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BumRushDaShow

(157,407 posts)
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:16 AM Jul 1

Jimmy Swaggart, televangelist felled by sex scandal, dies at 90

Source: Washington Post

July 1, 2025 at 11:12 a.m. EDT


Jimmy Swaggart, an itinerant Louisiana preacher who became one of the most popular and polarizing Christian televangelists of his generation before a sex scandal — etched in public memory by his tear-streaked televised confession — consigned him to relative obscurity, died July 1. He was 90.

Jimmy Swaggart Ministries announced the death but did not share additional details. His son Donnie Swaggart, a fellow pastor, said on June 15 that his father went into cardiac arrest and was hospitalized in Baton Rouge.

Mr. Swaggart was one of a handful of televangelists who rose to global prominence in the second half of the 20th century, among them Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and Jerry Falwell.

At his peak, in the late 1980s, Mr. Swaggart reached millions of viewers in the United States and more than 100 other countries. His broadcasts generated revenue of $140 million a year with a signature combination of fire and brimstone, musical performances and the relentless marketing of Swaggart-branded items, including Bible study manuals, T-shirts, records, tapes, mugs, plates, Roman coins and copies of Jesus’ crown of thorns. At its height, his Baton Rouge-based ministry operated the largest mail-order business in Louisiana.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2025/07/01/jimmy-swaggart-televangelist-dead/



