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S02E17 Jim, Tammy, & the PTL Scandals
Manage episode 374731155 series 3390594
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Jim and Tammy had the largest Christian program of the entire decade. Even bigger than Pat Robertson’s 700 Club. It grew so big that they even started their own Christian theme park in the backwoods of North Carolina called Heritage USA. It was an evangelical’s wet dream. Rides, shows, food, a 5 star hotel, timesharing options, concerts, Bible studies, and even a chance to appear on national television as a member of the studio audience on the PTL Club program, and other television programs produced by PTL industries. I mean this was huge! And it was then, right at the height of the PTL’s success, that the proverbial shit hit the fan.
The PTL club was broke and couldn’t pay its shareholders. The promises the PTL made to its investors were not being kept. Promises like lifetime accommodations to its resort and hotel, lifetime passes to the theme park, and of course their timesharing options were a nightmare. Rumors of Jim’s sexuality were starting to hit the media. It seemed there were allegations everywhere that PTL producers were constantly trying to keep quiet. Then the biggest scandal hit, when a young church secretary named Jessica Hahn accused Jim and another televangelist of assaulting her in a Florida hotel.
I mean, this story has a little bit of everything!
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