Through the years, the real Tammy Faye Bakker appeared on Inside Edition many times, sharing her life’s dramatic ups and downs.
The movie about late TV evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker opens, and there’s already Oscar buzz for Jessica Chastain, who had to cake on lots of makeup for the role.
Through the years, the real Bakker appeared on Inside Edition many times, sharing her life’s dramatic ups and downs.
Back in the ‘80s, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker were the king and queen of televangelism. As their show, a mix of traditional preaching and what they called “wholesome entertainment,” rose in popularity, the couple raked in millions and lived like royalty.
But in 1987, their empire came crashing down after Jim Bakker used church funds to pay his secretary Jessica Hahn, who claimed he had sexually assaulted her. He was convicted of fraud in 1989, leading to one of the most memorable perp walks ever.
Tammy Faye spoke to Inside Edition in 1993 when she got remarried to Bakker’s best friend. Her ex-husband was still doing time behind bars.
“A lot of people are going to call me that no-good so-and-so, but I think it gave Jim time to get used to it,” she said.
Jim Bakker was finally released in 1994. He also got remarried and claimed to Inside Edition he was a changed man.
“I realized what I taught was unbiblical,” he said. “I taught people how to be rich.”
Most recently, authorities say Jim Bakker pushed a bogus cure for COVID-19.
In 2004, Tammy Faye revealed to the world that she had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She appeared on Larry King’s show just two weeks before she died in 2007.
