In 1987, the biggest sexual scandal of the 80s came to light, with known televangelist Jim Bakker being accused of having a sexual encounter with 21-year-old church secretary Jessica Hahn.
The controversial affair was immediately eaten up by the media and came as a huge shock to both the public, and Bakker’s cartoonish wife Tammy Faye Bakker.
“This was the first big sex scandal involving a televangelist,” says Journalist Charles Shepardin the clip. “So everybody wanted a piece of this story.”
After the dramatic scandal was exposed, Bakker’s Praise The Lord Network and empire took a tragic fall. Meanwhile, Hahn rose to fame, and later became a well known Playboy Playmate, model and actress.
While young Hahn may have used the televangelist’s name to launch her celebrity status, Bakker’s lies about his lavish lifestyle came to light after his alleged affair with the secretary was exposed.
The Bakkers became a laughing stock to the media – especially due to Tammy Faye’s over-the-top makeup looks.
Everybody was talking about Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in the 80s,” says People’s Senior Crime Reporter, Steve Helling in the video. “They were in Johnny Carson’s monologues, they were in the cover of magazine, and everybody talked about Tammy Faye’s makeup.”
Scandal Made Me Famous: Jessica Hahn airs Saturday, August 5, at 9 ET/PT.