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Jimmy Swaggart, televangelist felled by sex scandal, dies at 90 (Original Post) BumRushDaShow Jul 1 OP
Hell welcomes a new citizen. Tarzanrock Jul 1 #1
About damned time Srkdqltr Jul 1 #2
Hell is burning a little hotter today lapfog_1 Jul 1 #3
That explains our heat dome! chowder66 Jul 1 #23
Great news! Sibelius Fan Jul 1 #4
wow - what the hell took so long? nt orleans Jul 1 #5
Perhaps it could be said, colorado_ufo Jul 1 #48
I thought Satan had called him home years ago, but Ocelot II Jul 1 #6
Me too (all irony intended)... Moostache Jul 1 #57
As I posted to malaise's thread Sunday, these harbingers have been loud on my pre-dawn walk hlthe2b Jul 1 #7
Good Riddance tonekat Jul 1 #8
so is Jim Bakker the last man standing? eShirl Jul 1 #9
Just about. valleyrogue Jul 1 #21
Today's sick evangelicals preach about shooting gay people wolfie001 Jul 1 #30
Not nice, but 'hurrah'. sinkingfeeling Jul 1 #10
The works for me! wolfie001 Jul 1 #31
Here's my long distance dedication to Jimmy Swaggart eShirl Jul 1 #11
Frank's dedication was epic... JoseBalow Jul 1 #52
Wow! atreides1 Jul 1 #12
I came by to see how many times this is posted wolfie001 Jul 1 #32
I think that was just wishful thinking Skittles Jul 2 #89
Scumbags live far too long. Basso8vb Jul 1 #13
May he Rest In Piss. DinahMoeHum Jul 1 #14
Enjoy your stay in the hell of your creation fucker. Autumn Jul 1 #15
lol wolfie001 Jul 1 #33
I'm surprised he lasted this long SpankMe Jul 1 #16
He was probably taking anti-AIDS drug cocktails wolfie001 Jul 1 #34
I have absolutely no respect for televangelists whatsoever. MIButterfly Jul 1 #17
I love love love that Lady Preacher who ran her church adjacent to the WH!!! wolfie001 Jul 1 #35
I hope it hurt Hassin Bin Sober Jul 1 #18
May he go straight to the hell he preached about. Dan Jul 1 #19
I thought he was already dead Pototan Jul 1 #20
It sucked he outlived his cousins Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. n/t valleyrogue Jul 1 #22
Wow, didn't know he was related to them. mwmisses4289 Jul 1 #29
Thank God and Greyhound you're gone. republianmushroom Jul 1 #24
Greyhound express..straight to destination,no stopping along the way! BattleRow Jul 1 #44
My first thought, when I read this was MLWR Jul 1 #25
Melanoma-inspired retort! wolfie001 Jul 1 #36
And God says Marthe48 Jul 1 #26
Little known fact. AverageOldGuy Jul 1 #27
60 years swong19104 Jul 1 #28
good riddaance, you grifting scum. niyad Jul 1 #37
St. Peter is going to make him head atom smasher! Jacson6 Jul 1 #38
! Marcuse Jul 1 #39
Fake crying seems to be a major new requirement for RWers any more...nt Wounded Bear Jul 1 #41
Except for MAGAs. progressoid Jul 1 #54
At least 50 years too late...nt Wounded Bear Jul 1 #40
I want to make repeated calls to his church and ask to speak to him! lastlib Jul 1 #42
Salvation? Remball Jul 1 #43
Yeah, But St. Peter can make him head atom smasher! Jacson6 Jul 1 #46
A noble and generous sentiment. BattleRow Jul 1 #47
Word! marble falls Jul 2 #75
Welcome to DU LetMyPeopleVote Jul 2 #87
And that is one of the problems with Christianity RedArkGuy Jul 4 #92
Bye! greatauntoftriplets Jul 1 #45
Adios, Fucko! JoseBalow Jul 1 #49
The feel good story of the day. twodogsbarking Jul 1 #50
Dammit! I was hoping he would outlive a certain president. nt JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 1 #51
Maybe we can have a threefer... hunter Jul 2 #73
Burn in hell Swaggart Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Jul 1 #53
Metaphormosis into the Big Beautiful bucolic_frolic Jul 1 #55
A morsel of good news on an all-around crappy day. yourout Jul 1 #56
This is exactly why angrychair Jul 1 #58
Satan: "Well done, my servant. Time to come home." Grokenstein Jul 1 #59
The devil claims what belongs to him biophile Jul 1 #60
What's the bad news? Ray Bruns Jul 1 #61
My momma always said I should say something good about the dead... From The Ashes Jul 1 #62
My mother taught me to only speak good of the dead. Martin Eden Jul 1 #63
Can we be so lucky as to hit a trifecta with Robert Tilton and Benny Hinn? LudwigPastorius Jul 1 #64
Satan called him home. nt doc03 Jul 1 #65
Finally... llmart Jul 1 #66
This is my reply.... mgardener Jul 1 #67
Was he the guy who went on TV and cried "Oh, Lord! I have sinned!" CTyankee Jul 1 #68
Then probably asked his flock to send $100 for all the tissues he was using Bengus81 Jul 2 #78
So, the Good Lord wasn't in a hurry to have him back ? Oh wait .... maybe he was from elsewhere ... nt eppur_se_muova Jul 1 #69
I'm waiting for the scandal that topples Ostein, I just know their is one lurking somewhere! Linda ladeewolf Jul 1 #70
He was a bad man Justice Brandeis Jul 1 #71
I wish #DementiaDonnie would join Swaggart in hell. n/t area51 Jul 1 #72
Swaggart, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Mickey Gilley were cousins. kskiska Jul 2 #74
Elmer Gantry bites the dust. no_hypocrisy Jul 2 #76
All I can say is.. ._. Jul 2 #77
A fraudster, shyster, con man, grifter, has died. Oh well. SamKnause Jul 2 #79
Hoping for quick end to SCAM artist Jim Bakker. He's 85,hope he never sees 86.... Bengus81 Jul 2 #80
Too bad Abstractartist Jul 2 #81
My first thought... EuterpeThelo Jul 2 #82
He deserves it, but imagine one of two identifiers in an obituary headline is sex scandal karynnj Jul 2 #83
He completely and totally destroyed his reputation with the scandal. valleyrogue Jul 2 #84
Wow, thanks. I knew very little of this karynnj Jul 2 #86
Lots of skullduggery went on behind the scenes. valleyrogue Jul 2 #88
Most don't know just how cut throat the tele-evangelist industry is. Xolodno Jul 3 #90
And the Bakker scandal showed that to all the world just how valleyrogue Jul 3 #91
Satan got a new floor scrubber! Brainfodder Jul 2 #85

Ocelot II

(126,340 posts)
6. I thought Satan had called him home years ago, but
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:19 AM
Jul 1

maybe I'm mixing him up with other Hell-bound grifting TV preachers like Pat Robertson.

Moostache

(10,705 posts)
57. Me too (all irony intended)...
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:52 PM
Jul 1

I assume that worthless criminal grifter had died in some squalid hell hole years ago.
Good riddance to bad garbage. If I believed in an actual "Hell" he would be one of the rotational gatekeepers for sure.

hlthe2b

(110,830 posts)
7. As I posted to malaise's thread Sunday, these harbingers have been loud on my pre-dawn walk
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:20 AM
Jul 1

--with the pup.... Clearly THEY knew something...

eShirl

(19,417 posts)
9. so is Jim Bakker the last man standing?
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:20 AM
Jul 1
Mr. Swaggart was one of a handful of televangelists who rose to global prominence in the second half of the 20th century, among them Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and Jerry Falwell.

valleyrogue

(2,245 posts)
21. Just about.
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:51 AM
Jul 1

He is 85 years old, and his health hasn't been that great in recent years. He has battled strokes, so he is absent from his television program quite a bit.

wolfie001

(5,773 posts)
30. Today's sick evangelicals preach about shooting gay people
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 12:40 PM
Jul 1

Mainly because of the leadership of that fat orange racist homophobic imbecile.

