Jimmy Swaggart
| Jimmy Swaggart | |
|---|---|
Swaggart in 2009
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| Born |
Jimmy Lee Swaggart March 15, 1935 Ferriday, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Evangelist, singer, author, pastor, pianist |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Television | The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast (1975–88; 1991–2001) |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Swaggart (m. 1952) |
| Children | Donnie Swaggart |
| Website | www |
Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935) is an American evangelist, Christian music singer, pianist, pastor, and author. His 1980s telecast was transmitted to over 3,000 stations and cable systems each week. He now has his own television [network].
Sexual scandals with prostitutes in the late 1980s and early 1990s led the Assemblies of God to defrock him. As a result of the scandals, Swaggart temporarily stepped down as the head of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
Swaggart's TV ministry, which began in 1975, continues airing in the U.S. and internationally. The weekly Jimmy Swaggart Telecast and A Study in the Word programs are broadcast throughout the U.S. and on 78 channels in 104 other countries, and over the Internet.
Jimmy Lee Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana to Willie Leon (a.k.a., "Son") (1915–1998) and Minnie Belle (née Herron) Swaggart (1917–1960), who were both local sharecroppers. By relation, he is also the nephew of Arilla (née Swaggart) Wells (1916–2015), who was also the manager of Wells Grocery in Tunica, Louisiana. He is the cousin of rock'n'roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and country music star Mickey Gilley. He also had a sister, Jeanette Ensminger (1942–1999). With his parents, Swaggart attended a small, 25-member Assemblies of God church in Ferriday. In 1952, aged 17, Swaggart married 15-year-old Frances Anderson, whom they met in church, while he was playing music with his father. Together, the couple have a son named Donnie. Swaggart worked several part-time odd jobs in order to support his young family and also began singing Southern Gospel music at various churches.
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