The Comeback

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were once enormously successful at raising money for their televised religious programs. After its 1974 debut, their cable show became the highest-rated religious show in the country. In the 1980s, the Bakkers continued their success by building Heritage USA, a first-of-its-kind 2,200-acre Christian resort and amusement park, but the government would charge that Bakker had secured funding by defrauding his faithful viewers. In 1989, he was convicted and initially sentenced to 45 years in prison but ultimately only served five. In 2021, prosecutors claimed that Bakker was once again up to his old tricks but this time without Tammy Faye. They said he made promises on "The Jim Bakker Show" that his "Silver Solution" was a cure for the coronavirus; however, instead of a miracle, they said drinking silver could be toxic and even turn consumers permanently blue in the face if consumed in large quantities. The FDA immediately issued a cease-and-desist order while the states of Missouri and Arkansas sued him for his false claims. Bakker entered a settlement agreement promising not to sell the solution anymore but continued to deny wrongdoing.