Jerry Falwell, Jr. has resigned as president and chancellor of Liberty University on Monday—the very same day Reuters published an investigative report alleging that Falwell and his wife had been involved in a seven-year sexual affair with a former pool boy and business associate, the Daily Wire reported.
It was just weeks ago that he had been placed on “indefinite leave of absence” following the publication of an inappropriate photo on Instagram, and now the prominent evangelical leader and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump has given up his post at the flagship Christian college his father founded in 1971.
Prominent conservatives question Jerry Falwell Jr. vacation photo https://t.co/4MnkQKtrhR pic.twitter.com/mx0dkcJcvh
— The Hill (@thehill) August 4, 2020
“The Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately,” the school said in a statement.
The Daily Wire reported: “Giancarlo Granda, 29, told Reuters that his alleged relationship with Falwell and his wife, Becki, began when he was just 20, when he met them while working as a pool boy at Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in 2012. Granda said the trysts, which he claims involved Falwell watching as he had sex with his wife, continued until 2018. ‘Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,’ he said.”
“Granda reportedly provided Reuters with evidence of the affair, which he said involved the trio getting together “multiple times per year.” Looking back, he also claimed the Falwells’ treatment of him was predatory, saying, ‘Whether it was immaturity, naïveté, instability, or a combination thereof, it was this ‘mindset’ that the Falwells likely detected in deciding that I was the ideal target for their sexual escapades.’”
The Washington Examiner reported in a lengthy statement on Sunday night that Falwell admitted Granda was involved in an affair with his wife but claimed the former pool boy was trying to blackmail his family. Falwell shared that he had no comment beyond the statement he provided to the Examiner.
The Daily Wire noted that a group of 50 pastors who attended Liberty asked the board of trustees last week to “permanently remove” Falwell from a position of leadership after the Instagram photo was circulated. They added that Falwell had managed to embarrass “the many alumni that work hard in our community to not only uphold the reputation of the university but to uphold a positive witness for the name of Christ.”
wait
wait wait wait
So Jerry Falwell — dude who ran a university which demanded students adhere to “Biblical values“ — was outed by his wife’s boyfriend as being a cuckold?
2020 has to STOP IT
— Unproblematic Anna Slatz | ????? (@YesThatAnna) August 24, 2020
Pastor Colby Garman of Pillar Church in Dumfries, Virginia, who was one of the many to sign the letter, lamented the situation on Twitter, tweeting: “The past 24 hours of news related to Liberty University and Jerry Falwell Jr. and his family is sad. Whatever portion of it is true it is a reminder of just how deeply entangling sin can become and our deep need for genuine spiritual renewal from Christ each and every day.”
“As I have said before, it will be best for the school to make a permanent leadership change immediately and allow the Falwell family to work out these matters in private,” he added. “Prayers for all involved.”
The Daily Wire initially reported the leave of absence on August 7, writing: “Liberty University announced […] that its Board of Trustees asked Jerry Falwell Jr. to take “an indefinite leave of absence” as president and chancellor after a photo circulated of him with his pants unzipped, his underpants showing, and his stomach protruding.”
“The Executive Committee of Liberty University’s Board of Trustees, acting on behalf of the full Board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell, Jr. take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as President and Chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately,” the school announced in a statement.”
“The unflattering photo, which Falwell himself shared on Instagram before deleting it, shows him on a yacht with his arm around his wife’s assistant. Many criticized the photo as inappropriate, especially for the leader of one of the nation’s largest Christian universities, which maintains a strict code of conduct for its students, including a dress code.”