JoseBalow

(8,028 posts)
52. Frank's dedication was epic...
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:41 PM
Jul 1
Texas Motel Medley

(9:05)

The Texas Medley or Texas Motel Medley is a brief suite that was featured by Zappa in his 1988 tour beginning in late February, 1988. It consists of three Beatles songs with the words re-written to reflect the recent exposure of evangelist Jim Swaggart with a prostitute in a Louisiana motel on February 21, 1988. The medley was apparently first performed on February 28, exactly one week later.

The suite consists of the following three songs:

Norwegian Wood - re-styled as "Norwegian Jim", the words describe the encounter of Swaggart with a prostitute. An amusing insertion is the repetition of a riff from Leonard Bernstein's song "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story."
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - re-styled as "Louisiana Hooker with Herpes" with appropriate lyrics.
Strawberry Fields Forever - re-styled as "Texas Motel", but the refrain changes constantly.

Zappa targets, in addition to Swaggart, fellow evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, as well as Reagan administration figures, John Poindexter and Edward Meese. The last two are usually referenced at the end of some incomprehensible lyric (often from the original song) as "actual testimony" probably meant as a reference to the less than candid public testimony of these figures at the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987.
https://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Texas_Medley

SpankMe

(3,540 posts)
16. I'm surprised he lasted this long
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:31 AM
Jul 1

I assumed his body was rattled by VD and he'd have succumbed sooner.

wolfie001

(5,773 posts)
34. He was probably taking anti-AIDS drug cocktails
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 12:44 PM
Jul 1

That would be a fitting way for him to live the rest of his pathetic, soulless days.

MIButterfly

(918 posts)
17. I have absolutely no respect for televangelists whatsoever.
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:33 AM
Jul 1

Charlatans and con men, every damn one of them.

Just like I've never had any respect for doctors and psychiatrists who go on TV (Dr. Joyce Brothers; Dr. Oz; "Dr." Phil, etc.) I think they demean their professions.

As for Jimmy Swaggart, I don't celebrate his death, but I don't mourn it, either. I really don't care.

Updated: ambivalent was the wrong term to use. I guess I didn't really know the meaning of it like I thought I did.

wolfie001

(5,773 posts)
35. I love love love that Lady Preacher who ran her church adjacent to the WH!!!
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 12:46 PM
Jul 1

She's a brave woman who stood up to that fat orange hate-filled bastard. She spoke those touching words at the Washington Cathedral!

mwmisses4289

(1,664 posts)
29. Wow, didn't know he was related to them.
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 12:33 PM
Jul 1

Back in my young, dumb and stupid days, friends and I would spend time at Gilleys club. It closed down in the 1980's or 1990's due various legal issues. Good times.

AverageOldGuy

(2,790 posts)
27. Little known fact.
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 12:28 PM
Jul 1
"The Killer" -- Jerry Lee Lewis (1935 - 2022) -- and Swaggart were cousins. Both of them grew up in the Southern Pentecostal tradition. Swaggart took up preaching while Jerry Lee learned and perfected his piano playing. Jimmy should have taken up the piano. (Yes, I know, Jerry Lee married his underage cousin, but, hey . . . what can I say?)

Meanwhile, for you who don't know The Killer and his music -- here's the Wikipedia article.

&list=RDlgCNOsSYP4I&start_radio=1

lastlib

(26,388 posts)
42. I want to make repeated calls to his church and ask to speak to him!
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:10 PM
Jul 1

They'll keep telling me he's dead, and I just love hearing them say that!

Remball

(1 post)
43. Salvation?
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:13 PM
Jul 1

If he repented his sins and truly accepted Jesus Christ as his savior while living, he has been forgiven of his sins and has not been relegated to Hell. It is never too late to do so.

BattleRow

(1,747 posts)
47. A noble and generous sentiment.
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:16 PM
Jul 1

However,the record reflects less repent than respent of millions of donations dollars for dubious purchases.

RedArkGuy

(822 posts)
92. And that is one of the problems with Christianity
Fri Jul 4, 2025, 03:25 AM
Jul 4

Kill, maim, torture, steal, blasphemize, etc and it's all just fine as long as you say the magic words before you go.

I don't buy it and I think it permits alleged Christians to do their worst because they can just wish it all away later.

angrychair

(10,925 posts)
58. This is exactly why
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:56 PM
Jul 1

I'm now against medical research dramatically extending our lives.

Could you imagine what our world would be like if these people could live healthy lives for hundreds of years?!?

Grokenstein

(6,086 posts)
59. Satan: "Well done, my servant. Time to come home."
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 01:59 PM
Jul 1

Swaggart: "Can I take it with me?"
Satan: (laughs)

From The Ashes

(2,723 posts)
62. My momma always said I should say something good about the dead...
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 02:19 PM
Jul 1

Jimmy Swaggart has died, so (quoting myself here) 'GOOD!'

mgardener

(2,115 posts)
67. This is my reply....
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 03:11 PM
Jul 1

“I’ve never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure,”
Clarance Darrow

Bengus81

(9,099 posts)
78. Then probably asked his flock to send $100 for all the tissues he was using
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 08:55 AM
Jul 2

Good riddance you POS!

eppur_se_muova

(39,552 posts)
69. So, the Good Lord wasn't in a hurry to have him back ? Oh wait .... maybe he was from elsewhere ... nt
Tue Jul 1, 2025, 05:18 PM
Jul 1

Abstractartist

(289 posts)
81. Too bad
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 09:27 AM
Jul 2

Hey Jimmy, I’ll bet that’s not the Baton Rouge heat you are feeling now… I’m thinking it’s some other hot place you deserve to spend eternity.🔥

karynnj

(60,433 posts)
83. He deserves it, but imagine one of two identifiers in an obituary headline is sex scandal
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 10:59 AM
Jul 2

I wonder if his family and associates see how tarnished his legacy is that the prominent WP included this

valleyrogue

(2,245 posts)
84. He completely and totally destroyed his reputation with the scandal.
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 11:31 AM
Jul 2

Rival televangelist Marvin Gorman, who died in 2017, was responsible for it. Swaggart publicly smeared him with adultery charges, but what Swaggart didn't know apparently Gorman had a son who was a cop. That cop kept tabs on Swaggart, ultimately discovering he was cavorting with prostitutes like Debra Murphree. Swaggart was caught with Murphree at an Airline Highway motel in Metairie, Louisiana, and the rest is history. Gorman sued Swaggart for defamation for $10 million, but it was settled out of court for $1.8 million.

Swaggart had been in the forefront of ousting Jim Bakker, along with Jerry Falwell and John Ankerberg, when Bakker had taken some time off to go to California to take care of then-wife Tammy Faye, who was dealing with ill health and substance abuse issues. It was the perfect opportunity for those people to try and seize control of PTL, which they did. Bakker was never allowed back. Swaggart for his part did this as revenge because Bakker yanked Swaggart's show from his network. Swaggart was increasingly engaging in anti-Catholic rants, and Bakker wanted nothing of the kind on the PTL Network, which broadcast in many Catholic-dominated countries.

Marvin Gorman's lawyer went into detail about the Swaggart scandal in his book, Let Us Prey.

As for Swaggart, he is a prime example of FAFO.

karynnj

(60,433 posts)
86. Wow, thanks. I knew very little of this
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 12:03 PM
Jul 2

- just the seemingly never ending headlines of disgraced evangelical leaders.

valleyrogue

(2,245 posts)
88. Lots of skullduggery went on behind the scenes.
Wed Jul 2, 2025, 03:07 PM
Jul 2

What we got in the media just scratched the surface.

It is endlessly fascinating. I watched most of those shows years ago.

Xolodno

(7,092 posts)
90. Most don't know just how cut throat the tele-evangelist industry is.
Thu Jul 3, 2025, 02:13 AM
Jul 3

They will shiv you the second they have the chance. You are not considered a "brother", you are a rival that is taking "donation" money from them. Thus, they want you out of the way.

valleyrogue

(2,245 posts)
91. And the Bakker scandal showed that to all the world just how
Thu Jul 3, 2025, 02:24 AM
Jul 3

cutthroat it was and is.

Tammy Faye Messner had little good to say about Jerry Falwell because Falwell took over PTL in order to get the satellite network. He deliberately bankrupted PTL in order to get it, but in the end, he failed. Compared to many of his rivals, Jim Bakker was a saint. Swaggart, Falwell, John Ankerberg and others undercut Bakker when Bakker went to Palm Springs in order to be with Tammy when she was having ill health and substance abuse problems. These snakes wouldn't let Bakker back. Swaggart knew about the Hahn payoffs and other things, but he was out for revenge when Bakker kicked him and his show off his network for the anti-Catholic rants.

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