Pastor Jamal H. Bryant of Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore, Md., says that Ebony magazine has apologized after he openly rebuked the African-American publication for reporting a rumor that the charismatic minister had impregnated a 17-year-old member of his congregation in 2007.

Bryant, 41, had taken the magazine to task in an open letter and said that "a hole" had been left in his heart after the rumor was published in the "Scandalous!" section of Ebony's March 2013 issue, which hit newsstands earlier this month.


"Thankfully Ebony magazine expressed a verbal apology as well as a written statement of clarification – which Dr. Bryant has accepted," Nicole S. Kirby, Pastor Bryant's public relations director, shared on Monday.

Ebony's March 2013 issue, which features "Scandal" star Kerry Washington on the cover, stated in its paragraph-long brief that the "charismatic, flashy pastor" was accused of extramarital affairs, "including one rumor that he impregnated a 17-year-old church member." The publication noted that Bryant's wife at the time, Gizelle, filed for divorce in 2008 after nearly six years of marriage. The couple share three children, while Bryant has another child previous to his marriage.
Pastor Bryant chastised the publication in an open letter shared online Friday.