Jim Bakker Dies At 86
The PTL Club co-founder died after a career that rose to fame and collapsed in scandal.
9 left12 center10 right
Updated 11:27am ETEvery side, every morning
A free recap of the day’s biggest stories and how each side covered them.
What happened
Jim Bakker died October 5 at age 86, his second wife, Lori Bakker, announced. She did not disclose the cause or circumstances of his death. Bakker and his first wife, Tammy Faye, built their evangelical TV ministry around The PTL Club, launched in 1974. At its peak, the ministry drew up to 13 million viewers and included Heritage USA, a Christian theme park and resort. Bakker resigned from PTL in 1987 after a sexual encounter with church secretary Jessica Hahn and a ministry-funded payment became public. Hahn said Bakker assaulted her; Bakker said the sex was consensual. He later served nearly five years in prison for fraud and conspiracy.
How each side covered it
From the left
Left-leaning outlets framed Bakker as a fallen televangelist whose cultural reach was inseparable from scandal, money and collapse. The Guardian leaned into the fall of a powerful religious empire, stressing sex scandal, fraud and opulence. HuffPost emphasized that Bakker and Tammy Faye became cultural icons through Christian broadcasting’s move into mass entertainment.
From the right
Right-leaning outlets framed Bakker as both a scandal-scarred figure and a pioneer whose influence outlasted his public fall. The New York Post centered the disgrace, pointing to scandals that made Bakker as known for controversy as preaching. Western Journal stressed his role in shaping Christian television and remaining a major religious figure despite the downfall.
Headlines
Left9
US televangelist Jim Bakker, ensnared in fraud and sex scandal, dies at 86
Televangelist Jim Bakker, Who Fell From Grace Over Sex And Financial Scandals, Dies
Jim Bakker, televangelist who rose to fame and fell from grace, dies
Jim Bakker, who lost his ‘PTL Club’ televangelism empire in sex and money scandals, has died - The Boston Globe
Jim Bakker, minister who built a televangelism empire and lost it from sex and money scandals, dies at 86
Center12
Jim Bakker, televangelist disgraced by sex and financial scandals, dies
Jim Bakker, whose PTL ministry fell to scandal and fraud, dies at 86
Jim Bakker, who lost his ‘PTL Club’ televangelism empire in sex and money scandals, dies at 86
Jim Bakker, televangelist who co-founded "The PTL Club" empire but fell into disgrace, dies at 86
Jim Bakker, who built 'PTL Club' televangelism empire, has died at 86
Right10
Televangelist Jim Bakker mourned death of his sister week before his passing
Scandal-plagued Jim Bakker, who built a television empire, dies at 86
Televangelist Jim Bakker, Who Lost his ‘PTL Club’ Empire in Sex and Money Scandals, Dies at 86
Disgraced Televangelist Dead At 86
Televangelist Jim Bakker dead at 86
Also today
All of today's stories →- 1Siberia Plague Lab Worker DiesBalancedBalanced74articles
- 2Balanced51articles
- 3Balanced40articles
- 4Karoline Leavitt Joins FoxBalancedBalanced29articles
- 5Cornell Building VandalizedBalancedBalanced28articles
- 6Caleb Flynn Gets Life SentenceBalancedBalanced24articles