Julianna Zobrist responds to Ben Zobrist’s ‘ugly’ divorce allegations: ‘It’s tempting to retaliate or seek revenge when someone decides to hurt, slander or lie about you’

Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune
·3 min read
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Julianna Zobrist, the estranged wife of former Chicago Cubs utility man Ben Zobrist, addressed the “ugly accusations” that have been revealed through their divorce proceedings and his lawsuit against their former pastor, Byron Yawn.

The details of Ben Zobrist’s allegations were revealed May 6 when he filed a $6 million suit against Yawn, accusing him of having an affair with Julianna while serving as their marriage counselor as well as defrauding Ben’s charity foundation.

The Zobrists filed for divorce in May 2019 in separate courts in Illinois and Tennessee. Ben Zobrist took leave from the Cubs after a May 6 game and returned in early September to finish the season, but hasn’t played baseball since.

In Julianna Zobrist’s Tuesday morning Instagram post, the Christian pop singer and self-help author thanked supporters for their encouraging words through the two years since filing for divorce.

“There have been many ugly accusations made about me publicly in recent days,” she wrote. “And this has created an expectation that I should respond by defending myself — and maybe even offering a few ugly accusations in return. Isn’t that how these kinds of things always play out?”

The Zobrists have three children together, and Julianna said she would decline to use her public platform to say “hurtful things about their father” for their sake.

“It’s tempting to retaliate or seek revenge when someone decides to hurt, slander or lie about you. Especially in public,” she wrote. “It’s difficult to remember that those who harm us are acting out of their own pain. Wounded people need healing, and that’s what I pray finds every person who is so lost in their pain that they resort to inflicting harm on others.

“My reconfigured family — a resilient mother and her three remarkably brave children — are building something healthy, safe and beautiful where shame does not abide.”

Attorney Christopher Bellamy of Nashville-based Neal and Harwell, who represents Yawn in the civil suit, told the Tribune last month that Yawn is looking forward to setting the record straight about what transpired between the three parties.

“At the end of the day, a woman has the right to choose who she wants to be with,” Bellamy said. “We’re in the middle of litigation, so I can’t really comment further at this point, but that’s what it boils down to.”

In Julianna Zobrist’s countercomplaint for legal separation in March 2020, she “admits that she is guilty of inappropriate marital conduct” but said that Ben “is also guilty of inappropriate marital conduct.”

Ben Zobrist denied any marital misconduct in his response.

The divorce is scheduled for a seven-day bench trial in Franklin, Tenn., beginning Aug. 9.

Julianna Zobrist summed up her post to supporters, “A time will come when I will address my journey, independently of my children. But this is not that time. For now, I appreciate your ongoing kindness and respect for our privacy.”