Television Personality

Jim Bakker Net Worth: How Rich Is the Televangelist in 2022?

Published

2 years ago

June 8, 2022

Bakker is an American televangelist and convicted fraudster known for hosting The PTL Club and authoring several books. The Jim Bakker net worth figure is just $500 thousand in 2022.

Jim Bakker, founder of the PTL television ministry and his wife Tammy Faye stand in front of a replica of the Constitution — (Photo by Getty Images)

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Early Life and Bio

Full Name	James Orsen Bakker
Birth Date / Age	January 2, 1940 / 82 Years Old
Birth Place	Muskegon, Michigan, USA
Source of Wealth	Televangelism
Relationship Status	Married To Lori Beth Graham
Height	5 ft. 6 in. / 1.70 m.
Net Worth	$500 Thousand

James Orsen Bakker was born in January of 1940 in Muskegon, Michigan to parents Raleigh Bakker and Furnia Lynette “Furn” Irwin.

Meanwhile, Bakker graduated from Muskegon High School before enrolling at North Central University. The college is a bible college in Minneapolis affiliated with the Assemblies of God.

There, he met a fellow student and his future first wife Tammy Faye LaValley. Bakker worked at a restaurant in the Young-Quinlan department store, while LaValley held a job at a nearby boutique known as the Three Sisters.

Bakker and LaValley left school in 1961 to marry and become itinerant evangelists. They would begin working at Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) five years later.

Jim Bakker and wife Lori Bakker attend the ceremony honoring BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans — (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Jim Bakker Net Worth and Career

After gaining an audience, Pat Robertson granted Bakker the chance to host a new prime-time talk show, The 700 Club. In 1972, Bakker and his wife left the network to co-find the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) with Paul and Jan Crouch.

After quickly ending their partnership with the Crouch’s, the Bakkers debuted their talk show, The PTL Club. In doing so, Jim founded the PTL Satellite Network.

Before being taken down in 1987, PTL built a headquarters, opened a theme park, and was raking in an estimated $1 million a week from viewer contributions.

Church secretary Jessica Hahn accused Bakker of sexual misconduct in 2987, forcing him to resign. Then, his misuse of ministry funds led to his imprisonment and his dismissal as an Assemblies of God minister.

In 1988, Bakker was indicted on eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy. Judge Robert Daniel Potter sentenced Bakker to 45 years in federal prison.

Bakker was released from the Federal Bureau of Prisons custody after serving about six years.

In 2003, Bakker got back to broadcasting in the form of The Jim Bakker Show. The show that airs daily moved to Morningside in 2008.

Psalm 68:19 MEV Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God who is our salvation. Selah
— Jim Bakker (@Jim_Bakker) December 15, 2017

Jim Bakker Books

Overall, the televangelist has authored seven different works. Only his first, Move That Mountain (1976) came out prior to his legal troubles. Interestingly, his book titled Eight Keys to Success (1980) was released right around the time he was under investigation.

His most recent work is titled You Can Make It: God’s Faithfulness in Dark Times-Past, Present and Future (2021).

Personal Life

Bakker and his first wife Tammy had two children together, Tammy Sue “Sissy” Bakker Chapman and Jamie Charles “Jay” Bakker according to the Los Angeles Times.

Sven years after divorcing in 1992, Bakker married his second wife, former televangelist Lori Beth Graham. In 2002, the couple adopted five children. They remain together to this day.

Jim Bakker Net Worth

The Jim Bakker net worth figure of $500 thousand is where it is today due to his immense legal troubles. There was a time when Bakker’s worth was slightly greater, but he was never incredibly wealthy. His time behind bars and legal fines led to a vast decrease in fortune.

Jim Bakker FAQ

How old is Jim Bakker?

The convicted fraudster celebrates his birthday every year on January 2nd. Being born in 1940, Bakker will be 83 years old in the very early stages of 2023.

How much money did Jim Bakker make?

Bakker was making millions of dollars throughout the 1980s. However, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) found that he had been unlawfully using funds from the church for his own personal benefit.