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Disgraced former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. admits he's not a 'religious person'
In a lengthy profile piece published by Vanity Fair this week, disgraced former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. opened up about his remarkable fall from grace and, in doing so, acknowledged what many Christian onlookers long-suspected — that he never seriously cared for the faith his father's school so famously espoused.
"Because of my last name, people think I’m a religious person. But I’m not," Falwell told reporter Gabriel Sherman in a series of interviews late last year, adding, "My goal was to make them realize I was not my dad."
While this statement may amount to more of a repudiation of his father's fundamentalism than a wholesale rejection of Christianity, elsewhere in the profile, Falwell went into greater detail about his spiritual beliefs. In the end, the version of faith Falwell described to Vanity Fair appeared at odds with the mission and values of the university he would at one point lead.
Reportedly at a spiritual crossroads upon entering college, Falwell decided to major in religious studies to figure out what he really believed. It was during those studies, and particularly through a class on apologetics — the study of the defense of the faith — that he developed a "rational" belief that Jesus was literally the son of God.
But nowhere in the write-up is it suggested that Falwell's rational belief in Jesus became anything more than that, much less a personal relationship with him. Moreover, after graduation, Falwell never bothered to join a church but instead embraced a looser interpretation of the commands of scripture.
According to Sherman, "Jerry decided believing in Christ didn’t mean he had to follow the evangelical rules."
While it's true the Bible teaches that faith precedes moral action, it also teaches that "every tree is known by its fruit" (Luke 6:44). And one's obedience to scripture is certainly a marker of faith, or lack thereof.
Based on the descriptions of Falwell's faith recorded in the profile, it appears that the largest Christian university in the world was run by a man who took little interest in the Christian faith.
That news may not be so surprising given the events that led up to Falwell's ouster last year. The former president became embroiled in a series of controversies ranging from his sycophantic support for former President Donald Trump to the posting of a picture on social media of himself aboard a yacht with his pants unzipped and a drink in his hand.
A few weeks later, Falwell's downfall dramatically escalated when an alleged former business partner and pool boy, Giancarlo Granda, came forward with allegations that he engaged in regular sexual encounters with Falwell's wife, Becki, while Falwell would watch.
Falwell later admitted that his wife had an affair with Granda but denied taking any part in it. Instead, he claimed his wife's paramour was attempting to extort him and his family for money.
During that time, a former Liberty University student claimed that Becki Falwell pursued him romantically and performed oral sex on him while he stayed at the Falwell residence.
Falwell was eventually forced to resign from his post as president and wa sued by the university, which argued that he breached "various fiduciary duties" and summarily damaged the school's reputation.
Liberty University sues disgraced former President Jerry Falwell Jr. for more than $10 million
Liberty University has filed a lawsuit against its scandal-ridden former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., accusing him of breaching "various fiduciary duties" he contractually owed to the prominent evangelical institution while serving as its president.
Falwell, the son of the university's beloved founder, became engulfed in controversy last year after reports surfaced alleging his wife, Becki Falwell, had engaged in a years-long affair with a former business partner and pool attendant for the couple — and that Falwell would often watch.
In response, Falwell acknowledged that the affair happened but denied any personal involvement. Instead he claimed that his wife's paramour, 29-year-old Giancarlo Granda, attempted to extort him and his family by threatening to expose the relationship.
Eventually, after a messy and often confusing back-and-forth — which included Falwell suing Liberty for defamation — the former president agreed to resign.
In the lawsuit filed on Thursday in the circuit court in Lynchburg, Virginia, and obtained by Politico, the university argued that Falwell injured the university by withholding damaging information from its board of trustees even while negotiating a favorable new contract in 2019.
Had the university known the "full circumstances of Granda's extortion of Falwell," it would not have agreed to renew Falwell's contract, the lawsuit states.
In the 38-page complaint, the school cites several other scandals with which Falwell was involved in that appear to run counter to its conservative Christian standards of conduct. Examples include Falwell's decision to party at a Miami-area night club, exercise with two young women, and post a picture on a yacht with his arm around a female friend and his pants unzipped.
The lawsuit also accuses Falwell of failing to disclose "his personal impairment by alcohol, which ... led Falwell Jr. to actions and courses of conduct detrimental to the spiritual mission of Liberty."
As a part of the lawsuit, the university is now seeking more than $10 million in damages, claiming Falwell's conduct has "induced injury to Liberty's enrollment, impacted its donor base, disrupted its faculty" and "damaged Liberty's reputation."
In a statement to Politco, Liberty University spokesperson, Scott Lamb, said that the "University's only word on the subject is the lawsuit itself."
