Where Is Mark Kaufman Now? Inside His Life Following His Best Friend John-Paul Miller’s Abuse Allegations
Where Is Mark Kaufman Now? Inside His Life Following His Best Friend John-Paul Miller’s Abuse Allegations
Kelly Allen, Charlotte WalshSat, September 5, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
0
Mark Kaufman; John-Paul MillerCredit: Netflix; WPDE ABC15/YouTube -
Mark Kaufman is John-Paul Miller’s best friend, according to Death of the Pastor’s Wife
In the docuseries, which was released on Aug. 26, Mark is mentioned several times
Mark allegedly helped John-Paul with his extramarital affairs, per the docuseries; however, he has refuted those claims
Mark Kaufman, John-Paul Miller’s best friend, comes up several times in Death of the Pastor’s Wife.
John-Paul’s second wife, Mica Miller, is the subject of the docuseries, which dropped on Netflix on Aug. 26. The three-part series outlines the South Carolina pastor and Mica’s allegedly toxic relationship before she died by suicide in April 2024.
While Mark did not participate in a sit-down interview for the docuseries, he’s featured through old video footage, photos and phone calls. Mica’s loved ones and Solid Rock Church members also name him in their accounts related to Mica and John-Paul, accusing him of helping John-Paul conduct alleged affairs.
John-Paul refused to comment to producers of the docuseries. His lawyer, Nathan S. Williams, declined to comment to PEOPLE several times.
So, where is Mark Kaufman now? Here’s everything to know about where John-Paul Miller’s best friend is today following the pastor’s abuse allegations.
Who is Mark Kaufman?
Mark KaufmanCredit: Netflix
Mark and John-Paul first met at the Dixie Stampede (which closed in 2010) in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in the 1990s when John-Paul was a teenager and Mark was a pianist at the venue, according to a since-removed Solid Rock Church blog post obtained by journalist Mandy Matney.
The two eventually became best friends, and Mark served as John-Paul’s best man at his and Mica’s wedding in 2017, according to footage seen in Death of the Pastor’s Wife.
“I’ve known John-Paul, unfortunately, for quite awhile,” Mark joked in a speech he gave at John-Paul and Mica’s wedding, featured in the docuseries. “He forced me to be his friend. He forced me to be his best man.”
He continued, “But he does love, love Mica very much, and we all wish them the best and happiest future.”
What is Mark and John-Paul Miller’s relationship like?
John-Paul Miller and Mark KaufmanCredit: Netflix
Back in 2015, Mark allegedly convinced John-Paul to continue being a pastor after he resigned from the position following his divorce with his first wife, Alison “Ali” Williams, per the blog post published on the church website and obtained by Matney.
According to accounts given in the docuseries, Mark also allegedly knew about John-Paul’s extramarital affairs and potentially supported him in those endeavors. Former Solid Rock Church pastor Pam Muise shared one instance in the docuseries in which she claimed she saw a text exchange between Mark and John-Paul. She claimed Mark was being asked to pick up a young girl from the airport for John-Paul to meet.
Advertisement
Pam said she then confronted John-Paul about this, telling him to confess to the elders of the church that he had been unfaithful to his wife. During the 24 hours Pam gave him to do so, she said, Mark allegedly contacted Pam in an attempt to convince her to not make the elders aware of John-Paul’s wrongdoings.
Pam claimed Mark called her and said, “You can’t do this to him. He’s in a bad place. This is gonna end everything. How can we change your mind?”
In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Mark refuted the allegations that he assisted with any of John-Paul’s alleged affairs.
“The suggestion that I picked up a woman from the airport for John Paul so that he could meet her or be unfaithful to Mica is absolutely false,” he wrote. “I never did that, and I would have never participated in helping anyone cheat on Mica, who was also my friend. I have not been shown the text messages in the documentary, so I cannot speak to their wording or context, but I can state unequivocally that I never picked up a woman for that purpose.”
Mark vouched for John-Paul on other occasions. When Mica and John-Paul were separated, Mark contacted Mica. In a video of a phone call exchange between them featured in the docuseries, Mark said he was calling her on both John-Paul’s and her behalf. Mica said she didn’t need his help.
Mark told PEOPLE that the phone call shown in the docuseries “gives a misleading impression of my role in their relationship.”
“I was not Mica and John Paul’s marriage counselor, therapist, mediator, nor was I closely involved in or aware of the extent of their marital problems,” he wrote. “The brief audio clip does not provide the full extent of that conversation.”
He continued, writing, “I also never personally witnessed John Paul physically abuse Mica. Had I witnessed abuse or believed Mica was in danger, I would not have ignored it.”
The morning after Mica died in April 2024, John-Paul preached a sermon and performed a new parody song for the church, per footage in the docuseries. Mark was the lead singer of that song, after John-Paul said he had been “begging him for 25 years to stand up and sing.”
Where is Mark now?
Mark remains a co-owner and performer at the piano bar Crocodile Rocks, per the venue’s website. John-Paul also used to have ownership of the Myrtle Beach, S.C., spot but transferred the deed to one of his sons during his and Mica’s separation, per an affidavit reviewed by Crime Junkie.
However, Mark told PEOPLE that John-Paul has only ever been a minority shareholder in Crocodile Rocks and Mark bought out his shares in late 2025. Additionally, he said John-Paul was “not permitted” into the building in the days following Mica’s death and has never been an employee of the bar.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
