ENCORE: Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud | Part 1

Summary

Scamfluencers Podcast Summary: "Encore: Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud | Part 1"

Introduction

In the first part of the two-part series, "Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud," Wondery's Scamfluencers delves deep into the meteoric rise and subsequent fall of one of America's most notorious televangelist duos. Hosted by Sachi Koul and Sarah Haggie, the episode unpacks the intricate web of ambition, faith, deception, and scandal that surrounded Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's empire.

Early Life and Marriage

Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Lavallee's journey began in modest Midwestern towns, marked by strict Pentecostal upbringings. Jim, the youngest in a devout family, struggled with the rigid constraints of his religious upbringing, yearning for a sign from God. According to Jim, a tragic accident—running over a young boy—was his divine awakening (00:25:14).

Tammy Faye, the eldest of eight siblings from impoverished Minnesota, grappled with reconciling her love for makeup and personal expression with her church's strict teachings. Their shared doubts and aspirations led them to North Central Bible College, where their paths converged. Despite college rules prohibiting marriage, their bond was swift and unyielding, leading them to drop out and marry in 1962 (00:11:21).

Rise to Televangelism and the PTL Club

After marriage, Jim and Tammy Faye ventured into youth ministry, quickly gaining popularity with their traveling revival acts. Their charisma and genuine performances caught the attention of Pat Robertson's fledgling Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). In 1965, they launched "Come On Over," which was soon rebranded as "The Jim and Tammy Show." Their ability to connect with audiences, combined with high-energy performances, made them household names (00:14:57).

By leveraging telethons, Jim mastered the art of fundraising, crucially saving CBN in 1970 by raising $40,000 during a live broadcast (00:21:56). This success cemented their status as influential televangelists, allowing them to expand their reach and ambitions.

Expansion with Heritage USA

In the late 1970s, the Bakers envisioned a grandiose expansion: Heritage USA, a Christian theme park akin to Disney World. This $20 million project in Fort Mill, South Carolina, was designed to be a one-stop destination for faith, entertainment, and education. Jim's innovative yet flawed strategy involved selling timeshares to finance the venture, a decision that would later prove disastrous (00:25:47).

Financial Irregularities and Investigations

As PTL's popularity soared, so did suspicions about financial mismanagement. In 1982, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) handed over their investigation to the Justice Department, scrutinizing allegations that over $330,000 earmarked for missionary work was diverted to fund Heritage USA (00:17:28). Despite repeated protests, including Jim's dramatic televised denial (00:30:05), the scrutiny intensified.

Sexual Assault Allegations

The scandal deepened in 1986 when journalist Charlie Shepherd exposed allegations that Jim Bakker had sexually assaulted a young secretary, Jessica Hahn, in 1980. Jim's abrupt resignation from PTL and his convoluted public statements only heightened suspicions. In a pivotal interview with Ted Koppel on "Nightline," Jim repeatedly evaded questions, relying solely on Bible verses to defend himself (00:38:13). This refusal to address the accusations head-on eroded public trust and signaled the impending collapse of their empire.

The Downfall

Persistent investigative reporting by the Charlotte Observer, which published over 600 stories detailing the Bakers' financial misconduct, culminated in a Pulitzer Prize for public service. By 1987, federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy were filed against Jim Bakker, leading to the eventual stripping of PTL's tax-exempt status and the seizure of assets amounting to $62 million (00:37:05).

Jim's personal and professional life unraveled dramatically. During his 1989 trial, emotional testimonies against him and his erratic behavior, including instances of public breakdowns, underscored the depth of his corruption and deceit (00:41:34).

Notable Quotes

• Jim Bakker (03:55): "Meanwhile, my enemies are trying to kill me. They plot my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery. But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent for them as a man who cannot speak."

• Sachi Koul (14:57): "It's crazy because, like, of course I know about these two and their story on like a surface level and you're like, oh, you know, they legitimately had pretty good chemistry on screen, were very entertaining to children, and, you know, they could have just ended it there, but of course they didn't."

• Sarah Haggie (17:25): "Oh, that sounds real convenient."

• Jessica Hahn (30:48): "You sign up for something, forget about it. After the trial period ends, then you're charged month after month after month."

Conclusion

Part 1 of "Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud" meticulously chronicles the Bakers' ascent in the televangelism world, highlighting their magnetic appeal and the ethical compromises that fueled their rise. However, their insatiable ambition and manipulative practices laid the groundwork for their dramatic downfall. The episode sets the stage for the concluding segment, promising to explore Jim Bakker's trial and Tammy Faye's journey post-PTL.

Key Takeaways

• Charismatic Leadership: Jim and Tammy Faye's ability to connect with audiences was instrumental in building their televangelist empire.

• Ambitious Expansion: Heritage USA exemplifies how unchecked ambition can lead to overreach and financial disaster.

• Ethical Lapses: The Bakers' financial mismanagement and personal misconduct underscore the dangers of blending faith with unchecked power.

• Media's Role: Investigative journalism played a crucial role in uncovering the truth behind the glittering facade of PTL.

