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Lauren Alaina appears to have declared her ex-boyfriend dead to her in a new TikTok video. The country music singer didn’t specifically name the Christian comedian and YouTuber, but she’s left fans to fill in the blanks.
Literally!
Alaina, runner-up to Scotty McCreery on American Idol’s Season 10, has built an impressive 14-year career in country music. She’s released three albums, won two CMT Music Awards, and earned membership in the Grand Ole Opry – achieving fame equal to the contest’s winner.
Despite being heavily pregnant with her first child with husband Cam Arnold (whom she married earlier this year), the 30-year-old singer recently joined a viral TikTok trend focused on past relationships. She used Kaitlin Butts’ rising hit “You Ain’t Gotta Die (To Be Dead To Me)” – a song that’s gained significant traction partly due to its popularity on TikTok.
The song’s message is straightforward – it’s about someone who isn’t actually deceased but is completely cut off from the singer’s life. A particular spoken segment has become “trending audio” across the platform:
You know, I think I have heard of that man,I think, I think I heard he got run over by a train,Mauled by a bear, maybe, hopefully
In her video, Alaina used this audio to reference an ex-boyfriend with “four letters in his first name and five letters in his last.”
@laurenalaina
Longtime fans quickly connected the dots – she’s likely referring to John Crist, the Christian comedian she briefly dated in 2019.
Their relationship didn’t end well, as Alaina’s TikTok makes clear. Just weeks after their breakup, Crist faced accusations from five different women of sexually exploitative behavior and harassment. He allegedly solicited sexual favors in exchange for show tickets, propositioned intoxicated women, and made inappropriate late-night calls while under the influence.
One anonymous accuser told Charisma News in 2019: “The one thing that stopped me from believing he was creepy is John so proudly parades his face as a Christian. I’ve let myself believe that just because someone is a Christian means they won’t do something intentionally bad. But the truth is, John invited me to his apartment with the intention of sleeping with me after shaking hands with my boyfriend.”
Crist later acknowledged some wrongdoing in a statement:
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. 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 later addressed the situation in this video:
While Alaina has never discussed the intimate details of their relationship or breakup, her music tells part of the story. Her song “What Do You Think Of?” with Lukas Graham – featured on her album “Sitting Pretty On Top of the World” – was inspired by the sadness following her public split from Crist.
She’s also notably refused to say his name during interviews.
So connecting these dots, we can reasonably conclude that John Crist is the ex who might not be literally dead but is completely dead to Lauren Alaina. As she implies through the trending audio, she heard he got run over by a train or mauled by a bear – maybe, hopefully!
