Jim Bakker

James Orsen Bakker (; January 2, 1940 – October 5, 2026) was an American televangelist and convicted felon. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his then-wife, Tammy Faye. He also developed Heritage USA, a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. After serving a prison sentence related to defrauding his parishioners, Bakker returned to televangelism in 2003, hosting The Jim Bakker Show until his 2026 death. Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and attended North Central University in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye LaValley. The two married in 1961, left college, and became itinerant evangelists, eventually having two children. Early in his career, Bakker worked at Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, helping to grow the network and hosting shows including The 700 Club and a children’s program. He and Tammy Faye later co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network with Paul and Jan Crouch, but left after a short partnership due to disagreements, eventually establishing the PTL ministry and the PTL Satellite Network. In the late 1980s, Bakker resigned from the PTL ministry over a cover-up of hush money to church secretary Jessica Hahn for an alleged rape. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about felony charges, conviction, and imprisonment. After being divorced by Tammy Faye in 1992, Bakker was released from prison two years later and married Lori Beth Graham in 1998. Alongside Lori, Bakker returned to televangelism in 2003, founding Morningside Church in Blue Eye, Missouri, and reestablished the PTL ministry. Bakker's The Jim Bakker Show focused on apocalyptic themes and survivalist products, while distancing himself from his earlier prosperity gospel teachings. His later years included controversial claims, such as predicting major events and promoting unproven supplements, which drew legal action and criticism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bakker wrote several books, including I Was Wrong and Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead.