Portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker wins Oscar for best actress

The late Tammy Faye Bakker, who spent her final days in Kansas City, is back in the news. Jessica Chastain won the best actress Oscar on Sunday night for her portrayal of Tammy Faye Bakker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

The movie follows Jim and Tammy Bakker as they meet at a Bible college and documents their rise from children’s ministry leaders to the prosperity gospel-loving leaders of a multimillion-dollar TV network, according to “The Christian Post.”

The televangelist, known for her exaggerated makeup and high-pitched voice, said she never fit in with the evangelical world. The film portrays her disagreeing with Jerry Falwell Sr. over the issue of homosexuality, as well as interviewing a gay activist living with AIDS, Steve Pieters, on her show.

In her speech, Chastain highlighted some of the things she appreciated about Bakker, who died from cancer in 2007. She said people “are coming out of some difficult times that have been filled with a lot of trauma and isolation. In times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love. For any of you out there who do, in fact, feel hopeless or alone, I just want you to know that you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.”

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The Bakkers’ ministry came crashing down in 1988 after Jim Bakker was accused of using ministry funds to pay for the silence of a rape accuser and to support a lavish lifestyle. He subsequently was indicted on eight counts of mail fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy and spent eight years in prison. The couple later divorced and ended up in financial ruin.

Both of the Bakker’s children, Tammy Sue and Jamie Charles, were involved in the making of “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” Jim Bakker now hosts “The Jim Bakker Show.”

–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice