Skillet frontman John Cooper made a deeply personal confession mid-set. He stopped the show to open up about his faith and a dark chapter in his life.
Cooper spoke candidly about losing his mother at a young age and the violent thoughts he struggled with during that period. He explained how his faith in Jesus Christ ultimately brought him out of that darkness.
“My mom died when I was 15 years old. I began fighting with my dad. I had some very dark times. I am embarrassed to say this but just being real with you tonight,” Cooper said.
The frontman went on to describe the extent of those dark thoughts before turning to how he found a way through them.
“I used to sometimes fantasize about hurting people. I wanted to hurt my dad. And I used to fantasize if he tried just what would I do. And I would spend long hours at night in my bed thinking about very dark violent things,” he continued.
Cooper then shifted to what he credits with turning his life around. He drew a clear distinction between music and his faith.
“Music helped me. But music did not help me enough. I met someone who changed my life. Gave me hope when I had no hope at all. Gave me a family, when I had no family at all. Even when I was a sinner, He died for me and that is my number one hero, Jesus Christ,” he said.
The moment came during a live performance. Cooper chose to speak directly and honestly with the audience about his personal journey and the role of his Christian faith. It is consistent with how he has long carried himself both on and off the stage — treating every performance as an opportunity to speak plainly about faith, struggle, and redemption.
Skillet is one of hard rock’s most enduring acts, with nearly 30 years, 11 albums, and thousands of performances worldwide behind them. That longevity has given Cooper a platform that extends well beyond the music itself. He has used it consistently to address matters of personal belief and spiritual conviction.
Cooper has also been vocal in recent months about what he sees as growing spiritual compromise within parts of the Christian music world. His willingness to call out those trends publicly reflects the same directness he brought to the stage during this mid-set confession. He refuses to soften his convictions for the sake of comfort or convenience.
For Cooper, music and faith have never been separate. His testimony — from the grief of losing his mother at 15, through years of dark and violent thoughts, to finding faith in Jesus Christ — is not a backstory he keeps offstage. It is the message he considers most worth delivering, regardless of the setting.
