What Now? with Trevor Noah
Episode: "99% Invisible and the Megachurch" (featuring Gillian Jacobs)
Original Air Date: October 21, 2025
Overview
This episode features a collaboration between Trevor Noah’s What Now? and Roman Mars’ 99% Invisible, spotlighting the origin story of the American megachurch through the lens of Los Angeles’ historic Angelus Temple. With actor and journalist Gillian Jacobs joining as guest reporter, the conversation unpacks the life, innovations, and scandals of founder Sister Amy Semple McPherson—one of the most influential (and notorious) figures in American religious and media history. The episode traces the rise of Pentecostalism, the birth of immersive worship, and the enduring spectacle of religious celebrity in America.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Angelus Temple: Architectural Marvel and Prototype of the Megachurch
- Opening Scene: The episode begins with a vivid description of the Angelus Temple, its remarkable blend of classical and modernist architectural styles, and its imposing presence in LA’s Echo Park.
- Roman Mars: "It's a colossal white structure that looks like an arena laced with archways. Its defining feature is an enormous concrete dome perched overhead. ...Half Roman Colosseum, half Parisian opera house." [00:01]
- Gillian Jacobs: "It looks more like a concrete flying saucer landed on top of the Rose Bowl stadium." [00:42]
- The Angelus Temple, built in 1923, is established as America’s first true megachurch, seating over 5,000, designed to be both fireproof and profoundly theatrical.
2. Amy Semple McPherson: The Birth of a Religious Media Icon
- Early Life & Calling: McPherson’s roots were humble; she grew up on a farm in rural Canada, was a precocious and ambitious student, and became drawn to the then-fringe Pentecostal movement.
- Amy Semple McPherson (archival): "I was the only boy on the farm, the only girl on the farm." [03:50]
- Religious Innovation: Amy adopted and popularized speaking in tongues and faith healing, making Pentecostal worship dramatically performative and appealing.
- William Schultz: "Everyone needs an infilling of the Holy Spirit... which will flow into you and transform you, make you an entirely new person." [05:06]
3. Women, Power, and Theatricality in Early 20th Century Religion
- McPherson’s success stood in contrast with the aggressive, male-dominated revival circuit (the “Sawdust Trail”), as she crafted a more "domestic" and emotionally intimate religious persona.
- Amy Semple McPherson (archival): "This is my passion, to love someone more dearly every day, to help a wandering child..." [08:09]
- William Schultz: "This image of a simple country person, a milkmaid who has been infused with this divine power. And this might be the thing which allows Amy to rise out of this very competitive religious marketplace." [08:28]
4. Mass Media & the Mainstreaming of Pentecostalism
- Amy’s pioneering use of media—megaphones, magazines, and crucially, founding the world’s first church-owned radio station—enabled her to reach audiences nationwide, laying the groundwork for modern televangelism.
- Claire Hoffman: "She made it a spectacle. She made it palatable.... She was sort of this bridge," comparing her influence to Elvis popularizing Black music. [09:47]
- Amy Semple McPherson (archival): “Angela's Temple, myself as pastor of the temple, was the first church in the world to own a radio station.” [16:57]
- William Schultz: "Televangelism and radio evangelism would be unthinkable without the path blazed by Amy in the early 20th century." [18:24]
5. The Blueprint for the Megachurch
- The Angelus Temple’s design—its size, drama, and multimedia productions (including animals, elaborate sets, and music)—became a template for the spectacular worship environments now common in American megachurches.
- Claire Hoffman: "If you go to a megachurch today ... this is what Amy innovated, bringing this big, rowdy, wild mass worship inside." [14:08]
- Claire Hoffman: “She would bring, you know, lions onto the stage, camels, elaborate sets, incredible costumes, huge musical theater productions.” [14:59]
6. The Scandal of Sister Amy: Kidnapping or Cover-up?
- At the height of her fame, McPherson vanished for over a month in 1926, returning with an outlandish kidnapping story—immediately questioned for holes and lack of physical evidence.
- Claire Hoffman: "What do you think are the chances that happened? 1%." [24:38]
- William Schultz: “It didn’t happen.” [24:49]
- Alternate theories suggest she was hiding an affair; the ensuing investigation became a media circus, but charges were ultimately dismissed. Nevertheless, her church only grew.
- William Schultz: "Angela's Temple actually grew during the scandal. Put that in the 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' files." [30:26]
7. Legacy: Expansion, Modernization, and Sanitized Memory
- Despite Amy's turbulent later years and tragic death in 1944, the Four Square Church continues today, but the Angelus Temple itself has largely been modernized and stripped of its former eccentricities.
- Gillian Jacobs: "The prayer tower is now an HVAC room. The iconic KFSG station was sold... The 100-person choir has been traded in for contemporary music." [33:20]
- McPherson’s true legacy is as a transformational figure who brought Pentecostalism out of obscurity to the global mainstream.
- Claire Hoffman: "Now there are 600 million Pentecostals in the world. ...And she's a big part of that story." [32:40]
Memorable Quotes & Moments
-
On Amy’s Theatrical Approach:
"She incorporated a lot of vaudeville, a lot of Hollywood into her sermons. ...They were essentially, you know, I mean, like early Christian entertainment."
– Claire Hoffman [14:32] -
On Her Defiance of Gender Norms:
"She was under a very intense kind of scrutiny as a woman in a position of power."
– Gillian Jacobs [19:34] -
On the Impact of the Scandal:
"Only mine always, somehow, unfortunately, seem to get into the headlines."
– Amy Semple McPherson (archival) [27:39] -
On Her Tragic End:
"She gives one of her most famous sermons, The Story of My Life. ...She took the whole bottle, or a lot of it, and she died."
– Claire Hoffman [31:56] -
On Her Place in History:
"Amy was the preacher."
– William Schultz [30:26]
Timeline of Key Segments
| Timestamp | Segment & Content |
|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 00:01 | Description of Angelus Temple’s architecture |
| 03:50 | Amy’s childhood and early religious life |
| 04:55 | Overview of Pentecostalism’s beginnings |
| 06:07 | Tragic China mission and Amy’s second marriage |
| 07:29 | Amy’s preaching style and contrast with contemporaries |
| 08:52 | Use of media, race and Pentecostal splits |
| 11:17 | Building of the Angelus Temple: design choices and fundraising |
| 13:27 | Temple’s features and seating capacity |
| 14:32 | Vaudeville and Hollywood’s influence on McPherson’s ministry |
| 16:57 | Launch of church-owned radio station |
| 18:24 | McPherson’s influence on televangelism |
| 19:34 | Pressures of fame and gender
| 20:40 | The (alleged) kidnapping and its aftermath |
| 24:38 | Journalistic skepticism about her kidnapping story |
| 27:06 | Legal aftermath: conspiracy and public scrutiny |
| 30:26 | Scandal’s impact on church growth & Amy’s reputation |
| 31:56 | Amy’s decline, death, and the legacy of the Four Square Church |
| 33:17 | Gillian Jacobs’ observations on modernization of Angelus Temple |
| 34:09 | Roman Mars reflects on the Angelus Temple as a legacy monument |
Conclusion
This episode artfully illustrates how one woman—Amy Semple McPherson—reshaped the landscape of American Christianity, pioneering both the spectacle and substance of the megachurch. Her story, marked by dazzling innovation, personal scandal, and persistent reinvention, set the template for contemporary religious celebrity, media evangelism, and the enduring power of spiritual entertainment. Listeners gain a richly detailed appreciation for the intertwined histories of architecture, faith, gender, show business, and American culture.
Further Reading:
For more on this story, see Claire Hoffman’s Sister: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Amy Semple McPherson.
Produced by:
Roman Mars, Gillian Jacobs, Vivien Leigh, and the 99% Invisible and What Now? teams.
Note: This summary omits advertisements and non-content segments as instructed.