Final Thoughts

The episode serves as a cautionary tale about the allure of power and the potential for corruption within influential positions. By dissecting the Bakers' story, Scamfluencers invites listeners to reflect on the broader implications of trust, faith, and accountability in the age of influence.

Transcript

[Sarah Haggie]

Wondery subscribers can listen to Scamfluencers early.

[Sachi Cole]

And ad free right now. Join Wonder plus in the Wondery app or Apple Podcasts. Sarah, when you come to visit New York, do you ever go to see any Broadway musicals?

[Sarah Haggie]

You know what's crazy? I have never gone to see a Broadway musical in all of my visits. I feel like no one will take me.

[Sachi Cole]

I'll take you.

[Sarah Haggie]

Oh my God, please. I want to see Cats.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, what if it was a Broadway show about one of our scamfluncer alums? Specifically Tammy Faye Baker, who we covered along with her husband Jim a year ago. The musical follows her rise to Christian TV stardom, the scandalous fall when Jim was discovered ripping off his congregants, and Tammy's reinvention as AIDS activist and queer icon. Oh, and the music is by Elton John.

[Sarah Haggie]

Okay, that is absolutely crazy that Elton John did the music for this. I had no idea.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Sarah, it seems like we've missed our chance to see this one because Tammy Faye closed in December. But I'm going to give you the next best thing to actually seeing her story live. And that's a return to our episode on this truly over the top televangelist duo. A heads up to our listeners. This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. Please listen with care. Hagie. As you know, neither of us is Christian, but I actually grew up watching a lot of evangelical Christians on basic cable. I used to watch a lot of sermon tv. It was just what was served to me in the suburbs on a Sunday. And I'm wondering if you did too.

[Sarah Haggie]

Sachi, this is like the most relatable thing for people who didn't grow up Christian. I also did the same thing because you're just kind of like, what's going on over there? Yeah, I remember watching 100 Huntley street in the morning sometimes. It's like the longest ever running thing on Canadian tv and like one of the longest running shows in the world, actually. Yeah, but I remember watching it and being like, what's going on? You know, it's like a way to understand the dominant culture, especially when you grow up with a quote unquote weird religion, you know?

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, yeah. It's like anthropology work. You're like trying to make sense of another community. Yes, well, as ever, I'm asking because today's scam is about one of the most famous Christian couples to ever preach on tv. Get your non waterproof mascara ready, Sarah. It's time to cry some big fat black tears. It's around dinner time. On May 27, 1987, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker are settling into their living room couch at their beautiful Palm Springs mansion. Jim's dressed in a simple plaid shirt, while Tammy's got on a hot pink dress with matching nails and lipstick. The couple is getting ready to talk to ted Koppel on ABC's evening news show Nightline. It's their first live TV interview in the two months since they stepped down from their televised ministry, PTL, which stands for Praise the Lord. Their resignation followed a series of scandals in which it came to light that the Bakers had been funneling stolen money into their luxury lifestyle for more than a decade and that Jim had had an extramarital affair. Jim and Tammy are both nervous. Millions of viewers are tuning in to hear how the disgraced couple will respond to the scandal. And the stakes are high. If they can nail this interview, maybe they can get their life back. Their fame, their glory, their ministry, their adoring followers. Ted Koppel is a famously tough interviewer, but Jim and Tammy Faye have spent roughly the last decade and a half hosting the PTL Club, which is also known as the Jim and Tammy Show. So they're pretty used to being in front of a camera for hours at a time, in front of a live audience and millions of viewers at home. They've come prepared with Bible verses, which Jim breaks out as soon as Ted lets him talk.

[Jim Bakker]

Meanwhile, my enemies are trying to kill me. They plot my ruin and spend all their waking hours planning treachery. But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent for them as a man who cannot speak.

[Sachi Cole]

Ted is unimpressed. He interrupts Jim, all right, but you're.

[Jim Bakker]

Starting to do what I was suggesting to you early on I wasn't going to let you do tonight. And that is? You're wrapping yourself in the Bible again. That's fine, but I'm asking. I understand it may be the only protection you have, but it's not the only answer you've got.

[Sachi Cole]

The smiles fade from Jim and Tammy's faces. Ted Koppel is demanding the answers that everyone in America wants to hear. Before the Bakers can answer to God, it's clear that there will be hell to pay right here on earth. All right, Audible's best of 2024 picks are here, so discover the year's top audiobooks, podcasts and originals in all your favorite genres.

[Sarah Haggie]

That's right. From memoirs and sci fi to mysteries and thrillers, Audible's curated list in every category is the best way to hear 2024's best in audio entertainment, exactly like.

[Sachi Cole]

A stunning new full cast production of George Orwell's 1984, or heartfelt memoirs like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's lovely one.

[Sarah Haggie]

There's also the year's best fiction, like the Women by Kristin Hanna and Percival Everett's brilliantly subversive James. I would love to listen to Sally Rooney's Intermez. It just came out this year and I think it was one of my favorite 2024 releases.

[Sachi Cole]

Go to audible.comscampod and discover all the years best waiting for you. Ever wondered how industry giants like Aloe and Skims dominate the online retail space? The answer is simpler than you think. It's Shopify.