The news outlet tried to reach Falwell for comment, but he reportedly declined, stating, "I haven't even seen the lawsuit."
Jerry Falwell Jr. sues Liberty University, arguing the school damaged his reputation
Jerry Falwell Jr. has sued Liberty University for defamation and breach of contract, arguing the prominent evangelical institution where he used to serve as president needlessly injured and damaged his reputation through a series of public statements after forcing him to resign.
What are the details?
In the complaint filed Wednesday in the Virginia Circuit Court in Lynchburg, Falwell also claims that university officials accepted what Falwell alleges are false claims about his involvement in an extramarital affair between his wife and a former business partner without investigating the matter.
"When Mr. Falwell and his family became the targets of a malicious smear campaign incited by anti-evangelical forces, Liberty University not only accepted the salacious and baseless accusations against the Falwells at face value, but directly participated in the defamation," the lawsuit says, according to the Associated Press. "This action seeks redress for the damage Liberty has caused to the reputation of Mr. Falwell and his family."
The AP reported that the lawsuit even alleges that "Liberty's actions are antithetical to the teachings of Christ."
"We attempted to meet several times with the Liberty University Board of Trustees Executive Committee but were unsuccessful in doing so. Thus, we were forced to seek remedy for Mr. Falwell's ongoing injuries and damage to his reputation through the Court," Falwell's attorney, Robert Raskopf of Quinn Emanuel, added in a news release.
Falwell added in the news release: "Other than God and my family, there is nothing in the world I love more than Liberty University. I am saddened that University officials, with whom I have shared so much success and enjoyed such positive relationships, jumped to conclusions about the claims made against my character, failed to properly investigate them, and then damaged my reputation following my forced resignation."
Liberty spokesman Scott Lamb told the AP that the school would formally respond to the matter after reviewing the complaint.
What's the background?
Falwell stepped down from his university post in August after former pool attendant turned Falwell business partner, Giancarlo Granda, went public with allegations of an affair with the former president's wife, Becki Falwell. Granda claimed that he engaged in regular sexual encounters with her over the course of several years — and that Falwell would often look on.
Falwell admitted the affair happened but has denied any personal involvement in the matter. He also accused Granda of attempting to extort him for years prior to the public accusation.
Pressure had been mounting for Falwell to resign even before the allegations, however. He agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence in early August after making headlines for a since-deleted Instagram post showing Falwell with his arm around his wife's assistant as both of them displayed their pants partially unzipped.
Falwell captioned the post, writing, "More vacation shots. Lots of good friends visited us on the yacht. I promise that's just black water in my glass. It was a prop only."
Shortly after Falwell's departure later that month, the university announced it was opening an independent probe into his tenure as president.
Liberty University orders investigation 'into all facets' of operations during Falwell's tenure as president
Liberty University announced Monday that it has hired a top firm to conduct a "forensic" investigation "into all facets" of its operations during the tenure of its former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., who agreed to step down last week amid a sex scandal involving his wife and former business partner.
What are the details?
Falwell resigned after Reuters published an interview with a former pool boy and business partner, Giancarlo Granda, came forward claiming he had an affair with Falwell's wife, Becki, and that Falwell would watch the two have sex. Both Falwells acknowledged Becki's relationship with Granda but denied Jerry had any involvement.
Falwell was already on leave from his leadership duties at the institution he had run for nearly 13 years following an uproar over a picture he posted to social media showing him with his arm around another woman while both their pants were undone.
In a statement posted to Liberty University's website, the evangelical institution wrote of Falwell:
Some may say that all the signs were there for a long time before last week. It's certainly fair to say that there were questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media posts, but all the signs were not there until the start of last week. While we still didn't know the full scope of the matter, we have learned enough about the past to know that we had no choice but to take the leadership of Liberty University in a new direction.
The school then announced:
We are also committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president. One of the leading forensic firms in the world has been retained by Liberty University's Board of Trustees to conduct a thorough investigation into all facets of Liberty University operations during Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s tenure as President, including but not limited to financial, real estate, and legal matters.
Liberty's statement did not mention Mrs. Falwell, who was also accused last week of performing a sex act on a former student in 2008 when she was an employee of the university.
The Associated Press noted that "A number of Falwell's family members have worked for the school, including his son Trey Falwell, who on Monday was still listed on Liberty's website as the vice president of university support services."
In a statement on Sunday, the Falwells told the outlet they "welcome any inquiry as we have nothing to hide."
