Shraman Mitra
Two of the US’ most popular TV evangelists, Jim and Tammy Bakker, managed to build up a massive multi-million dollar empire. However, it all came crashing down on their heads after they were investigated for financial fraud, and Jim was accused of sexual assault. ’20/20: Unfaithfully Yours’ chronicles the rise and fall of the Bakker empire and takes the viewers through the lives of Jim and Tammy. In the years they were married, the couple welcomed a son and daughter into this world. Let’s find out where Jim and Tammy’s children are today, shall we?
Who Are Jim and Tammy Bakker’s Children?
Jim and Tammy’s elder daughter, Tammy Sue Bakker-Chapman, was born in 1970, a few years before the couple earned their big breakthrough through their talk show ‘Praise The Lord’ (PTL). ‘PTL’ begun airing in 1974, and just a year later, in 1975, the pair celebrated the birth of their younger son, Jamie Charles Bakker. The children’s early years were quite comfortable, and they grew up in the lap of luxury. With the Bakkers being at the height of their careers, the family enjoyed a lavish lifestyle full of expensive cars, multiple costly houses, and every other kind of luxury money can buy.
However, shortly after, they had to go through the terrible experience of watching their mother fall sick as she was treated for drug dependency. Subsequently, the children also had to endure the sexual assault accusations brought against their father. With Jim stepping away from ‘PTL,’ the family began running into financial trouble. Meanwhile, Jerry Falwell, who was running PTL, publicly announced that the network was under debt. He also accused Jim of having same-sex relationships and claimed that neither of the Bakkers was fit enough to run PTL.
Following the numerous controversies, the network came under scrutiny, and the children witnessed their father being convicted of several charges, including conspiracy as well as multiple counts of mail and wire fraud. Jamie later mentioned how the sexual assault accusation against his father affected him badly and made him resort to drinking. He also stated that he was the one who informed Jim about Tammy’s desire to divorce him while his father was still in jail.
Where Are Jim and Tammy Bakker’s Children Now?
According to sources, Tammy-Sue got married to Doug Chapman in 1987. Tammy Sue was already studying to become an ordained minister and took on the responsibilities of her mother’s ministry happily, from what we can tell. In 1994, Jim Bakker was granted parole and released from prison. However, Jim and Jamie could not adjust together in the same residence. Thus, shortly after, Jamie moved out and after spending a few days on the road, decided to settle in Atlanta. He then took up religion as a serious pursuit and became a pastor before co-founding his ministry, Revolution Church, in 1994.
At present, Tammy Sue prefers to keep her personal life under wraps and has a minimal presence on social media. However, with no recent reports on her profession, it seems like she is still leading her mother’s ministry. Moreover, Tammy Sue has also made a few appearances on her father’s talk show ‘The Jim Bakker Show.’ On the other hand, Jamie published his memoir in 2001, where he detailed his struggles during and after his parents were investigated for numerous alleged crimes.
He also detailed how he had to face bullying in school and why his surroundings led him to have a bad experience with alcoholism. However, since then, Jamie has pulled himself together and is now wholly invested in Revolution Church. Although he is a religious speaker, his views and ideals are relatively unorthodox, earning him quite a bit of controversy. He married Karin Aebersold in 2013 and is now a proud father. It is inspiring to witness how both children emerged from their difficult past and are now leading successful lives. We would like to wish them the best in all their future endeavors.