[Sarah Haggie]

Shopify is the number one checkout tool with cutting edge features. It streamlines your operations to elevate the customer experience.

[Sachi Cole]

At the heart of Shopify's power is Shop Pay. It can boost conversions by up to 50%, meaning less abandoned carts and more cash flowing in.

[Sarah Haggie]

With Shopify, your commerce platform will be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between.

[Sachi Cole]

So upgrade your business and get the same checkout that companies like ALO uses.

[Sarah Haggie]

Sign up for your $1 per month trial [e-mail] Scampod all lowercase go to shopify.com Scampod to upgrade your selling today.

[Sachi Cole]

Shopify.com Scampod from Wondery I'm Sachi Cole. And I'm Sarah Haggie and this is Scamflancers.

[Jim Bakker]

Come and give me your attention.

[Sachi Cole]

I won't ever learn my lesson. Turn my speakers to 11.

[Jim Bakker]

I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Cole]

At their peak, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were TV stars, moral authorities and adoring spouses. And they got filthy rich doing it. They were living proof that you could be a good Christian while owning big houses and fancy cars. Or at least that's what they wanted their followers to believe. This is the story of a couple who appeared to be God's favorites until they squandered it all on their super secular vices. This is the first episode of our two part series, Jim and Tammy Faye Baker the God fraud in the mid-1950s. Jim Bakker is a teenager in Muskegon, Michigan. He's good looking with big dimples and thick gelled hair, just like Danny Zuko in Greece. But he's also the baby of a very strict Pentecostal family. His grandfather founded the church that they still attend. Jim isn't allowed to dance, watch Movies, play pool or listen to rock and roll music. So he finds ways that he can participate in the fun stuff he DJs for saw cops. Those are very old fashioned teen dances. And he edits the newspaper. He even directs a school variety show as a fundraiser for the paper. It's so popular that it completely sells out. Fundraising will turn out to be one of Jim's greatest skills, one that he'll eventually develop into a full blown career as a televangelist. But at this point, he's not completely sold on the religion he grew up with. It seems to come with so many rules and constraints. Jim's looking for some kind of sign from God, and on a dark and snowy night, he gets it. According to Jim's version of the story, he sneaks out of church with a girl and takes her for a ride in his dad's Cadillac. They blast rock and roll music and when they head back into the church parking lot, Jim realizes he's hit something. He's horrified when he discovers he's run over the chest of a three year old boy, crushing his collarbone and piercing a lung.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is like if a Beach Boy song was a horror movie.

[Sachi Cole]

While Sarah, the boy, survives and Jim thinks that this is a miracle. He later tells people that this is the moment he finds God and decides to devote his life to the church. But people who knew Jim at the time later dispute some of the details of this evangelical origin story. They say he was actually in the car with his cousin and not a girl from church, which makes the outing itself a little less scandalous. They also say that the event happened when Jim was 16, not 18, suggesting it didn't directly lead to his decision to attend Bible college. Jim, by the way, declined to speak to us for this episode, but either way, what we do know is that he commits to Christianity and he heads to the big city where he's about to meet his match. Jim is a second year student at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis when Tammy Faye Lavallee shows up for her freshman year in the fall of 1960. She's a total country mouse in the big city. And she looks the part too. Here's a photo of her in college.

[Sarah Haggie]

She's so cute. She looks tiny and she just has such an innocent little face.

[Sachi Cole]

I know she's just a baby. Tammy Faye grew up in a small town in Minnesota on the Canadian border. She was the oldest of eight kids from a family so poor that they didn't even have indoor plumbing. Like Jim, she was raised by strict Pentecostals and now she's here at Bible college because she might want to be a missionary, but she has some doubts. First of all, she loves makeup, but she's been told that if she wears too much, she will go to hell. Worse than that, she has firsthand knowledge that even Christians can be cruel. Tammy later writes that after her parents divorce, quote to the church, my mother was just a harlot. Tammy is torn. She wants to honor God. So does that mean she'll have to give up singing, dancing, and mascara at college? She finds an unexpected answer to that question. One night after Tammy comes back from bowling with a few other boys. Jim gets her attention by warning her that running around with men might ruin her reputation. It's not exactly a pickup line, but it's a pretty effective neg. And when he asks her out a few weeks later, she says yes. For the first date, they wade half a mile through Minnesota snow to get to a church service at the Minneapolis Evangelistic Auditorium. The following night, they go on a second date, followed by a third date the next night. On that third date, Jim proposes and Tammy says yes.

