Sumith Prasad
The third episode of HBO’s documentary series ‘Ren Faire’ delves into George Coulam’s faith and upbringing. He discussed how his family never supported him or cared about his emergence as “King George.” The roots of George’s faith can be traced back to his family in Salt Lake City, Utah. Even though he doesn’t appear to be extremely religious nowadays, despite having a cathedral on the grounds of his captivating Stargate Manor, the Texas Renaissance Festival owner had an intricate relationship with his family’s faith. While the show touches upon it briefly, there’s a bit more to learn about George’s religious background!
George Coulam Was Born into a Mormon Family
George Coulam was born into the Mormon faith. He was the third child of his Mormon parents’ six children in Salt Lake City. Despite his religious background, George seemingly was a bit notorious while he was a teenager. “I was a bad dog. Up through high school, I had no direction. I was a sump head who got into a lot of trouble,” the TRF owner told Texas Monthly. He must have deviated from his faith significantly once he left Salt Lake City, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based, after he left for California to attend college.
George attended the San Fernando Valley State College, which is presently known as the California State University, located in Northridge. He immersed himself in the world of art during his time in California, which hosted varying kinds of festivals. Cherishing the experience of taking part in these events, he was motivated to launch a similar festival in Salt Lake City. That was the time when his path crossed with the Mormon Church again. The church authorities couldn’t tolerate his idea of launching a renaissance festival. According to George’s interview with Texas Monthly, he made the Mormon church officials “very nervous” with his proposed plan.
“At that time, the church liked to know everything that was going on around there, and we were a bunch of people waving swords, quoting Shakespeare, and carrying on. They’d never seen anything like it,” George added about his life in the Texas Monthly interview. If the TRF owner’s words can be completely trusted, George moved to Texas from Utah because of the interventions of the Mormon Church. Even though he was born as a Mormon, his life doesn’t align with several of the principles of the faith, especially regarding sexuality. The family’s limitations concerning sexual intimacy cannot be paralleled with the dating escapades of George.
Nowadays, George has a particular way of describing himself. “I used to play the king, but now I’m a horny old man,” he told the documentary series’ co-created by Lance Oppenheim.
Read More: Jeff and Brandi Baldwin: Where Are TRF’s Ex-GM and His Wife Now?
