Allegations of cover-ups, threats, and a smear campaign are flying among the family behind Daystar Television Network. The Dallas-area Christian broadcasting empire, which has an estimated yearly revenue of $100 million, was founded in 1993 by Marcus and Joni Lamb.
Until last spring, the couple’s son, Jonathan Lamb, was a Daystar vice president and served on its board. In April 2023, the heir apparent was demoted after refusing to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA). Earlier this month he was terminated for not meeting a performance improvement plan (PIP).
Now Jonathan Lamb and his wife, Suzy, are speaking out, saying they’ve been wronged. The couple, who once hosted a show on Daystar, allege that Joni Lamb has tried to cover up the sexual abuse of their daughter—her granddaughter—by an unnamed family member.
In response, Joni Lamb, Daystar’s president, said her son is waging a “failed power struggle” because he wasn’t named president after his father’s 2021 death. Rather than improve his own on-the-job performance, she said, Jonathan is “fabricating a smear campaign.”
Drama at Daystar Television Network
Daystar, which has more than 100 TV stations in the United States and a worldwide presence, is owned by the Word of God Fellowship. Pastors and teachers featured on the network include Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Joyce Meyer, Andrew Wommack, Paula White, and Jim Bakker.
Marcus Lamb, who opposed pandemic shutdowns and coronavirus vaccines, died from COVID-related complications in late 2021 at age 64. According to Jonathan Lamb, his father had chosen him to eventually head Daystar. But in August 2021, amid family strife, a new succession plan emerged, tapping Joni as the network’s next president.
Eight months after Marcus Lamb died, Joni was engaged to Doug Weiss, a sex therapist who had divorced his longtime wife just two months after Marcus’ death. Jonathan and Suzy Lamb reportedly objected on biblical grounds to the June 2023 marriage between Joni Lamb and Doug Weiss.
In a Nov. 25 statement, Joni Lamb said Jonathan’s “disappointment in not getting his way (to be Daystar president) only deepened when I married Doug Weiss, who has been such a blessing to me, the rest of my family, and Daystar.”
“Jonathan’s disappointment escalated to the point where he attempted to blackmail his way into becoming the future President of Daystar,” she said.
Joni Lamb, 64, then shared an email she said is from Jonathan, indicating he would share “harmful or embarrassing” information unless his “future role as President of Daystar” was clearly spelled out. Joni said she has “nothing to hide” and won’t give in to “threats of blackmail.”
