Jim Bakker's daughter is revealing the painful family divide behind her departure from his ministry-and asking mourners to direct their generosity somewhere unexpected. Following the televangelist's death at 86, Tammy Sue Bakker publicly apologized to people hurt by her family's ministry and encouraged support for local LGBTQ communities instead of flowers or gifts.
Her statement also disclosed a separation that had largely escaped public attention. Tammy Sue said she quietly left her father's ministry in 2022 because she no longer agreed with its message. The departure, she explained, was followed by years of estrangement from the man whose television career had made the Bakker name internationally recognizable.
One of her most painful disclosures concerned how she learned about his final days. Tammy Sue said she was not informed about his illness and hospice care until three hours before his death. She said a friend subsequently told her he had died after seeing the news online, unaware that she had not yet been notified. Her account does not identify who was responsible for communicating those updates.
The apology extended beyond her relationship with her father. Tammy Sue acknowledged the positive influence PTL had on many viewers while recalling people who had told her they gave their last money to the ministry. She also described the burden of hearing from people who felt rejected or harmed by religious communities-a burden she said she had carried since childhood.
Rather than asking for a conventional memorial tribute, she urged people to donate money or volunteer time to their local LGBTQ community. She framed that request as an expression of Christian love, calling for compassion toward people who had experienced exclusion. "It is time to stop judging. To stop hating," she wrote.
Her late mother, Tammy Faye, figured prominently in the statement. Tammy Sue recalled her mother's example of unconditional love and said it helped motivate her decision to speak publicly. For someone who described herself as private and reluctant to hurt her family or the church, the statement represented a significant personal departure.
Jim Bakker died October 5. His career encompassed the rise of "The PTL Club," the Heritage USA attraction, a financial scandal and imprisonment, followed by a return to religious broadcasting. His daughter's remarks now add a personal account of estrangement to the public reassessment of that complicated legacy.
The Christian Post revisited her statement on October 15, following earlier coverage elsewhere. The family disclosures and donation request therefore concern an existing statement, rather than a new announcement made that day.
