Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned as president of the university founded by his father. After conflicting media reports, he announced on Tuesday afternoon that he no longer is president of Liberty University.
The move came after a series of troubling events, including a bombshell report published by Reuters detailing an alleged years-long tryst involving Falwell’s wife, Becki, and a Miami-based pool assistant, Giancarlo Granda. The report stated that Falwell Jr. made the decision to leave the university “effective immediately.”
On Sunday night, Falwell released a 1,200-word statement disclosing an affair that Becki Falwell entered into with Granda, though he suggested the romance, which began in 2012, was short-lived, adding he and his wife reconciled quickly. Falwell went on to accuse Granda of attempting to extort his family by threatening to disclose details of the relationship.
Granda pushed back against Jerry Falwell’s recounting of the affair. Rather, Granda, now 29, said the salacious relationship lasted for several years and involved both Becki and Jerry Falwell. In addition to his comments, Granda also provided Reuters with an audio recording in which both Falwells allegedly allude to the sexual nature of their since-ended relationship with Granda.
VIDEO: Audio captured a conversation between the Falwells and Granda
The pool assistant claimed there were numerous sexual liaisons over the course of seven years. He said they took place in Miami, New York and at the Falwell family’s home in central Virginia, near Liberty’s sprawling campus.
All of this comes not long after Jerry Falwell Jr. was placed on an indefinite leave of absence after he posted a questionable photo of himself and a young woman, later revealed to be Becki Falwell’s assistant, to his Instagram account. He has since deleted that post.
The Rev. Johnnie Moore, a commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and founder of the KAIROS Company, released the following statement late Tuesday afternoon:
“Liberty would not exist but for the Falwells yet the brilliance of its original mission and vision was transcended long ago by the scope of education and service that the university has delivered to its students and community. Liberty is an institution designed to thrive for the cause of Christ today and for generations. I am sure members of the community — past and present — will pray and will work together to ensure that Liberty’s best days are ahead.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice