The advent of the '80s not only brought us MTV and cable news networks, but it also fueled the proliferation of the Christian television networks. From Bob and Molly D'Andrea's Christian Television Network (CTN), to Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), to Paul and Jan Crouch's Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), each one was committed to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a visually appealing, entertainment-centric format. 

But none of them made quite the splash or engendered as fierce loyalty as Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and their Praise The Lord (PTL) Network. Jim and Tammy Faye were larger than life and often unorthodox by traditional Christian standards. Bakker was a visionary who wanted to make the PTL Show like a Christian "Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and have a theme park that rivaled Disneyland. But on the opposite side of that fierce loyalty and dedication were fiery detractors and righteous indignation. Those more traditional Christian leaders were looking for Bakker to ultimately fail, and he did, in spectacular fashion. The newly-minted 24/7 media cycle ran wall-to-wall coverage of the story of Jim Bakker's fall from grace, the first of what would be many televangelists and Christian leader scandals that made the headlines during that time. 

For over 40 years, both Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker weaved in and out of media headlines, but never to the same degree as at the height of the scandal. Tammy Faye divorced Jim Bakker in 1992, and remarried family friend and Bakker's former business associate Roe Messner. Tammy Faye Messner managed to stay in the public eye, especially with her reality TV, documentary, and pop culture appearances, as well as her vocal advocacy for the LGBTQ community. Tammy Faye died in 2007 after a battle with cancer. 

On Monday, Jim Bakker made what will no doubt be his final appearance in the headlines. Bakker's second wife Lori announced his death on the PTL website. Bakker was 86 years old.

Televangelist Jim Bakker, who spent five years in prison for a sex and money scandal involving his Praise the Lord ministry and returned to broadcasting “The Jim Bakker Show,” has died at 86, his wife announced.

“It is with a broken heart that I share that my beloved husband, Jim Bakker, went home to be with the Lord this evening,” reads an announcement from Lori Bakker on Monday (Oct. 5) on the Facebook page of the show. “For 66 years, Jim gave his life to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry. Jim loved people deeply. He loved this ministry, and he loved the friends and partners who stood with him throughout the years. Even in his final days, his heart was still for the work of God and for the Gospel to continue reaching the world.”

Asking for privacy for the family, she added: “Jim finished his race with faith. His voice, his vision, and his legacy will never be forgotten.”

Jim and Tammy Faye had two children: James Charles "Jay" and Tammy Sue, now adults with their own families. 

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Jay Bakker posted this on his Facebook page.

1940-2026. Hello everyone, my father passed away today and it's very difficult. We had a very complicated relationship and he was also my father and a grandfather and I need to mourn in my own time. I need the freedom to feel anger and feel loss and not have other people add their two cents please respect this time for me and my family. I have turned off all my notifications and all my social media.

Please do not link me to anything or send me anything about him a this time. I just need some time to let this settle in and make what peace I can. Thank you for understanding.

It is heartbreaking that, with the damage that was done to Christian ministries and the evangelical church's witness during that time, the greatest damage was done to the Bakker children, and it seems their recovery is still in the making. The last media mentions of Tammy Sue Bakker were her speaking about her mother's legacy after the premiere of the 2021 film, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," to which she contributed her cover of Tammy Faye's signature song: "Don't Give Up (On the Brink of a Miracle)." 

By the time Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, were forced to give up their Praise the Lord ministry — known as PTL — in 1987, they were a well-known television couple with a loyal following. His grinning visage and aggressive fundraising had become a regular staple of Christian television, while she was recognized as much for her heavy application of mascara as for religious teachings.

The Bakkers were among a popular wave of religious broadcasters during the late 1970s and 1980s, when they competed for viewership against rivals such as Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart. The PTL was among the most successful, as Jim Bakker preached an upbeat message of optimism, health and wealth. At the height of its popularity, their flagship show, “The PTL Club,” reached an audience of 13 million viewers, while the affiliated Heritage USA theme park attracted 6 million visitors annually.

Yet despite the PTL’s outward boom, a series of problems brewed that would eventually doom the Bakkers’ ministry.

With success and prosperity, the Bakkers had begun to live an opulent lifestyle. As money poured into PTL, significant sums were diverted to the Bakkers and staff members. Large sums were used for purposes other than those for which they had been raised, including fancy homes and clothes.

As the decade wore on, the ministry slid further into debt, which led the federal government to move against PTL and the Bakkers.

At the same time, it was revealed that in 1980, Baker had a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and that she was paid to keep quiet about the incident.

The controversies brought a rather ignominious downfall for the Bakkers, who had started out together as upstart Midwestern religious activists.

The legal fallout resulted in the 1989 conviction of Jim Bakker on financial crimes and fraud, which led to a 45-year prison sentence. After an appeal, the sentence was reduced to eight years, of which Bakker only served five years. The divorce of the Bakkers was less public and almost inevitable, and Jim Bakker's path to restoration was unremarkable. Bakker wrote a book in 1996, "I Was Wrong," about the PTL scandal and his road back, and he moved into inner-city ministry through the Los Angeles Dream Center. It was there that Bakker met youth counselor Lori Beth Graham, whom he married in 1998. In 1999, Bakker moved briefly back to North Carolina, and then Missouri, where he took over a ministry started by his daughter Tammy Sue. In 2003, Bakker returned to his media roots with "The Jim Bakker Show," a scaled-down version of PTL with his wife Lori as his co-host. 

In 2020, Bakker had major health setbacks after suffering a series of strokes. In 2025, Bakker made local headlines when he made an appeal on his show that he needed to raise one million in order to pay off his debts and ward off losing his home.

Bakker's biography on the ministry's website touts him as a pioneer of Christian television, and that is not wrong. The strategies and creative vision Bakker employed during his time at CBN and during the heyday of PTL have been incorporated and used by present-day Christian ministries to "preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words." 

One can only pray that the shortcomings, pitfalls, and cautionary tales born out of his life will be given greater attention.