Former Liberty University student claims Becki Falwell performed sex act on him at her home
A former student of Liberty University says Becki Falwell — the wife of the evangelical school's former president, Jerry Falwell Jr. — pursued him romantically and performed oral sex on him while he was staying at the Falwell residence following a band practice with the couple's son, according to an exclusive report from Politico.
What are the details?
The former student, who is now 34, claims that Mrs. Falwell began "grooming" him when he would attend practices at the Falwell residence ahead of the alleged sexual encounter in 2008, when he was 22 years old and she was still an employee of the university.
He also provided text messages and social media exchanges purportedly indicating that she persistently continued to contact him for years afterward.
From Politico's extensive report:
'One night [in August or September], we were up till one or two, and we went back to his room. We had a decent amount of Jack Daniels,' the former student said. He remembered walking into the guest room, just as he'd done many times, closing the door behind him, and preparing the bed.
'I'm laying in the bed and I hear, like, giggling to the side of me on the floor. And, pardon my French, but I was like, 'What the f*** is that?' I look over and it's Becki,' he said. "Just, you know, in my room. I'm like, 'You can't be in here. This can't happen.'
After some prodding, he coaxed Falwell into leaving. He slept, woke up and acted like things were normal.
A few nights later, he stayed the night again. Again, Falwell came into the guestroom where the then-student was in bed.
This time, she was more aggressive. The former student remembers that Falwell climbed into bed with him, and quickly took down his pants.
'I was like, 'uh, what are you doing?'' the former student said. Falwell then proceeded to give him oral sex.
The report comes off the heels of Jerry Falwell Jr. resigning as president of Liberty University after the Falwells' former pool boy and business partner, Giancarlo Granda, claimed he and Becki had an affair over the span of 7 years and that Mr. Falwell would watch the two have sex.
The Falwells have both acknowledged Becki's affair with Granda, but denied that Jerry had any involvement.
The unnamed student, who chose not to allow his story to be told until the allegations from Granda were revealed, says he was left with an immense amount of guilt, shame and depression over the alleged incident. He did not come forward before, he said, because he respected the university's mission and that of its founder, Jerry Falwell, Sr. He also explained, "I don't want to be a homewrecker."
In response to Politico's request for comment, the Falwells issued a statement saying:
It is unfortunate that the coverage of our departure has turned into a frenzy of false and fantastic claims about us. These false and mean spirited lies have hurt us and our family greatly and we will respond fully with the truth at an appropriate time. At this time, however, we think it is best to move on and help the Liberty community focus on its very bright future.
Pool boy claims Jerry Falwell Jr. shared a pic of 'a female Liberty University student exposing herself'
The former pool boy and business partner of Jerry Falwell Jr. has lodged further accusations against the former president of Liberty University, accusing Falwell of being "a predator" and sending him a picture of a female student of the evangelical institution "exposing herself."
What are the details?
In a Reuters report released Monday, Giancarlo Granda, 29, alleged that the affair with Falwell's wife, Becki, began when he was 20 and a pool attendant, and it lasted for several years. He also claimed that Jerry Falwell Jr. would watch as the two had sex.
The Falwells have both acknowledged that Becki engaged in the affair, but denied Jerry's involvement and accused Granda of attempting to extort them. Jerry Falwell Jr. confirmed his resignation Tuesday from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
On Tuesday evening, Granda released a statement accusing the Falwells of lying and attempting to "discredit" him, and denied he had any financial benefit for coming forward before making further accusations against Falwell, a well-known Christian leader who co-founded a think tank called the Falkirk Center for Faith and Liberty with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
Granda wrote:
The Falwell's (sic) would have you believe that I seduced Becki into an affair, without Jerry's knowledge, and then spent the intervening 7 years trying to extort them. Of course, the truth is, they approached me. She invited me to their hotel room. They offered me an equity partnership in a property venture. They brought me on multiple trips and vacations, including to their family farm in Virginia. And as recently as last year, participated in video calls where Mrs. Falwell was naked and Jerry was watching.
The reality is Jerry Falwell is a predator. I know this because he sent me an image of a female Liberty University student exposing herself at their farm. This is not appropriate conduct for someone who up until this week, has been charged with overseeing the well-being of thousands of vulnerable and impressionable students.
What about Falwell's 'compensation'?
Ahead of Granda's statement, Falwell — who was already on an indefinite leave of absence from Liberty University over another scandal — told The Wall Street Journal, "I didn't break any rules — I get my full compensation."
The outlet reported that a source familiar with Falwell's contract estimates the former university president is looking at a golden parachute estimated at around $10.5 million over the next two years.
Falwell, 58, confirmed that amount to The Washington Post, disclosing that he would receive $2.5 million over the next two years, and roughly $8 million in retirement after that.
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