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Ex-Wife of Ramsey Radio Host Chris Hogan Says Apology Fails to Acknowledge Those “Profoundly Hurt”

By Jackson Elliott
chris hogan
Chris Hogan, a former public speaker on personal finance issues for Ramsey Solutions, resigned from Dave Ramsey’s organization in May 2021. New evidence reveals that Ramsey’s board knew of improprieties long before then. (Photo Credit: daveramsey.com)

Chris Hogan left Ramsey Solutions this week, apologizing for personal actions “not in line” with the company. But Hogan’s former wife, Melissa Hogan, says her ex-husband’s online apology failed to take responsibility for those Chris Hogan “profoundly hurt,” including her, her family, and other women.

According to court documents, Melissa Hogan divorced Chris Hogan in 2019 because he cheated on her with multiple women, including another company employee.

“I note that while his statement generically expresses being sorry for harm, he does not take responsibility for the impact of his actions on his family, people who trusted him, or people whose jobs depended on his role and integrity,” Melissa Hogan wrote in an online statement. “He does not acknowledge that his actions profoundly hurt people, including me, our children, my family, and other women he manipulated.”

In the 49-second online video, Chris Hogan delivered a short apology in radio-show cadence for doing unnamed “things” that are “not in line with Ramsey Solutions.” He ends the video with a sales pitch for the “great content and great people at Ramsey.”

“As a lawyer and a strategy consultant, I can see lots of reasons why they want it to be vague,” Melissa Hogan told The Roys Report on Thursday. “None of which probably align with the gospel’s call for transparency, repentance and exposing evil.”

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Melissa Hogan, who’s a practicing attorney, said the YouTube apology surprised her because Chris Hogan said nothing about it to her.

“As a lawyer myself, their actions trouble me greatly. As a believer in Christ, their actions trouble me even more,” she said.

Chris Hogan’s YouTube apology aired only days after a lawyer for another Ramsey employee had subpoenaed Ramsey Solutions, asking for Hogan’s personnel file. That employee, Caitlin O’Connor, is suing Ramsey Solutions for firing her for getting pregnant while single.

On Monday, O’Connor’s lawyer asked for several documents, including any information involving Hogan’s violation of Ramsey core values, according to court documents.

On Wednesday, Hogan released his apology and left the company.

Ramsey Solutions is known for its strict code of moral conduct. Breaking company rules in personal life can be a firing offense.

“Don’t talk to me about how you love your pastor and your church. And I just moved in with my boyfriend,” Ramsey told employees in 2020, after news of O’Connor’s lawsuit broke. Ramsey added that anyone who disagreed with company policies should leave.

However, when the company learned in November and December 2018 about Chris Hogan’s multiple affairs, Ramsey took a different approach. The company employed Chris Hogan for three more years.

Melissa Hogan added that Ramsey Solutions board members Suzanne Simms, Jeremy Breland, and Brian Williams even joined Chris Hogan at the courthouse in May 2019 when Chris sought to put a gag order on Melissa.

“The gag order itself was isolating and extremely traumatic,” Melissa Hogan told The Roys Report. “I now know that such silencing is one method that controlling and abusive people and organizations commonly use to further isolate you. It effectively sought to even prohibit me from receiving emotional support from friends and family members during one of the most traumatic periods of my life.”

The Roys Report called Ramsey Solutions for comment but did not receive an answer.

Melissa Hogan added that Ramsey Solutions uses its code of conduct to control the lives of employees, yet the rules don’t apply to all employees equally.

In a statement posted to her blog in January, Melissa Hogan said Ramsey Solutions characterized Chris Hogan’s work as a spiritual “calling on his life.” She said the company also demanded access to her confidential therapy documents so it could fix her marriage.

“During a process that was supposed to help restore our marriage, Ramsey Solutions’ board members attempted to manipulate and control me through emails and phone calls,” Melissa Hogan wrote. “They characterized their plan as aligning with the Holy Spirit, and suggested that things would not ‘end well’ if I made choices to support healing in my marriage and family that either were not directed by them or decisions that they did not approve.”

