Christian Comedian John Crist Admits to 'Addiction Struggles' as He's Accused of Sexual Misconduct

"I am sorry for the hurt and pain I have caused these women and will continue to seek their forgiveness," said John Crist

Christian comedian and YouTuber John Crist is apologizing after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.

In a report published Wednesday by Charisma News, five women, whose names were intentionally replaced with pseudonyms by the outlet, came forward with accusations about Crist. The outlet reports that “Crist has exploited his Christian reputation and platform to harass, manipulate and exploit young women over the last seven years,” multiple sources allege.

“The allegations include, but are not limited to, individually sexting multiple women during the same time period, initiating sexual relationships with married women and women in committed relationships, offering show tickets in exchange for sexual favors and repeatedly calling these women late at night while drunk,” Charisma News reports.

In a lengthy statement issued to Charisma News, Crist, 35, apologized “for the hurt and pain” that he has caused various women, admitting that he has “treated relationships with women far too casually, in some cases even recklessly.” (PEOPLE confirmed Crist’s statement via his rep.)

“Over the past number of years, various women have accused me of behavior that has been hurtful to them. While I am not guilty of everything I’ve been accused of, I confess to being guilty of this — I have treated relationships with women far too casually, in some cases even recklessly. My behavior has been destructive and sinful,” Crist began.

“I’ve sinned against God, against women and the people who I love the most. I have violated my own Christian beliefs, convictions and values, and have hurt many people in the process. I am sorry for the hurt and pain I have caused these women and will continue to seek their forgiveness. I have also hurt the name of Jesus and have sought His forgiveness,” he continued.

Crist further revealed in his statement that he has sought professional treatment to help with his “addiction struggles.”

“Over several recent years, I have privately sought and received regular professional treatment for my sexual sin and addiction struggles,” he wrote.

While he continues to seek “healing and freedom,” Crist announced that his remaining 2019 tour dates have been canceled.

“I’m committed to getting healing and freedom from my sin and have decided to cancel my remaining tour dates this year and to postpone all future commitments in order to devote all my time and energy on getting healthy spiritually, mentally and physically,” said Crist, who made Pollstar’s Top 100 Tours Globally list in 2019, “with over 197,000 tickets sold for his ‘Human Being Tour,'” according to his biography.

While Crist’s private battles may come as a surprise to his 1.2 million Instagram followers, the comic said that “those closest to me — my family, team and close friends — have known about this battle for some time, and now you do too.”