By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Thursday, March 12, 2026

For decades, Chonda Pierce has built a career helping audiences laugh through life’s hardest moments. But behind the humor that earned her the title of the bestselling female comedian in Christian entertainment lies a story of childhood pain, spiritual wrestling and ultimately healing through Christ, a journey she revisits in the upcoming documentary “He Calls Me Daughter.”

Set to debut in theaters nationwide March 17–18 through Fathom Entertainment, the film explores the lifelong impact fathers can have on their daughters and the path toward restoration through faith. Directed by Rick Altizer, the project features several women sharing personal stories about fractured father-daughter relationships and how those wounds shape identity, relationships and one’s view of God.

For Pierce, the decision to participate meant reopening a chapter of her life she has spoken about publicly but still carries with deep emotion.

“Probably because of Rick Altizer,” the 66-year-old comedian and bestselling author told The Christian Post of why she agreed to be involved. “He caught what I do early on in my career and has always been a great friend of what I do. He’s really great about taking someone’s story and presenting it in a way that doesn’t come off fake or cheesy. And he has ministry at heart.”

Pierce’s segment is just one of several stories in the film, which also features appearances from figures such as In-N-Out Burger CEO Lynsi Snyder, author Meg Meeker, and filmmaker Alex Kendrick.

The documentary explores what many counselors refer to as the “father wound,” something Alitzer told CP means the emotional pain that can result from absent, abusive or emotionally distant fathers, and how that experience can shape a woman’s sense of identity and her understanding of God as Father.

“When you have a broken relationship with an earthly father, it makes it so hard to grasp the concept that there is a Heavenly Father,” Pierce said. “And that’s the way God designed it. Even in Scripture, He calls Himself our Heavenly Father.”

Pierce grew up in a pastor’s home, an upbringing that appeared outwardly stable but was complicated behind the scenes. One of four siblings, she reflected on sharing limited time with a father who carried the demands of ministry and struggled with personal and mental health challenges.

“My father was a pastor, so he was the shepherd for a large flock of people,” she said. “But we also grew up in a very legalistic denomination where there were lots of ‘don’ts.’ It felt almost impossible to please the church, which meant it felt impossible to please God and impossible to please my dad.”

Complicating matters further, Pierce said her father battled severe mental illness, including a later diagnosis of bipolar disorder and was unfaithful in his marriage.

“The most confusing part of my childhood was seeing a man in the pulpit preach and people admire him,” she said. “People came to know the Lord through his sermons. Yet behind the scenes, my siblings and I saw when he was abusive or terrible to my mother.”

Those contradictions left Pierce grappling with difficult questions about faith.

“It made me wonder, ‘Where is God in all of this?’” she said. “Is God fake? Is God going to disappoint me like this man in the pulpit has disappointed me?”

Pierce said that when pastors fall publicly today, she often thinks about the deeper ripple effect those failures can have on families, especially children.

“When that person is also your daddy, it is very, very hard to climb out of that,” she said.

Over time, Pierce said healing began not with answers but with a relationship with Christ. Counseling also played an important role in her healing journey; she recalled writing letters to her father, some never sent, as a way to process years of pain.

“Jesus is such a wonderful comforter,” she said. “When you accept Christ, it’s like a seed planted in your heart that begins to grow and pushes the weeds out. … One counselor told me, ‘You need to get this out.’ I wrote volumes. Boxes and boxes.”

A pivotal moment came during a counseling session that encouraged Pierce to visualize God as the loving Father she had long struggled to imagine. In the exercise, she pictured herself as an infant being lovingly held by God, and it was that realization that helped reframe her understanding of both her earthly father and God.

“That was life-changing for me,” she said. “Before the world tainted my view of anything, my Heavenly Father knew me. He kissed me on the cheek and placed me in my mother’s womb because He trusted me with this story.”

“My relationship with God did not hinge on how much my earthly father cared for me,” Pierce added. “Your Heavenly Father and your earthly father are nothing alike. And that’s great, because it lets your earthly father off the hook. He was human.”

“You don’t have to have Sunday dinner with someone who hurt you,” she said. “But there is a way to forgive so you can find peace. Forgiveness is for me, whether the other person accepts it or not.”

Before her father died, Pierce said she was able to speak with him and find a measure of closure.

“I told him I was grateful for the good things he did,” she said. “By that point in my life, I didn’t need some grand apology. I had already found healing.”

Pierce has spent more than 35 years on the road as a stand-up comedian, performing in churches and theaters across the country. Her blend of humor and vulnerability has made her one of the most recognized figures in Christian comedy, earning multiple gold-certified comedy recordings and bestselling DVDs.

While laughter remains the focal point of her shows (“I like to make people laugh,” Pierce said), she often closes her performances with deeply personal reflections on grief, loss and faith.

“The first half of my shows are always funny, I hope,” she said. “But I spend the last 15 or 20 minutes telling my story.”

That storytelling includes not only her childhood experiences but also later tragedies, including the deaths of family members and her husband. Participating in “He Calls Me Daughter,” she said, felt like a natural extension of that pattern.

“Telling my story has always been part of what I do,” Pierce said. “But hearing the stories of the other women in this film was powerful ... you realize this isn’t just preacher’s daughters or comedians trying to hide their pain. These are CEOs, actresses, college students. Women everywhere.”

Ultimately, Pierce hopes the documentary will help women recognize wounds they might not have fully understood and discover the hope that comes through Christ and community. 

“When you see other women have the courage to say, ‘My life was difficult because of my father,’ it reveals something,” she said. “You realize, ‘Maybe that’s part of my story too.’ You can try drugs, alcohol, looking for love in all the wrong places. But when that father wound is still there, you will never be satisfied. Christ is the only one who can bring that kind of healing.”

She also hopes the film speaks directly to fathers, who she emphasized play a critical role in shaping how children understand love, security and even their relationship with God.

“I hate to put the pressure on you, guys,” she said. “But God intended for you to step it up. That constant love and consistency of unconditional love can change your child’s life forever.”

“He Calls Me Daughter” will debut in theaters nationwide March 17–18 through Fathom Entertainment. Watch the trailer below. 

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/chonda-pierce-opens-up-about-pastor-fathers-betrayal-in-new-doc.html