British author and influencer Jay Shetty is under investigation for lying about his life and plagiarizing social media posts.
Mr. Shetty, who married Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in 2022, erroneously claimed to have spent three years at an Indian temple, according to The Guardian.
Jay Shetty Scandal
Jay Shetty operates a $2 billion meditation startup. His official website says he spent school holidays with Indian monks, learning from their knowledge.
According to The Guardian, the 36-year-old lied about spending three years at an Indian temple.
The story stated that Shetty left monetary success to become a monk after graduating. Three years later, he realizes his role in life is to use his extraordinary oratory skills to impart wisdom with the world, not to live as a monk. Thus begins his rapid ascent to stardom as a public self-help personality. It said Shetty's success is based on his riches-to-rags-to-riches tale.
The report questioned Jay Shetty's account, adding, "But Shetty's friends doubt his dramatic monastic conversion. Shetty's spiritual education was largely in Watford, an orbital town outside north-west London, they believe. His upbringing in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness led him there, not spiritual discovery in college."
The British daily newspaper also questioned Mr. Shetty's academic credentials, citing a degree from a business school that does not offer the promised course.
According to the study, Shetty is not the only self-help guru to exaggerate his spiritual credentials to attract followers and charge exorbitant fees. Shetty has launched other subscription and education services, including the life-coaching school, which charges $7,400 a term for "Postgraduate Diploma (Level 7) qualifications," comparable to a master's degree.
Does Jay Shetty Have a Reaction?
In response to the allegations, Jay Shetty has not directly addressed them.
On the other hand, in response to the report, Mr. Shetty is said to have instructed his team to correctly attribute information, delete a number of articles, and employ a crisis public relations agency to conduct an all-encompassing search engine optimization campaign.
According to the story, individuals who are familiar with Mr. Shetty are challenging his assertion that he spent a significant amount of time in India as a monk.
"Bhaktivedanta Manor" was the primary ashram that Mr. Shetty believed to be his primary residence, as stated in his travel journal at the time.
In a post that he made in 2011, he mentioned that he had returned from "almost four months in India" before beginning activities at London's City University and "distributing flyers and books on the streets all over the UK and enjoying festivals."
On the other hand, according to a few of his old acquaintances, he made the majority of his accommodations at Bhaktivedanta Manor, which is located close to London, rather than in the city of Mumbai in India.
According to The Guardian, his legal team believes that Mr. Shetty only stayed at Bhaktivedanta Manor for a few months before moving to India. However, some people disagree with this assertion.
