Scam Goddess – Fraud Friday: Saints & Scammers: The Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker Story

Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Sarah Marshall (host of "You're Wrong About")
Date: September 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Scam Goddess dives into the infamous televangelist power couple, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, chronicling their rise from humble puppet ministry beginnings to building a sprawling religious empire—complete with its own theme park—before scandal, fraud, and hubris brought it crashing down. With guest Sarah Marshall, journalist and host of "You're Wrong About," Laci and Sarah dissect the scams, scandals, and spectacular downfalls, all served with biting wit and cultural commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Scams as the American DNA

[02:24–07:09]

• Sarah Marshall reflects on America's relationship with scams, referencing the “fake” ownership of the New York Islanders and tying it to a broader American tradition of pretending to have money or legitimacy to pull off elaborate deceptions.
  • "Scams like, to know scams is to know America. So, like, I'm an American. I love scams." — Sarah [04:40]
• Laci links these thoughts to the foundation of the country, calling Manifest Destiny a scam— “God told us to rob everybody.”
• They riff on the regularity and normalization of being "a little bit scammed," especially in modern life.

Listener Scam Story: The Taxi Receipt Hustle

[07:09–13:46]

• Listener “Felicity Porter” shares a scam from working at a big law firm: abusing the taxi reimbursement system with blank receipts and cash, netting about $6,000 over three years.
• Laci and Sarah approve as “stealing from the man,” expressing that systems exploiting workers deserve a little payback.
  • “It was a scam that they were working you so damn hard in the first place. So I’m glad you got your coins one way or the other.” — Laci [12:02]
  • “That’s Scam University. That’s long enough to get a degree in scam.” — Sarah [12:42]

Why Do We View Some Scams as Harmless, Even Noble?

[13:46–14:21]

• Discussion turns to how minor, non-greedy scams are often sustainable, unlike dramatic rises and falls captured in movies.

Historic Hoodwinks: The Rise and Fall of Tammy Faye & Jim Bakker

[18:33–54:43]

Origins and Ambitions

[19:21–29:52]

• Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker began with a traveling puppet ministry before landing on the Christian Broadcast Network (CBN).

• The puppet show’s success led to “Jim and Tammy and Their Friends: Songs and Stories”—delightfully simplistic TV naming conventions.

  • “This just really expresses how low a bar there was for entertainment at this point in America.” — Sarah [31:14]

• Jim Bakker famously claimed:

  • “It's not listed in the Bible, but my spiritual gift, my specific calling from God is to be a television talk show host.” — Narrated by Laci [32:27]
  • Sarah and Laci lampoon televangelist logic: God conveniently tells people to do what they already want.

PTL Club & Heritage USA: Mega-Ministry, Mega-Money

[34:29–43:07]

• Bakker founded the Praise the Lord (PTL) satellite network in Charlotte, which became a televangelist juggernaut.
• On-air, the Bakkers promoted prosperity gospel—send money to the ministry; God will bless you.
  • “Give us all your money and then God will make you rich like us.” — Laci [35:56]
• Excesses mounted:
  • Acquisition of 2,300 acres to build a Christian theme park, Heritage USA, featuring water parks, the world’s largest Wendy’s, and Jerusalem marketplace replicas.
  • “One thing we know about Jesus is that he needs a satellite dish to be able to hear you.” — Sarah [35:18]
• Heritage USA commercials were unintentionally hilarious and, at the end, overtly racist (an out-of-place Middle Eastern “sheik” on a camel).
  • “They had finished doing the ad and then they were like, oh, we forgot to put in the racism.” — Sarah [39:00]

Greed, Overreach, & Internal Collapse

[41:17–44:54]

• “Lifetime partnerships” sold for $1,000 promised hotel stays that exceeded the facility’s actual capacity (oversold well past 100%)—clearly unsustainable.
• Massive donations (~$158 million in the 1980s) flowed in, funding lavish lives: air-conditioned dog houses, mansions, and excess for PTL’s top brass.
• Volunteers (guests) at the park did free labor.

The Sex Scandal, Hush Money, and Financial Ruin

[44:54–51:58]

• Shockwaves hit when it was revealed Jim Bakker used $279,000 in ministry funds to pay hush money to Jessica Hahn, a 21-year-old secretary he assaulted.

