bombshell

Jerry Falwell Jr. opens up about pool boy scandal, says the whole evangelical thing was just an act

Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki, are finally opening up about that whole pool boy scandal that destroyed their sterling reputation among evangelicals, crushed their powerful influence in the Republican party, and led to Jerry’s resignation from Liberty University in August 2020.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the Falwells now admit the whole evangelical power couple thing was an act and that they never lived by the values they purported to, as if that wasn’t already totally obvious to anyone who saw those photos of Jerry at a Miami circuit party or the footage of him partying on that yacht with his pants open.

“Because of my last name, people think I’m a religious person,” Jerry tells the magazine. “But I’m not.”

“We had to put on an act,” adds Becki.

Related: Liberty University students are breaking their silence about how creepy Jerry Falwell Jr. truly is

Jerry took over as president of Liberty University in 2007 after his father, Jerry Falwell Sr., who founded the conservative college, passed away. In the interview, he explains that all the hateful things he said during his tenure there was just him playing the part of a bigoted Christian figurehead and that he didn’t enjoy doing it.

“There was so much pressure on me to become somebody I wasn’t,” he admits. “I’d wake up each day saying, ‘How am I going to do this?'”

Somehow, the poor guy managed to find a way. We’re sure the multi-million dollar salary and invitations to the Trump White House helped some.

Meanwhile, Becki says that as her husband’s star rose among conservatives, she grew more lonely at home. That’s when she started noticing boys on campus were “giving me attention that I’d never gotten before”, which ultimately led to “the biggest regret I’ve ever had.”

She’s talking, of course, about her affair with poolboy Giancarlo Granda.

“I had someone I could talk to,” she explains. “It’s that dopamine rush. All of a sudden this young, handsome fella starts texting you and giving you attention and you’re like, wow, this is kind of nice.”

Related: Jerry Falwell Jr. suddenly against slut shaming, says he and his wife’s sex life is nobody’s business

In the interview, Becki admits to recording her sexual encounters with Granda on her “big Canon camera.”

“A couple of times I put it on the dresser and Giancarlo agreed to it,” she says.

But over time, she started to feel guilty about the affair, so she told Jerry, who reluctantly allowed it to continue.

“Jerry would wake up every morning and worry that my affair would come out,” Becki says. “Both of us did. It’s just horrible to have that over you.”

We all know what happened after that. The story came out. Jerry resigned from his job at Liberty University. Then came the lawsuits. Not long after that, the couple quickly found themselves pariahs among their former peers.

Looking back, Jerry says the whole thing has caused him to hate the church, saying, “Nothing in history has done more to turn people away from Christianity than organized religion. The religious elite has got this idea that somehow their sins aren’t as bad as everyone else’s.”

“We’re together more than any couple you will ever meet in your life,” Becki adds. “He forgave me, and that’s what Jesus teaches, forgiveness.”

Related: Can we talk about all the gay culture happening on Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Instagram page?

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