Tammy Sue Bakker is speaking out after her father's death, offering an apology to people hurt by her family's ministry and asking mourners to support LGBTQ+ organizations instead of sending flowers. According to ChurchLeaders, her statement also reveals a painful family estrangement and the circumstances in which she learned that televangelist Jim Bakker had died.
Bakker died on October 5 at age 86, the outlet reported. In the days that followed, his daughter addressed both the public legacy of his ministry and the private cost of distancing herself from its message.
Tammy Sue apologized "to anyone who has been hurt by the church or my family's ministry over the last 60 years." Her request for donations to LGBTQ+ organizations gave that apology a practical expression, directing memorial giving toward communities she wanted people to support.
"There are very few times in life-if any-that we are given the chance to show the world that everyone is loved," she said in the statement quoted by ChurchLeaders. "I have humbly been given the platform to be able to do so, and for that I am beyond grateful. I have thought about this moment for many years."
Tammy Sue connected her decision to the example of her mother, the late Tammy Faye Bakker. "At this difficult time, I'm thinking about my mother, Tammy Faye, and the unconditional love she showed. That love is also in my heart," she said.
Her statement also explained why she had previously remained quiet. "Throughout my life, I have stayed silent, not wanting to hurt my family or the church," she said, describing a long-standing tension between expressing her convictions and protecting those closest to her.
According to the report, Tammy Sue "quietly left" her father's ministry in 2022 because "the message that was being delivered was not mine." She said that departure led to estrangement from her father during the final years of his life.
The most painful disclosure concerned his final hours. Tammy Sue said she was not informed that her father had entered hospice care until three hours before his death, and that news of his passing reached her through someone outside the family.
"I learned he had passed from a friend who saw it online and didn't realize I hadn't been told," she said. Her account adds a deeply personal dimension to a statement already confronting the complicated relationship between family loyalty, ministry, and public accountability.
Jim Bakker's decades in television included "The 700 Club," "The PTL Club," and, following his imprisonment for financial crimes, "The Jim Bakker Show." His career was also marked by sexual misconduct allegations and a later legal controversy involving a product promoted as a COVID-19 treatment, ChurchLeaders reported.
Against that backdrop, Tammy Sue's statement places those who experienced hurt at the center of her response. Through her apology and request for charitable donations, she is using the moment of public mourning to express convictions she says she kept private for years.
