Wikipedia describes Tony Robbins as an “author, philanthropist, and life coach.” The towering 59-year-old has dominated the self-help scene for decades, releasing his first infomercial over 30 years ago.

Robbins has delivered live seminars to millions of people over the years, while offering smaller, pricier retreats for his better endowed fans, and dabbling in a number of other business and philanthropic ventures. The only estimate of Robbins’ net worth is on WealthyGorilla.com, where he is valued at approximately $500 million.

Robbins has already been the subject of various controversies, most notably when he told a crowd last year that “if you use the #MeToo movement to try to get significance and certainty by attacking and destroying someone else, you haven’t grown an ounce. All you’ve done is basically use a drug called significance to make yourself feel good.”

A woman in the crowd didn’t hesitate to call him out, saying, “you are a leader and an influential man, and you are doing a disservice, in my opinion, to the #MeToo movement.” Robbins, unfazed, proceeded to tell a story about a famous man he knows who decided not to hire an attractive woman because it was “too big a risk.”

Before delving into the recent revelations about Robbins, it’s worth noting that he grew up without a father, and has spoken publicly about the abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother. I say this not to excuse his actions or psychoanalyze him from a distance, but to point out that he likely feels he has a right to criticize the #MeToo movement as a result of his own experience.

On May 17, BuzzFeed published an article “based on leaked recordings, internal documents, and dozens of interviews with fans and insiders” detailing how Robbins “used his fame to berate victims of rape and violence” and make “inappropriate sexual advances” on female staffers.

Shortly after the BuzzFeed article went live, Robbins penned a defiant Medium post in which he claimed that he “never behaved in the reckless, irresponsible, or malicious manner intimated by false, unfounded, and incendiary allegations suggested by BuzzFeed story-tellers.”

His lawyers, however, were notably less definitive in their statement to BuzzFeed, writing “to the extent that he may have been unclothed at various times in his home or in hotels when working while either dressing or showering, and whether a personal assistant may have been present for some reason at that time, Mr. Robbins has no recollection.”

On May 22, another article detailed accusations by four more women that Robbins exposed himself without their consent, bringing the total number of women to nine, eight of whom “said they were upset by his actions.”

Robbins has already started losing work since news of his abusive behavior broke, and on May 23 BuzzFeed uploaded a video of the self-help guru using the n-word, claiming that if the audience member he directed the slur at felt offended, they are “still a slave.”

When this media storm is all said and done, Robbins’ cult-of-personality will likely hobble on, and he will undoubtedly remain wealthy beyond most people’s imaginations for the rest of his life. Regardless, his public rise and fall is emblematic of deeper currents undergirding our culture, and humanity at large.

Seeking wisdom in the sermons of confident men appears to be as human a trait as eating, sleeping, or fucking.

The problem is that anytime we create an institution in which wise men are revered and their belief that they possess “unlimited power” is constantly reinforced, abuse is inevitable.

When I first learned of Robbins’ behavior, I couldn’t help but recall an article I recently read in The Atlantic by former Catholic Priest James Carroll, who called for the abolition of the priesthood.

Just as Priests are revered as “superior by the sacrament of holy orders,” Robbins is revered as superior by his fans. It’s not only his words that inspire those who pay to attend his seminars, its the idea that they might attain a fraction of the wealth, audacity, and hubris that define his brand. Though they may not admit it to themselves, they harbor a secret hope that somehow, his magic might rub off on them.

Carroll pointed out that the unrealistic expectation of celibacy makes the Priesthood prone to corruption, as those who violate their vow by engaging in consensual sex with adults are often compelled via blackmail to keep the secrets of those who sexually abuse children.

Similarly, the unrealistic expectation of perfection makes Robbins unable to apologize for his actions, or admit that he was wrong. On the other hand, he may be attempting to avoid legal consequences for his actions by denying them, while ensuring his lawyers leave just enough uncertainty in their statements to protect him in court, should further evidence emerge.