Lionel Richie reveals he almost became a priest before music career

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. 

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.

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. 

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“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.”

Lionel Richie recalled that he almost became a priest before one enthusiastic shoutout from a fan convinced him to pursue music.  (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

“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!’”

Richie said that the audience member’s comment prompted him to contact church leadership and abandon his training for the priesthood.

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“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.”

An audience member shouted “Sing it, baby!” while Richie was performing with the Commodores.  (Mike Prior/Redferns)

“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.”

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Richie admitted that he continued to struggle with his shyness while he was performing with The Commodores. 

“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.” 

Richie said that the songs he has written are his “real sermons.” (VALERIE MACON/AFP)

In “Truly,” Richie recalled telling the priests at his church that he had second thoughts about his vocation for the priesthood.  

“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.” 

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.

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“Truly” will be released nationwide on Oct. 15, 2025, through HarperCollins.