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- Lionel Richie reveals he almost became a priest before one fan's comment changed his life</p>
<p>Ashley HumeOctober 5, 2025 at 12:55 AM</p>
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<p>Lionel Richie revealed that he almost joined the Episcopal priesthood before one encouraging shoutout from an audience member convinced him to pursue a musical career.</p>
<p>In his new memoir "Truly," the 76-year-old music icon recalled growing up, he was a "disastrously shy altar boy" who considered becoming a member of the clergy and was training for the priesthood.</p>
<p>During a Friday appearance on "Today with Jenna & Friends" to promote his tell-all, Richie recalled the pivotal moment, while performing with his college band, The Commodores, that inspired him to commit to music.</p>
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<p>"I couldn't figure out what the heck to do with my life, couldn't figure it out," the four-time Grammy Award winner said. "I'm as shy as I can be. And then I realized, maybe the priesthood might be the best way to go."</p>
<p>Lionel Richie recalled that he almost became a priest before one enthusiastic shoutout from a fan convinced him to pursue music.</p>
<p>"Here's what happened to change my mind," Richie continued. "I joined the Commodores in my second semester of my sophomore year and something amazing happened. A lady on the front row of some club said, 'Sing it, baby!'"</p>
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<p>Richie said that the audience member's comment prompted him to contact church leadership and abandon his training for the priesthood.</p>
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<p>"I called back to the priest and I said, 'I don't think I'm going to be college material. I just gotta be honest with you,'" the "All Night Long" hitmaker said. "There's a moment when you have that moment."</p>
<p>An audience member shouted "Sing it, baby!" while Richie was performing with the Commodores.</p>
<p>"All of a sudden, I got an acknowledgment from the other side," Richie continued. "From that point on, I kept thinking, now how does this go forward? I didn't know I was a writer, didn't know I was a singer. Thank God for The Commodores because I would have never discovered Lionel Richie."</p>
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<p>Richie admitted that he continued to struggle with his shyness while he was performing with The Commodores.</p>
<p>"Scared to death, can you imagine having panic attacks on stage?" the "American Idol" judge said. "But I wanted to be in this band so badly, and I wanted to be in this business."</p>
<p>Richie said that the songs he has written are his "real sermons."</p>
<p>In "Truly," Richie recalled telling the priests at his church that he had second thoughts about his vocation for the priesthood.</p>
<p>"They gave me wise words of encouragement and told me that if things changed the door was always open," Richie wrote. "In fact, in the coming years, whenever I worried that the music thing was to be short-lived, I'd talk about returning to my earlier plans."</p>
<p>He continued, "I even picked out a seminary in Wyoming. Never went. The moment of truth probably arrived when I began to write songs—and realized they were my real sermons.</p>
<p>"Truly" will be released nationwide on Oct. 15, 2025, through HarperCollins.</p>
<p>Original article source: Lionel Richie reveals he almost became a priest before one fan's comment changed his life</p>
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