Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals: Jim Bakker’s Fall From Grace #AmericanScandal

Did you catch this week’s episode of Barbara Walter’s American Scandal? She shared the story of Jim Bakker, of the Jim and Tammy Faye legacy. Jim Bakker made huge headlines back in the 1980’s, along with his then-wife Tammy Faye because of a sex scandal and accounting fraud. Missed it? We have your recap!

Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals: Jim Bakker’s Fall From Grace

Jim Bakker was born January 2, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan. His has one sister, Donna Bakker Puckett and two brothers, Bob, and Norman. Bob died at the age of 46 from a rare kidney disease in 1974 and Norman died at the age of 80 on January 4, 2014. Jim’s father, Raleigh, died at the age of 91 on May 21, 1998. His mother, Furnia, also was 91 at the time of her death, September 13, 1998.

Bakker met his first wife, Tammy Faye LaValley, in 1960 at North Central University, where they were both students. The couple married on April 1, 1961. They had two children together: Tammy Sue, born on March 2, 1970, and Jamie “Jay” Charles, born on December 18, 1975. Jim and Tammy were divorced on March 13, 1992. Tammy Sue took over their ministry after the 1992 divorce. Tammy Faye would go on to marry Roe Messner October 3, 1993, and remained married until her death on July 20, 2007, from cancer at the age of 65. Jim went on to marry Lori Beth Graham on September 4, 1998, and they are still married today.

In 1966, Jim and Tammy Faye started working on the Christian Broadcasting Network, started by Pat Robertson. They were the hosts of the successful televangelism program, The 700 Club, a program that featured guest interviews, testimonies, daily news, Christian ministry, and contemporary music. They were the hosts of Come On Over, a children’s program that was later named the Jim and Tammy Show. In 1973, the couple launched their TV network, Trinity Broadcasting Network and later launched their network, The PTL Television Network.

Related: Barbara Walters Presents American Scandals: The Menendez Brothers

By the early part of the 1980’s Jim and Tammy Faye built a theme park called Heritage USA in Fort Mill, S.C. as well as a satellite system so they could distribute their PTL Network around the clock. Their network was incredibly successful, with viewers contributing around $1 million each week, with the money being put into Heritage USA and the PTL Network.

Tonight, Barbara Walters talked to Jim and Tammy Faye’s son, Jay, who is a pastor, speaker, theologian and author. In 2001, Jay wrote an autobiography titled Son of a Preacher Man: My Search for Grace in the Shadows, showcasing his childhood, his parents, the scandals of the PTL and how he founded the Revolution Church. Jay founded the Revolution Church in Phoenix, AZ in 1994.

Jim Bakker had criminal charges brought against him because of fund-raising activities of PTL between 1984-1987. Lifetime memberships were sold for $1,000, which entitled the buyer to a 3-night stay a luxury hotel in Heritage USA once every year. However, out of the thousands and thousands of lifetime memberships that had been sold, no memberships had been honored because the Heritage Grand Hotel was never completed.

Troubles for Jim Bakker continued in 1987 when it was revealed that he had paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to former church secretary, Jessica Hahn. Seems Jim and Jessica had a sexual escapade in December of 1980 in a Florida hotel room. Bakker immediately left PTL, being replaced by Jerry Falwell.

In 1988, Jim Bakker was indicted by a grand jury on 15 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy for the fund-raising activities. The trial began in 1989, lasted for five weeks and resulted in Bakker being found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to 45 years at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN. After an appeal, the United States Court of Appeals threw out his 45- year prison sentence in 1991, as well as the $500,000 fine but did uphold the 24 charges. So, a new sentencing hearing would need to take place, which was held on November 16, 1992, and resulted in his 45-year sentenced being reduced to only eight years. Bakker was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institute, Jesup in August of 1993, granted parole in July of 1994 and released from prison in December of 1994, after serving close to 5 years of his sentence.

Today, Jim and his second wife Lori, host The Jim Bakker Show at a TV studio in Blue Eye, MO. In 2013, Jim wrote the book Time Has come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead.

Have you heard of Jim Bakker before the Barbara Walter’s American Scandals episode? What were your thoughts on this special?