Who was the real Tammy Faye Bakker? The glamorous televangelist of the 70s
A new movie following the rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, premiered in the US recently, and is set to be one of this autumn's biggest hits.
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye stars Jessica Chastain (The Martian, Molly's Game) as the lead, alongside Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Social Network) as Tammy's husband, Jim Bakker.
Ahead of its release in the UK, we decided to take a look back at the story of the Bakkers, and ask, who was the real Tammy Faye?
Who was Tammy Faye Bakker?
Tammy Faye and her husband Jim Bakker, who met in 1960 while they were students at a Bible College in Minneapolis, rose to fame in the 1970s through their Christian television show The PTL Club.
The PTL Club, which stood for Praise The Lord, raised money for various causes, and mixed "glitzy entertainment with down-home family values" [via Guardian].
Tammy garnered attention on the show for her flamboyant makeup, colourful outfits and impressive singing voice. On the show, she'd sing Christian songs while her husband shared religious teachings. Despite the show's Christian foundations, Tammy often showed acceptance and compassion for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s.
As the show gained popularity, it expanded into a corporate empire, birthing its own TV network as well as a Christian-retreat-slash-theme-park known as Heritage USA.
But in 1987, the couple's evangelist empire crumbled when they lost control of the PTL network. It soon came to light that a significant portion of the network's money had been used to buy the silence of Jessica Hahn, a woman who had accused Jim of raping her. Hahn's claim led to public scrutiny of the couple, and their opulent lifestyle (which included an air-conditioned dog house and a gold-plated bathroom inside their mansion).
In 1989, Jim was sentenced to 45-years in prison for fraud and conspiracy, with Tammy filing for divorce three years later.
Where is Tammy Faye Bakker now?
Tammy was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 1996, and despite initially going into remission, she revealed the cancer had returned in July 2005. She began receiving treatment for the cancer, although by May 2007 she released a statement saying she had stopped chemotherapy treatment. In July 2007, 11 years after her initial diagnosis, Tammy sadly passed away.
What is the Tammy Faye movie about?
According to the official synopsis: "The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Bakker, rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity."
The synopsis continues, "Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire."
When will the Tammy Faye movie be released in the UK?
The Eyes of Tammy Faye was released in the US on 17 September, although an official release date for the UK is yet to be announced. With the film tipped to be a big winner at the Oscars, rumours suggest the film will be released closer to the awards ceremony, at the start of next year. It may also appear on on-demand services at a later date, but again this hasn't been confirmed.
In the meantime, the documentary of the same name that inspired the movie, narrated by drag superstar RuPaul, is available on Amazon Prime.
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