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, when you know, you know.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, there's just one problem at North Central Bible College. It's against the rules for students to get married. So they drop out of school and tie the knot. Two days later, they don't know it yet, but they're well on their way to becoming the ultimate Christian influencers. Jim and Tammy work odd jobs to make ends meet, but their real passion is working as youth ministers at the church auditorium where they went on their first date. While there, they meet all kinds of glamorous evangelists. One traveling preacher tells them he's going to buy a yacht owned by the actor Errol Flynn. He says he plans to sail the Amazon river, bringing the word of God to the native people in South America. He invites Jim and Tammy to come with, but there's a catch. They've got to pay their own way there.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, I mean, that's quite the catch for doing a little bit of modern colonialism. You can come, but you actually have to pay for yourself.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, they decide to raise some money by performing at a revival in North Carolina. Revivals are a big tradition amongst fundamentalist Christians. They're typically a series of flamboyant services meant to revive a congregation and convert new followers. At this one, which lasts for two whole weeks, Jim preaches, Tammy sings, and members of the congregation speak in tongues and roll on the floor. Jim and Tammy are a hit. They easily raise the money they need. For the yacht trip. But after they hand it over to the preacher, he disappears. Turns out, Sarah, they got swindled.

[Sarah Haggie]

Oh, even if they had raised the money and went to this, it still would have been a scam. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, you know.

[Sachi Cole]

Wasted money. Anyway, Jim and Tammy are obviously disappointed, but they decide to go all in on their traveling revival act anyway. They buy a used car and start performing across the Bible Belt, accepting whatever kind of pay they can get, even in one case, a live chicken, which they adopt as a pet. After living on the road for almost two years, they realize all these families come to their shows, but their shows aren't super kid friendly. So they decide to take bubble bath bottles, caps shaped like animal heads, and use the heads as puppets. Around this time, a Southern Baptist minister named Pat Robertson has recently launched a Christian media company. It's called the Christian Broadcasting Network, and it's been sending scouts all over the country to find possible acts. When Pat hears about Jim and Tammy's traveling ministry, including their puppet show, he's so impressed that he decides to put them on TV. Jim and Tammy are still in their early 20s, and they're poised to become the next big thing in Christian entertainment. That is, if they can learn to share the spotlight. The Christian Broadcasting Network is just getting started and it doesn't have many viewers yet. But for Jim and Tammy, simply being on TV is a huge break. They start out by hosting a children's show called Come on over in 1965. But before long, they become so popular that Pat changes the name to the Jim and Tammy Show. They get real puppets that are fuzzy and googly eyed and they dance along to the show's theme song. And they even perform on a set built to look like their own little house with a cozy front yard. Kids flock to it, packing the audience at their live tapings every day from coast to coast.

[Jim Bakker]

It's time for the nation's biggest yard party, the Jim and Tammy Show.

[Sarah Haggie]

It's crazy because, like, of course I know about these two and their story on like a surface level and you're like, oh, you know, they legitimately had pretty good chemistry on screen, were very entertaining to children, and, you know, they could have just ended it there, but of course they didn't.

[Sachi Cole]

They didn't, they didn't at all. But here's the other thing. CBN is a fledgling scrappy network and it's constantly on the verge of running out of money. The year that Jim and Tammy join, the network hosts its annual telethon it needs to raise $120,000 to stay on the air. So the pressure is on. By the last night of the Telethon, they're still 40 grand short. The Jim and Tammy show has only been on the air for two months at this point, but Jim realizes that this is his moment to help save the network. And as the night wears on, he starts crying on live tv, begging for enough money to get CBN through the next year. It's the same outpouring of emotion that Jim perfected in his and Tammy's revival performances. And Sarah, it works. After his theatrics, the donations start rolling in. Jim stays on the air until 2:30 in the morning, more than three hours after the telethon was supposed to end. And during those hours, he raises the entire $40,000 that CBN needs to stay on the air. Jim may have single handedly saved the network, but as time goes on, he starts having disagreements with Pat about the direction of his and Tammy's show. Jim wants to be more theatrical, but Pat wants to play it safe. Plus, there are other rifts at the network. Some of Jim and Tammy's colleagues think that they take up way too much airtime and are way too flashy with their money. Jim and Tammy can feel these tensions rising. So after seven years with the network, they decide to leave and strike out on their own. In 1972, Jim and Tammy, now in their early 30s, pack up their baby daughter, Tammy sue, and go where All Stars are born. Los Angeles. It's not exactly the Holy Land, but it is a place where they can grow their audience and their bank accounts. They team up with some fellow ministers to found a nonprofit called Trinity Broadcasting Systems. It functions as a TV network, but it's registered with the IRS as a charitable organization. And this means it doesn't have to pay federal taxes and that donations to the network are tax deductible.

[Sarah Haggie]

Oh, that sounds real convenient.

[Sachi Cole]

We'll get more into that later. But in the meantime, things quickly sour between Jim and Tammy and the other founders of the TV network. So after less than a year of working together, the couple decides to pack up and move to Charlotte, North Carolina. Their ex partners, meanwhile, spin off into a new station called the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which some of our listeners might still recognize. Jim and Tammy Faye have gone from restless, repressed teenagers in tiny Midwestern towns to the next big thing on Christian tv. They've had a hugely successful start to their careers. But as they open their own ministry, their ambition is about to outstrip their capabilities. It's great when you can get someone a gift that they wouldn't necessarily get for themselves. That little bit of luxury that they don't know that they're missing. For quality gifts at an affordable price, check out Quint's.

[Sarah Haggie]

Quint lets you treat your loved ones and yourself to everyday luxury at an affordable price. Just like their iconic Mongolian cashmere sweater which starts at just $50.

