Over the past few weeks, Daystar Television Network—the Christian TV empire founded in 1997 by the late Marcus Lamb—made headlines over a shocking controversy involving the family-run organization.
Lamb’s son, Jonathan, and his wife, Suzy, allege their young daughter was molested by a family member and that the horrific ordeal was improperly handled. Those stunning allegations come amid a dispute over leadership changes within Daystar.
Marcus Lamb died in 2021 due to complications with COVID-19, leaving his wife, Joni, to serve as president of Daystar. Jonathan had served as a vice president but was demoted in April after purportedly declining to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Audio provided to investigative reporter Julie Roys features Jonathan and a representative from Daystar speaking about a document Jonathan had declined to sign and an ultimatum; this audio, which doesn’t provide context on the document he’s being asked to inscribe, is reportedly from last November.
“If you do not do that, then you are removing yourself from the board and removing yourself from your vice president position, and you are then…still an employee,” the representative warned. “That’s where we are.”
The drama surrounding Jonathan’s relationship with Daystar is unclear, though the situation reportedly intensified after this exchange, as he was terminated by the network earlier this month over what the organization allegedly called “deficiencies” in his “judgment and performance.”
The situation is complicated by the fact that Jonathan’s sisters and brothers-in-law are also on staff at Daystar, possibly adding multiple intricacies to an already difficult scenario.
Plus, Jonathan alleges he was always intended to be his father’s successor, but that plans changed once he and Suzy made the allegations reported by Roys. Just days after a family dispute over these claims, Jonathan said his father sent an email to the family announcing a different succession plan and noting that his wife, Joni, would take over Daystar if he died.
Jonathan told Roys he believed that decision was a “punishment” for the abuse claims he made surrounding his daughter.
Marcus passed away just three months after that email was sent, and Joni subsequently took over.
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Understanding the Allegations
Jonathan and Suzy Lamb released a video last month explaining why they’ve gone public with their claims—the details of which we’ll explore in-depth.
The two said they felt God calling them to speak out and deemed they had no other option. They also previewed that they had shared their story with other reporters, including Roys.
“We never dreamed this would be our lives,” Suzy said in the video, with the two noting they are in an undisclosed location over safety fears. “We begged God for months and months that He would take it any other route, but we have to obey in the end.”
Roys’ report, released after that video, sheds light on the allegations and the heart of the complicated matter. In Roys’ article, Jonathan and Suzy are quoted saying their young daughter revealed a few years ago that she had been molested.
At the time, the child didn’t identify the man outside of a few characteristics. Over time, the couple began to suspect an unidentified family member who Roys only referred to as “Pete.”
Several factors added to these suspicions, including a story Pete allegedly told in which the child walked in on him when he was naked in the bathroom. After revealing the molestation, the little girl also allegedly became scared to go to Daystar, where Pete worked, according to Roys.
Joni also put out a video responding to the allegations by stating it is a “smear campaign” motivated by the decision not to make Jonathan president of Daystar. She added that the judgment to terminate her son was made after a 15-month review of his work as well as a refusal to improve his performance.
“Rather than take any steps to improve his performance at Daystar, it seems clear now that Jonathan was focused on fabricating a smear campaign,” Joni said. “You see, Jonathan was extremely disappointed that he was not named future President of Daystar following the death of his father and my husband, Marcus, despite the fact that Marcus had clearly given a directive to the family and to the Board that I would succeed him as president.”
She continued, “His disappointment in not getting his way only deepened when I married Doug Weiss, who has been such a blessing to me, the rest of my family, and Daystar.”
Joni also accused Jonathan in a written statement of escalating the situation to “attempted blackmail” to try and make himself president of the network.
She said she had no choice but to speak out—and denied any wrongdoing.
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“I want to assure you that all the allegations that are circulating against myself, my late husband and other members of my family are completely false and we have already begun to take legal steps to defend ourselves and will address the accusations in a God-honoring way,” Joni said. “We stand firm in our faith, knowing that God is with us, and His purpose for Daystar is far greater than any challenge we face.”
In a response to Roys, Daystar provided rebuttals and responses to many of the claims shared in her reporting.
Attorney for Accused Speaks
Mark Daniel, an attorney representing “Pete,” has also spoken out, penning a letter to Roys calling the allegations against his client “baseless.”
“[Pete] unequivocally denies the statements made by Jonathan and Suzy Lamb alleging that he engaged in some form of improper contact with any child,” he wrote. “Such statements are slanderous. Anyone who knows [Pete] knows that these statements are false, insulting and demeaning.”
Daniel also cast doubt on whether Jonathan and Suzy believe the allegations, claiming the couple still traveled with “Pete” and his family, and echoing some of the claims seen in Joni’s video.
Jonathan responded to this claim by noting he and Suzy had a “strict boundary” that didn’t allow “Pete” or his wife to be alone with their daughter, and he had not been welcome to the home since the 2021 retreat.
It’s unclear what will happen next, though it seems both sides are doubling down on their positions.
Editor’s Notes: The Roys Report has since issued a correction to their original story, stating “Our initial report said “Pete” was alone in the room with Jonathan and Suzy’s daughter. “Pete” was holding a baby in his arms and Jonathan and Suzy’s son was on a bunk on the opposite side of the room.”
This article originally appeared on CBN News, and is reposted with permission.
Reprinted with permission from . Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
Billy Hallowell writes for CBN’s . He has been working in journalism and media for more than a decade. His writings have appeared in CBN News, Faithwire, Deseret News, TheBlaze, Human Events, Mediaite, PureFlix, and Fox News, among other outlets. He is the author of several books, including Playing with Fire: A Modern Investigation Into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts Hallowell has a B.A. in journalism and broadcasting from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York and an M.S. in social research from Hunter College in Manhattan, New York.
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