The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman

by Deesha Philyaw · 2026

'I have no intention of sticking to the script...'Meet Scharisse Freeman, the Beyonce of the mega-church world: bold, unapologetic, ambitious, very much her own woman.For the same reasons, she has always been a pariah among the other Black preacher’s wives (aka First Ladies). From the moment she ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior, she’s been labelled too brash by the First Ladies and too holy by her estranged childhood friend, Petra. Schar doesn’t have a lot of allies, but that hasn’t stopped her from building an empire spanning from books to branded products, and living a comfortable life—one her mother could only have dreamed of.On the eve of her 40th birthday, Schar gets the validation she’s always dreamed of: a coveted invitation to participate in the Mrs. First Lady USA pageant. But as the competition nears, a scandal breaks with Schar at its centre, and her carefully curated life threatens to implode...