[Sachi Cole]

Whatever you're looking for, all Quint's items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Sarah, do you know how hard it is to be a woman with a chest and buy a button up long sleeve shirt?

[Sarah Haggie]

I don't and I'm really sorry.

[Sachi Cole]

Thank you. Well, it's hard. It's hard to find one that fits and that looks good and is comfortable and is super soft. And I got one that's in leopard print. I look like Fran Drescher. It's my favorite shirt.

[Sarah Haggie]

Wow. I can't wait to see it. Gift luxury this holiday season without the luxury price tag, go to quince.comscampod for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order.

[Sachi Cole]

That's Q U I n c e.com scampod to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com scampod hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds.

[Tammy Faye Bakker]

Recently I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two year contracts, they said what the are you talking about? You insane Hollywood. So to recap, we're cutting the price of mint unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. Give it a [e-mail] sl switch $45.

[Sachi Cole]

Upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees. Extra speed slower above 40gb detail.

[Jim Bakker]

I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Cole]

In North Carolina, Jim and Tammy pick right back up where they left off. But this time they're calling the shots. In 1974, they start broadcasting a daily talk show called the PTL Club under their flagship network, which will become known as the PTL Network. Remember, that stands for Praise the Lord. And the TV show takes off really quickly. Within a few years, Jim and Tammy majorly upgrade. They start performing in front of a live audience, backed by a band and a gospel choir. They walk hand in hand through the crowd and bask in the applause. Jim preaches and Tammy sings. But she's not just the funny, flirty wife Anymore. She brings a depth of feeling to the show, crying real tears as she sings her gospel hymns, letting her thickly applied mascara and Technicolor eyeshadow drip down her cheeks. Sarah, take a look at this clip.

[Sarah Haggie]

Honestly, I love this. It's performance. She's really giving it her all and performing. And you know what? It's very hard to be in a crowd like that, hearing the swelling music, seeing someone you idolize weeping in this very uninhibited way and to not be affected. Like, I do understand how this works.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, I mean, it's powerful. Meanwhile, Jim wants to be less Mr. Rogers and more Johnny Carson. He brings on famous ministers and orators as well as regular old celebrities like Mickey Rooney and Colonel Sanders. It's like a late night talk show, but also like a living room chat. It's highly public and highly intimate. Running their own show is thrilling, but it's also an unbelievable grind and it's expensive. Luckily, Jim is a telethon champion, and by the end of its first year, he helps PTL bring in 140 grand a month.

[Jim Bakker]

170-4554, 6000. And we want to send you that new beautiful Bible. And I know you're going to really enjoy it.

[Sachi Cole]

But money making isn't just a daily hustle for Jim and Tammy. It's also become a religious doctrine. Within three years of starting the PTL Club, Jim and Tammy are hosting four telethons a week. They start preaching the prosperity gospel, promising their followers that donations to the church will result in spiritual and material wealth. Their message basically boils down to, if you want to be us, pay us. As the PTL network grows, the Bakers gain access to bigger and bigger celebrities like Eldridge Cleaver, a Black Panther who recently found God, and Little Richard, a singer who grew up Baptist. Jim can't resist bringing on famous people. Their appearances rake in more viewers, which brings in more cash. And in pursuit of these famous faces, Jim and Tammy end up shockingly talking about sex, drugs, rock and roll and various other sins on stage.

[Sarah Haggie]

Listen, if this show existed right now, I would be watching it. Just for the entertainment purpose like this sounds on its surface, very entertaining, whether or not you believe it, seeing these two freaky weirdos cry all day, her makeup coming off her face, this guy in this suit with a weird smile talking to Little Richard, somehow bringing up sex and drugs. That's tv.

[Sachi Cole]

Exactly. And that is good for business. But it does draw a dividing line between the Bakers and the rest of the Christian elite. There's a big schism coming in the evangelical community. But Jim and Tammy are riding the high of their successful new show. And they have an even more ambitious project in mind. By the end of the 1970s, the PTL club is more popular than ever. The show has millions of viewers all across the country. And Jim's ready to think even bigger. He wants to build a Christian theme park called Heritage USA inspired by Disney World. And in his vision, it'll have a water park, a skating rink, a mall and a main street, plus a hotel, a campground, an amphitheater, and yes, of course, a church. In the even longer term, Jim is actually hoping to expand Heritage USA into Heritage University. All of the other major Christian preachers have their own schools. Pat Robertson founded Regent University. Jerry Falwell founded Liberty University. And Oral Roberts, the televangelist who popularized the prosperity Bible, has Oral Roberts University. Jim is determined to one up them all. In his grand plan. Heritage USA will be the first ever theme park slash megachurch school.

[Sarah Haggie]

Okay, these things don't have to be together.

[Sachi Cole]

Think about it. You go to class, you get to go to a water park, then you find out about how your, your soul is going to be damned if you eat a cigarette. It's perfect. One stop shop.

[Sarah Haggie]

It simply doesn't make sense. Effectively, you get too tired after a theme park to go to. Unless it's like you go to church. Then you get to go to a theme park. Like, is the theme park the reward at the end? You know, I guess I just want to know how this is organized before I sign on.