At the time of the divorce, Ramsey asked Melissa Hogan if she wanted Chris Hogan fired or his book tour cancelled, she said.

“My response was, ‘I just want God to be glorified,’” she told The Roys Report. “I wanted people to own their behavior, to be honest, to not deceive or abuse people, and to turn the other direction from that type of behavior.”

Ramsey also brought up the Hogan divorce in a company meeting shortly after the tour for Chris Hogan’s book, according to a recording published online. Ramsey told employees the couple was in a “really nasty divorce” and accused Melissa Hogan of making angry accusations about her then-husband.

This claim reportedly happened after Melissa Hogan objected to a company-backed plan for reconciliation that would have cancelled the divorce and allowed Chris Hogan to tour and publicize his recent book.

“I have a lot of compassion for my ex-husband and for the people that work at Ramsey Solutions,” Melissa Hogan said. “My goal was never to put dirty laundry in the public space.”

CORRECTION: Article has been updated to note O’Connor’s lawsuit was in 2020, not 2018.

Jackson ElliottJackson Elliott is a Christian journalist trained at Northwestern University. He has worked at The Daily Signal, The Inlander, and The Christian Post, covering topics ranging from D.C. politics to prison ministry. His interests include the Bible, philosophy, theology, Russian literature, and Irish music.

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11 Responses

  1. I am so disappointed in and angry with Dave Ramsey and his company. They manipulated and bullied Melissa Hogan so they could continue to make money and gain exposure from her then-husband’s book and his appearances. At the same time they were covering for Chris Hogan, other employees with “moral failures” were being fired. The hypocrisy is bad enough, but the mental and spiritual torture Melissa endured at their hands is inexcusable. And I can’t help but wonder if the fact that Chris is Black played into this – they wanted to protect the appearance of diversity. Maybe that’s too cynical, but after learning all of this, I wouldn’t be shocked.

  2. God is relentless in clearing the chaff from the wheat on anything and anybody that claims to “follow” but is actively leaning away and astray.

  3. Thirty years ago I worked for a Christian non-profit in my city where irregular things (i.e. behavior not supported by Scripture and covered up) occurred. After a major incident involving my supervisor, whom I no longer trusted, I realized it was time to leave. I did leave, as soon as I could find another job. If had done what my supervisor did in my present educational environment, there would have been an immediate firing and lawsuit for endangering a minor. In my opinion, churches and para-church organizations need to get their act together.

  4. The fact that Melissa Hogan is a lawyer demonstrates once again how even highly educated, intelligent people can be gaslit and preyed upon by manipulative, abusive, ungodly systems like Ramsey’s profiteering empire, and should motivate us all the more to stand up for truth and justice when the powerful trample on people and lord their power over them.

  5. The Ramsey corporation finally turned on Hogan for one reason only, he was finally making them look bad owing to Julie’s exposure.

    1. Also, probably even more in this case, Bob Smietana’s reporting, since RNS stories can be carried by more news outlets. That’s not to diminish The Roys Report.

  6. A whole lot of shaking and sifting continuing to happen all around us, Lord have mercy as you prepare us for your return.

  7. Ramsey is another POS. No different that the RZIM insiders who covered for Ravi to keep the gravy train rolling.

  8. Does anyone have any links to the divorce documents or any of the documents that contain Chris Hogan’s admission of infidelity? I’m trying to find them and have not been able to as of yet. This is all deeply concerning to me and to my audience and I’m trying to provide primary resource documentation as we try to flesh out the truth here.

  9. I would like to ask Mr Ramsey where is Grace,where is forgiveness, I’m sure he’s anti abortion but is he pro-life. Why not be kind and supportive to the lady that’s pregnant instead of harsh and rigid like the pharisees were. Preach the Gospel quit protecting the brand and the man at the top.

  10. How Dave Ramsey has gotten away with giving financial advice without licenses and not being shut down by the regulators is the real miracle. It is hard to believe that he has the following he does in the evangelical/Christian community when he is so condescending, dismissive and arrogant in his communication with people. Sadly, these self-righteous and arrogant types seem to flourish in the evangelical world, getting fabulously wealthy in the process.

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