What you might not know about the American author
Actor and comedian Arsenio Hall, who is best known for his late-night talk show 'The Arsenio Hall show,' is the son of a Baptist minister father.
Comedian and TV host Daniel Tosh was born in Germany but grew up in Titusville, Florida, where his father was a Presbyterian minister.
TV host George Stephanopoulos's father is a Greek Orthodox priest and his mother has always been heavily involved with the church. For a long time he himself thought about priesthood.
Sources: (Ranker) (Radio Times)
Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill, who together with their cousin Matthew make up the Kings of Leon, are the sons of a pastor of the Evangelist Pentecostal Church.
Thanks to Clarence Franklin's emotionally-charged sermons that elevated him to celebrity status, he and Aretha were often surrounded by gospel musicians with whom Aretha could make connections.
When she was growing up the young Katy Perry listened mostly to gospel music, since secular music was frowned upon by her parents. She discovered pop music via her friends.
Rock 'n' roll and blues were considered "the devil's music" and the children had to enjoy other genres of music when they weren't under the watchful eye of their parents.
The New York Times's 2020 choice for greatest actor of the 21st century, Denzel Washington, was born in 1954. His father, Denzel Washington Sr., was a Pentecostal minister.
In choosing hard rock over the church, Cooper broke with what could almost be called a family tradition: his grandfather was an apostle and President of the same church as his father.
The iconic blues artist Nina Simone had a very religious upbringing. Her mother was a Methodist minister and her father a reverend. She enjoyed playing piano at her local church.
Actor David Tennant, who is best known as the tenth Doctor Who, is the son of a minister who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
The Queen of Soul was born in 1942 to a musician mother and Baptist minister father. Her mother sadly passed away when she was 10, but her father helped kickstart her career.
What is perhaps more surprising is that their father, Paul Kevin Jonas Sr., is also a former ordained minister at the Assemblies of God church.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, or Katy Perry to most of the world, was born in 1984 to two Pentecostal pastors, Mary Christine (née Perry) and Maurice Keith Hudson.
The parents of the Pointer sisters, Reverend Elton and Sarah Pointer, encouraged their children in their music, but only if they sang and listened to gospel.
Denzel Washington Jr. did not follow in his father's footsteps in the same way his own actor son, John David Washington, is following in his.
The King of Soul Sam Cooke was another musician from a religious family. His father, the Reverend Charles Cook, was a minister in the Church of Christ (Holiness).
Referred to by journalists as "The Godfather of Shock Rock," Alice Cooper chose a wildly different career path from his father, who was an Evangelist at the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite).
Jessica sang in the church choir when she was a child and apparently realized that she wanted to pursue a career in music while she was at a church retreat aged 11.
The singer and actress Jessica Simpson and her younger sister Ashlee are the daughters of a Baptist youth minister. Jessica received a purity ring from her father at the age of 12.
Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford is the son of John and Eleanor Mumford, who are the former leaders of the Vineyard Church (UK and Ireland).
Former NBA star Phil Jackson is the son of two Assemblies of God ministers. They raised him in an austere environment with no TV or dancing, and growing up he assumed he'd become a minister.
Singer songwriter Kelis is the daughter of a fashion designer mother and a jazz musician father. Her father was also a Pentecostal minister and, at one point, a professor.
Haitian-born rapper and producer Wyclef Jean is the son of a Nazarene minister, Reverend Gesner Jean, who was killed in a freak accident back in 2010.
The hip-hop star was named after the biblical scholar John Wycliffe, and when he was growing up his father banned rap music, encouraging him to focus instead on the church choir.
In 1987 the couple established the first British Vineyard church in South West London, after visiting American pastor, John Wimber. They remained head of the Church until 2015.
Although father and son clearly had very different callings in life, they did work together once when David Tennant's father made a cameo appearance in an episode of 'Doctor Who.'
While the Catholic church still forbids priests to break their celibacy vows and father children, there are many Christian denominations that do permit priests to have families.
It is common for the children of pastors to grow up and also become priests, and this is hardly surprising given the all-consuming nature of the job. But in other cases the kids choose to take their own path and sometimes even become famous.
Check out this gallery to find out which celebs are the children of pastors.
Celebrity children of pastors
October 10 is Pastor Appreciation Day
CELEBRITY Religion
While the Catholic church still forbids priests to break their celibacy vows and father children, there are many Christian denominations that do permit priests to have families.
It is common for the children of pastors to grow up and also become priests, and this is hardly surprising given the all-consuming nature of the job. But in other cases the kids choose to take their own path and sometimes even become famous.
Check out this gallery to find out which celebs are the children of pastors.