[Sachi Cole]

Sure, those are good questions. I don't really know the answers. But it is very ambitious. And that ambition is costly. Jim has a brilliant idea for getting cash up front. He'll offer timeshares at the hotel. Basically, guests can come for three nights a year, every year. If they put down a one time payment of $1,000, Jim starts selling tons of these timeshares. In fact, he sells way more than he has rooms to fill. And Sarah, if you're trying to figure out whether that business strategy makes any sense, it does not.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is so frustrating. It's just like there are too many ways these people are trying to make money. There are just simply too many ways. This is too complicated. Why go into a timeshare business? You had it down with the donations. Just stop, stop.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Sarah, it just wasn't enough. And on Jim's 38th birthday in the beginning of 1978, he breaks ground on Heritage USA. The campus will spread out across 2,500 acres in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Jim is on the verge of claiming a kingdom for his flock, and he's ready to live like royalty. As the PTL network gets bigger and more visible, people start noticing how much its leaders are making and how much they're spending. In 1979, the FCC opens an investigation into Jim and Tammy. They're looking into allegations that the couple raised over 330 grand for missionary work, but ended up spending it on Heritage USA instead. The FCC works on the case for more than three years, but by the end of 1982, it passes the investigation over to the Justice Department. This handoff gets some coverage in the media, like the New York Times and the Washington Post. But PTL's followers don't really seem to care. They see it mostly as bureaucratic, not scandalous. So Jim and Tammy just keep rising. By 1985, their network has 13 million daily viewers and is earning $10 million a month. But Steve Nelson, a handsome and clean cut vice president at ptl, is really concerned. He tells Jim that he's worried that they've oversold rooms at the Heritage USA hotel. Steve doesn't understand why he's the only one who seems worried about this. He even reportedly says, quote, someone could go to jail for this. But Jim shrugs him off with his usual serving of Christian generosity. Jim reassures him that there's always room at the end, except mathematically there is not. All Jim cares about is making sure that Heritage USA is a success. And this feels like the competitive edge he's been waiting for, the thing that sets him apart from all those other celebrity pastors. In a promotional video about Heritage usa, he gloats about the insane traffic leading into the park.

[Jim Bakker]

I said, can you imagine somebody pulling in here from Des Moines? It has driven all day. And then they hit that line of traffic at about 7:00 at night and they've got all across country. And it takes them four hours to get to the hotel after they got a mile from here. Praise the Lord.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is insane, because forget any of this has to do with any type of fraud. Imagine organizing something that people are driving several hours to attend and seeing this traffic that they're hitting that will make them wait for even more hours. Wouldn't you be like, oh, this is absurd. We have to figure out how to fix this. Instead he's like, this is awesome. This is how much people love me.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, Sarah, this is the original Fyre Festival. Jim's caught up in the magical thinking that's brought him to the height of wealth and fame. Meanwhile, Tammy is taking risks of her own. She's been using her platform to embrace a radical form of Christian compassion, one that's bound to invite controversy. Around the time Heritage USA opens, the US is reeling from the AIDS crisis. President Ronald Reagan doesn't bother addressing it, and neither do most televangelists until Tammy Faye. In 1985, she welcomed Steve Peters, a young gay pastor living with hiv, as a guest on ptl. Jim is not into it. It seems like he thinks it's going to offend their base and he doesn't want to be a part of it. So Tammy interviews Steve Solo. Steve wears a powder blue suit and he smiles a lot. He's articulate and kind and he loves God. And plus, he's super patient with Tammy's, frankly, pretty clueless questions.

[Jim Bakker]

Do you think maybe you just haven't given women a fair try?

[Tammy Faye Bakker]

No, my orientation is towards men.

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, yeah, that's kind of what I would expect someone like Tammy to say. Duh.

[Sachi Cole]

It's actually not as bad as it could be, frankly.

[Sarah Haggie]

No, not at all.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, eventually, Tammy gets to the real meat of the interview.

[Jim Bakker]

How sad that we as Christians, who.

[Sachi Cole]

Are to be the salt of the earth, we who are supposed to be.

[Jim Bakker]

Able to love everyone, are afraid so badly of an AIDS patient that we will not go up and put our arm around them and tell them that we care.

[Sachi Cole]

Yes, it's a radical moment targeted directly at right wing Christians. Tammy is stirring the pot and her critics are starting to take notice. Meanwhile, a local journalist is looking into her and Jim for other reasons. Their finances. And when he starts to poke around, he'll discover a bombshell story. One that will shake the foundation of Jim and Tammy's ministry.

[Tammy Faye Bakker]

You sign up for something, forget about it. After the trial period ends, then you're charged month after month after month. The subscriptions are there, but you're not using them. In fact, 85% of people have at least one paid subscription going unused each month. Thanks to Rocket Money, you can see all your subscriptions in one place and cancel the ones you're not using anymore. Now, boom, you're saving more money. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year. When using all of the app's premium features, cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with rocket Money. Go to RocketMoney.com Wondery today. That's RocketMoney.com Wondery RocketMoney.com Wondery.