  • “It was never reported as an assault. It was reported as an affair, but...it’s like, no, actually he committed fraud, a lot of it, and then happened to be unveiled for being accused of a sex crime.” — Sarah [54:50]

• Jerry Falwell stepped in, ousted the Bakkers, and made things messier with rumors and deeper investigations into PTL’s finances.

• Jim charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy—sentenced to 45 years, later reduced to just 8. Tammy Faye was not indicted.

Aftermath & Legacy

[52:28–54:43]

• Tammy divorces Jim while he’s in prison, remarries someone who later goes to prison for bankruptcy fraud. Sarah and Laci joke about Tammy’s “type.”
  • “Everyone I love goes to jail.” — Laci [53:26]
• Jim is paroled, quickly returns to TV with a new wife and ministry, pivoting to selling fake COVID cures.
  • “Can’t keep a good man down—or a bad one. Just can’t keep a man down.” — Laci [56:43]

Scammer of the Week: Joel Osteen & the Cash in the Wall

[57:00–62:17]

• Story of a plumber who found 500 envelopes of cash in a wall at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, likely tied to a suspicious $600,000 "burglary" years earlier.
• Laci notes how quick Osteen’s church was to claim insurance while the true source/use of the cash was never proven.
  • “Maybe God wants us to put money in our plumbing systems. That's not for me to say.” — Laci [59:22]
• Both hosts compare megachurches' flashy culture to mob movies—everyone's in on the “rules of the game.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the origins of U.S. scams:

  • "Manifest Destiny is literally them being like, God told us to rob everybody. No, he actually did. I got a parchment paper from God.” — Laci [05:03]

• On prosperity gospel logic:

  • "Give me this dollar to give to God and then God will give you back ten dollars." — Sarah [35:56]
  • "Live by faith, not by sight that we stealing. Don't live by that. Don't look at that. Don't look at us. Give us the money and have faith..." — Laci [36:04]

• On televangelists and TV as calling:

  • “It's not listed in the Bible, but my spiritual gift, my specific calling from God is to be a television talk show host.” — Jim Bakker (quoted by Laci) [32:27]

• On theme park excess:

  • “It was intended to be the world’s largest Wendy’s.” — Laci [40:11]

• On recurring scammer redemption stories:

  • “Can’t keep a good man down—or a bad one...” — Laci [56:43]

• On televangelists’ “mob” culture:

  • "No, God is just using me through this gun. I am a vessel. I'm a vessel for your murder. No, I'm just...You just about to do a little meet and greet with Jesus.” — Laci [61:39]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|------------| | Guest Introduction & Scam Philosophy | 02:00–07:09| | Listener Scam Story (Taxi Receipts) | 07:09–13:46| | Historic Hoodwinks - Bakker Backstory | 18:33–29:52| | Rise of PTL Club & Heritage USA | 34:29–43:07| | Overselling Partnerships & Theme Park Absurdity| 41:17–44:54| | Scandal, Sex Crime, Falwell Takeover | 44:54–51:58| | Prison, Divorce, Return to TV | 52:28–54:43| | Scammer of the Week (Joel Osteen) | 57:00–62:17|

Tone & Style

Laci and Sarah approach the tale with a blend of incisive satire and historical curiosity, never losing sight of the dark absurdities at play, but finding humor in everything from puppet ministries to the logistics of televangelist theme park rides.

Where to Find The Hosts

• Sarah Marshall: "You're Wrong About", "You Are Good", Twitter @yourewrongabout, @aregoodpod [62:17]
• Laci Mosley: @divalaci on all platforms, plus roles on iCarly, Black Lady Sketch Show, Kenan [62:32]

Summary Takeaway

This episode lampoons the American obsession with charisma, spectacle, and the idea that with just enough pageantry (and a bit of paper forgery), anyone can manifest absolute power—from hockey teams to ministries to whole theme parks. The story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker is less a morality tale than a mirror for America’s enduring faith in big promises, easy money, and the redemptive arc—so long as you can land back on TV.

As always: Stay schemin’!