The drama involving Jerry Falwell Jr. and those alleged x-rated photos continues…
Giancarlo Granda, Jerry Falwell Jr.’s former Miami pool boy, says he doesn’t know anything about the “racy” pics everyone’s been talking about.
Oh, also, he wants people stop calling him a “pool boy.” He finds the term disparaging. He’s a “pool attendant,” thank you very much!
Quick backstory: On Tuesday, news broke that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, allegedly helped prevent the release of x-rated photos of Jerry Falwell Jr. shortly before the antigay activist endorsed Trump for president in 2016.
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Related: Antigay activist Jerry Falwell Jr. embroiled in x-rated photos scandal
According to Reuters, the evangelical leader contacted Cohen seeking help regarding an “embarrassing personal matter” involving him, his wife, and their 20-something pool boy, er, pool attendant.
Reuters reports:
Falwell, president of Liberty University, one of the world’s largest Christian universities, said someone had come into possession of what Cohen described as racy “personal” photographs — the sort that would typically be kept “between husband and wife.”
Cohen later told actor Tom Arnold about the photographs, who shared a recording of their conversation with The Washington Post.
In the recording, Cohen is heard saying, “There’s a bunch of photographs–you know, personal photographs–that somehow, the guy ended up getting.”
Cohen goes on to say that the man was demanding cash from the Falwells in exchange for the photos being destroyed.
“I actually have one of the photos,” Cohen said. “It’s terrible.”
Reuters also reported that Falwell Jr. “loaned” a ton of money to Granda’s business. And we do mean a ton of money. $1.8 million to be exact. The reason for the “loan” is not known.
Many quickly speculated that Granda was the one blackmailing Falwell Jr. and that the $1.8 million was in exchange for having the photos destroyed.
But Granda’s lawyers now say that ain’t the case.
In a statement issued to the Miami New Times, attorney Aaron Resnick says, “Giancarlo Granda has never had any communications with Michael Cohen. He does not know Mr. Cohen. He has never met Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen is a convicted felon and admitted liar.”
Resnick goes on to say that Granda has “no idea about the alleged ‘personal photographs'” of Falwell Jr. and that he definitely isn’t the person who tried blackmailing him. He adds that any reports suggesting otherwise are “absolutely false.”
Meanwhile, an attorney for the Falwells rushed out a statement calling the whole thing x-rated photos story “not accurate” and insisting “there are no compromising or embarrassing photos of Falwell, period!”
Related: “God, save us!”: Twitter responds to Jerry Falwell Jr.’s x-rated photos scandal
Vince
Good grief. Poolboy is too good for you. How about something more accurate like boytoy.
It’s more then obvious that you’re involved since it sure looks like you’re the only one befitting $ from all this right now. Cohen has no reason to lie about this.
It was a good pay day. I’m just jealous it wasn’t me doing the blackmailing.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Falwell and his smcubag Father have spent their entire lives pontificating about the “immoral, despicable, abhorrent lifestyle of Homosexuals” raising millions of dollars founded a university that cranks out robot like minions who spread their vile bile…
And now he is embroiled in an undeniably obvious scandal and yet these hatefilled evangelicals will still continue to support him and his mission all fueled by a blind noxious campaign of hate towards Gays…
I know the way I have led my life as a proud Gay man and how I have treated those even whom I disagree with has earned me entry into the Gates of heaven.
These “good Christians” are in going to experience the delicious side of Karma when they burn out their vile mortal coils. As they approach the Gates of heaven St Peter will advise their passage to the darkest corner in the bowels of Hell where they will burn in agony for eternity has been procurred, processed and punched for the abhorrent, evil, hurtful ways they led their miserable lives…
Vince
I really wish I believed in Hell because I agree that if anyone deserves it more its these scumbags. The harm him and his father have done to gay people is monumental. I literally grew up with their judgmental hate.
They’ll support him just like they still support a guy in the white house that Satan himself would be cool with. Look at Jim Baker or Jimmy Swaggart. Shown to be total cons and yet warmly embraced back by the loons.
TomG
Apparently they are “Christian” in name only and NOT practice (Like most of them) because they apparently never heard the statement, “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
dwes09
So…there is no mention at ll in the Reuters article about these photos, and no mention of him in anything else I have read. I hope it is true, as Falwell Jr. is the same kind of scum his father was. But it behooves Queerty (which has pretenses of being actual journalism) to provide some support for claims being made. That Fallwell made a suspicious gift or loan to his “ex pool boy” proves nothing unfortunately. And the quotes I have seen only refer to him and his wife in the pictures.
Definitely hope the remaining picture (or all of them) surfaces, and that it depicts “non biblical” sex: the kind of unquestionably non-procreative activity that constitutes sodomy in the eyes of evangelicals regardless of the genders of the people involved ;-).
dwes09
Here is the connection, which seems not to be one at all, as Fallwell’s son is also part owner of what appears to be a not at all evangelical friendly youth hostel, with co-ed hot tub, group bubble baths and beer pong parties.
“Everything about the Falwell Jr. story is extremely weird. To summarize: In 2012, Granda was working as a pool attendant at the luxurious Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. While Granda was employed there, Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki stayed at the resort and, according to court records, “befriended” Granda. From there, Granda grew very close to the Falwell family: According to court filings first reported by Roston, Granda, along with Falwell’s son Trey, bought a hostel on Alton Road in Miami Beach and has been managing it ever since. (A Politico reporter even stayed there and implied the place was gay-friendly, which would be pretty darn hypocritical for the infamously homophobic Falwell family.) The Falwells also reportedly flew Granda around in a private jet and even took him to meet Trump.”
Felecia
Okay, it was fun at first….but exposing a so-called Christian as being on his knees for a lot more than just a prayer and deity-worship is really getting old, America…not to mention a surly ‘Pool Maintenance Engineer’ who resents being minimized to a mere toy-boy for bored patrons of his service skills, lol…this stuff and more like it will always be uncovered by someone, somewhere, as long as Organized Religion continues to demonize LGBT people for simply living our lives as whom we were meant to be. Big yawn; can we now move on to USEFUL news, Queerty….??? Thank you, lol….