[Jim Bakker]

I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Cole]

In January 1986, a young journalist named Charlie shepherd publishes what he thinks will be the story of his career. It's a piece about how PTL has been misusing its funds and it lands on the front page of the Charlotte Observer. The article features a damning list of personal purchases made by Jim and Tammy using PTL's money. They include a 43 foot houseboat for Jim, a $2,500 minkot for Tammy, a condo in Florida worth nearly $400,000, a half a million dollar house in California, a Rolls Royce and a Mercedes Benz. It's splashy stuff, but it doesn't make a big impact in the way that Charlie probably hopes. It seems like most of Jim and Tammy's followers just shrug their shoulders. So Charlie keeps digging. And over the next year, he and his colleagues at the Charlotte observer published more than 600 stories about the Bakers embezzlement of PTL funds.

[Sarah Haggie]

Okay, 600 stories about one thing that is unimaginable and like, so thorough like that. There were 600 stories that 600 of them were written.

[Sachi Cole]

I mean, beat reporters barely write that much about anything. And this is just about these people and their business.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is one of the craziest things I've heard in any episode we've done.

[Sachi Cole]

Okay, well it's gonna get crazier because then Charlie gets a call from a woman named Jessica Hahn. Jessica drops a bombshell. She says that Jim Bakker raped her. Jessyca tells Charlie that In November of 1980, she flew from New York to Florida to attend Jim's Telethon. She was 20 years old at the time and she worked as a secretary at a church. She loved watching Jim and Tammy on tv and she thought that they were, quote, the closest thing to heaven. So when she gets to the telethon, she's eager to help them out. She even agrees to take care of their kids for an afternoon. But once she gets to the hotel room to watch the kids, she finds Jim there, along with his friend and fellow evangelist John Wesley Fletcher. Then, according to Jessica, John offers her Vaseline lotion and tells her Jim likes back rubs. Jim allegedly takes the bedspread off the bed, pulls her over to him and has sex with her. Jessica tries to push Jim away, protesting that she's a virgin. Jim later contests the rape allegation Saying that the sex was consensual. Charlie is horrified, but he's also intrigued. He knows that this will be a huge story, the thing that might finally make Jim and Tammy's followers care about their misdeeds, if only he can confirm it's true. After months of digging, he finally tracks down a paper trail showing that Jim paid Jessica 265,000. He put it on the books as construction costs for the Passion Play amphitheater, but it really looks like hush money. Charlie knows he has enough to publish the story, but his editors are waffling, worried about liability. So he does everything in his power to push the piece through. He begs each editor one by one. He even threatens to quit if they don't let him publish it. And eventually, they give in. The last step is asking Jim to comment on the allegations. Like any intrepid reporter, Charlie worries about getting scooped by someone from a different paper. He spent more than a year of his life working on stories about ptl, and he doesn't want it all to go to waste. But it doesn't occur to him that he might get scooped by Jim Bakker himself. On March 19, 1987, before Charlie can even publish the story he's been working so hard on, Jim abruptly resigns from ptl. To explain his resignation, Jim claims that he's exhausted from dealing with the observer, which has, quote, attacked us incessantly for the past 12 years. And now he says he knows a new attack is coming. Jim doesn't mention Jessica by name, but he does say, quote, I categorically deny that I've ever sexually assaulted or harassed anyone. I sorrowfully acknowledge that seven years ago, in an isolated incident, I was wickedly manipulated by treacherous former friends and then colleagues who victimized me with the aid of a female confederate. They conspired to betray me into a sexual encounter at a time a great stress in my marital life. The next day, Charlie publishes a front page story about Jim's resignation and details Jessica's allegations. The scandal instantly blows up. It becomes a huge national story, and it stays in the headlines for months.

[Sarah Haggie]

You know, no one writes a check for $200,000 to someone because they had a normal consensual affair. Like, it's so crazy to me that he's trying to make it seem like that's what happened when it clearly isn't. Religious leaders have affairs all the time. It would have been an amazing redemption story if people found out he had an affair and was like, hey, I got caught. I'm human. We all are. Give me more money and you know what I mean? It's just like it's so evil.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, it's pretty monstrous to try to make it seem like the worst part of this story is like some consensual affair. But in reality, Jim knows he's in deep shit. He even appoints a super conservative preacher, Jerry Falwell, to take his place at ptl. Jerry, you might remember, is the founder of Liberty University, and he's been building a coalition called the Moral Majority, recruiting evangelicals who are pro segregation and anti abortion. Jerry has been Jim's competitor up to this point. They both want to be the most popular Christian media figure in the country. But Jim thinks that Jerry can shepherd PTL through this turmoil. He also thinks it's a temporary arrangement for optics. But what he doesn't know is that Jerry never intends to let him come back. After a few months of relative silence, Jim and Tammy sit for that hour long interview with Ted Koppel on Nightline. Remember that from the beginning of our episode?

[Sarah Haggie]

Yes. That is the one where he just keeps reciting Bible verses instead of answering any actual question.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. Correct. Well, things only get worse for Jim and Tammy from there. A month later, PTL files for bankruptcy. It eventually gets sold to a real estate developer for half of what it's worth. By the end of the summer of 1987, a federal grand jury gets sworn in specifically to investigate Jim, Tammy and their associates for possible mail and wire fraud. Then about six months later, the Charlotte observer wins a Pulitzer Prize for public service for exposing Jim and Tammy's fraud. And a month after that, the IRS strips PTL of its tax exempt status. And with this news, what few donations were still trickling in dry up fast. Now the federal government can start collecting back taxes. Going back 15 years, it adds up to $62 million. But worst of all, in December 1988, Jim and a former vice president of PTL are charged with 24 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. Tammy escapes any charges. She was never in control of PTL's finances, so she can't be held liable for them. But she is completely caught up in Jim's public fall from grace. In a matter of months, the Bakers have lost their jobs, their reputations, and their empire. But Jim is about to go through a highly public trial, and he still has more to lose. It's August 30, 1989, and Jim is on trial for fraud and conspiracy. His former employees are being called to the stand and their testimonies against him are brutal. His former personal aide tells the court that Jim felt he, quote, lived shabbily compared to other ministers and wanted to have 10 homes. Steve, PTL's former vice president for world outreach, is even more explicit about Jim's wrongdoing. He testifies that he told Jim he was overselling timeshare, as in Heritage USA back in 1985, and that Jim just ignored him. But Steve is clearly overwhelmed by the situation. The southern heat is intense and this scandal has dragged on for years. And on top of all that, he feels guilty for betraying the man who used to be his religious role model. He starts looking pale and sweaty partway through his testimony, and before he can finish, he passes out right there on the stand. Jim gets a nudge from his lawyer because this is the perfect opportunity to show off Jim's Christian goodwill. So he rushes to Steve's side, takes his hand and starts praying. He even manages to conjure up some of his signature tears. It's really intense. And by the end of the day, the paramedics are wheeling Steve out of the courthouse on a stretcher so they can take him to the hospital.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is happening in court?

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, and things only get more dramatic from there. The next morning, when Jim's psychiatrist walks into the office, he finds Jim lying on the floor with his head under a couch. He says that he's hiding from people who are out to get him, whimpering about how scared he is. In short, he is a total mess. That afternoon, his psychiatrist asks for him to be sent to a private hospital so he can get treatment for these hallucinations. And the judge is forced to suspend the trial.

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, this is just so nuts. Like they can't do anything normally.

[Sachi Cole]

Okay, well, there's another thing, because a short while later, there is a full on natural disaster. Hurricane Hugo sweeps through Charlotte, which leaves many jurors without water or power. The judge suspends the trial yet again. The problems are just nonstop. Almost like God is swooping in to save Jim from his own fate. But Jim can't stop the inevitable arrival of his verdict. Next time, in the finale of our two part series, Jim will have to answer to a jury of his peers. And Tammy will go solo, undergoing a revival of biblical proportions. If you like scamplancers, you can listen to every episode early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey this is Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. The God Fraud, Part 1. I'm Sachi Cole.

[Sarah Haggie]

And I'm Sarah Haggie. If you have a tip for us on a story that you think think we should cover, please email [e-mail] and a reminder that our Scamfluencers Merch store is now [e-mail] we use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were the New York Times article for Jim and Tammy Baker, Excess Wiped Out A Rapid Climb to Success by William E. Schmidt, the Washington Post article the Jessica Hahn t Tape by Art Harris, the book PTL the Rise and Fall of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker's Evangelical Empire by John Wigger. And of course, Charlie Shepherd's reporting for the Charlotte Observer. This episode contained descriptions of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is looking for resources, call the National Sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. That's 1-800-656-4673.

[Sachi Cole]

Izzy Umpiel wrote this episode. Additional writing by U.S. sachi Cole and Sarah Hacke. Sarah Enny is our story editor and producer and Eric Thurm is our story editor. Fact Checking by Gabrielle Drollet Sound design by James Morgan. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Freeze on Sync. Our coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock and our managing producer is Matt Gant. Janine Cornello and Stephanie Jens are our development producers. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Lexi Perry. Our producers are John Reed, Yasmin Ward and Kate Young. Our senior producers are Ginny Blume and Jen Swan. Our executive producers are Jenny Lauer, Beckman, Marsha Louie and Erin O'Flaherty. For Wondery.

[Ted Koppel]

Behind the closed doors of government offices and military compounds, there are hidden stories and buried secrets from the darkest corners of history. From COVID experiments pushing the boundaries of science to operations so secretive they were barely whispered about. Each week on Redacted Declassified Mysteries, we pull back the curtain on these hidden histories. 100% true and verifiable stories that expose the shadow, shadowy underbelly of power. Consider Operation Paperclip, where former Nazi scientists were brought to America after World War II not as prisoners but as assets to advance US intelligence during the Cold War. These aren't just old conspiracy theories. They're thoroughly investigated accounts that reveal the uncomfortable truths still shaping our world today. The stories are real. The secrets are shocking. Follow Redacted Declassified Mysteries with me, Luke Lamanna on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts to listen ad free. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App.