative upbringing, but she and her parents have found ways to connect. Their relationship now reflects love and mutual respect for their choices. In 2011, she told Vanity Fair, “We coexist. I don’t try to change them anymore, and I don’t think they try to change me. We agree to disagree.”