Plunk

Here it is, the ultimate Jerry Falwell Jr. pool boy tell-all

Jerry and Becki Falwell. CNN Screenshot.

Former pool Giancarlo Granda has opened up about his longtime relationship with Holy roller Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his wife, Becki Falwell. In a tell-all interview with Talking Points Memo, Granda details years of harassment, manipulation and sex he endured with the couple.

Granda became a household name in 2018, when Buzzfeed published a scandalous article detailing shady business dealings between Granda and the Falwells. A subsequent expose in 2020 also revealed the longtime sexual relationship between the three, which usually involved Granda having sex with Becki while Jerry watched.

Now, after years of public scrutiny, Granda has spoken out. The new interview confirms that Granda first got involved with the Falwells in 2012, when he was 21 and working as a pool boy at the luxe Fontainebleau hotel in Maimi. He first noticed Becki snapping pictures of his shirtless body, and the Falwells eventually introduced themselves. At the time, Granda claims he didn’t know about the couple’s ties to Liberty University, the fundamentalist Christian school started by Jerry’s father (and noted homophobe), Jerry Falwell, Sr. The three engaged in sex that very first day. The next morning, according to Granda, Jerry suggested he partner with Liberty University for a real-estate endeavor.

Granda now describes the situation as “psychological torture,” alleging that the couple “groomed” him as a sexual plaything, and used the possibility of the real estate deal as a means of control. The couple would meet Granda in New York for sex and conversation, and even invited him to a summit at Liberty University where Donald Trump gave a guest speech. Granda claims various people at the summit–including Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen–noticed him, and seemed a bit perplexed as to how the couple became involved in a business venture with a former pool boy. Within two months of meeting the Falwells, Granda had quit his job to focus on the real estate investment, which would carry a price tag of $4.7 million. The couple had also introduced Granda to their sons, Trey and Wes.

Becki Falwell, meanwhile, bombarded Granda with sexual text messages. “I was watching some video clips on my phone..Woww!!! These are two people that are very passionate at love-making!” Becki wrote in one 2012 message. “But seeing you in person and looking at you in the eyes makes me want to rip your clothes off and get the sh*t f*cked out of me.”

As the relationship progressed, the Falwells began taking Granda on family trips to use as a sexual plaything. The couple also encouraged Granda to lie to their children so he and the couple could sneak off for sex. For Granda, his guilt over the situation continued to swell. The couple also began taking videos of their sexual encounters.

Those videos would come into play by 2013, when the Falwells began blackmailing Granda into continuing the sexual relationship, which he’d tried to end. Jerry Falwell would also guilt Granda over the real estate deal to coerce him into sexual situations. The relationship, therefore continued, with the couple even trying to seduce Granda at Trey’s wedding in 2014.

Related: Jerry Falwell Jr. played sex-ranking games, had crushes on men, according to alleged ex-lovers

By the time 2015 rolled around, Granda had a serious girlfriend and tried to break things off with the Falwells. He also wanted out of the real estate deal, despite the hefty income it could generate. Granda had found the Falwells increasingly creepy, especially after Jerry sent him a picture he’d snapped of a female Liberty student. The camera was angled to shoot up her skirt. Contact–and occasionally, sex–would continue over the next few years.

Then, in 2018, the Buzzfeed expose’ dropped, thrusting Granda and his relationship with the Falwells into the spotlight. Friends and family began to nag Granda about the relationship. Feeling isolated and scared, he asked to meet with the Falwells, not knowing who else he turn to.

Granda now says that Becki Falwell immediately tried to restart the sexual relationship, even sabotaging the WiFi when Granda stayed in their guest house. He suspects that she purposely disabled it as an excuse to see him alone. It worked: Granda agreed to have sex with Becki again, while Jerry watched.

Meanwhile, reporters continued to call. By late 2019, Granda says he was on the verge of suicide over the public scrutiny and damage to his reputation. By that time, Granda had enrolled in Georgetown University where his “pool boy” status followed. He says he was unceremoniously fired from an internship, and fellow students often questioned him about his relations with the Falwells. In the meantime, the Falwells continued to send Granda sexual videos, beckoning him to restart the sexual relationship.

Feeling the Falwells had “ruined his life,” Granda informed the couple he wanted to go public in June 2020. The admission infuriated Jerry Falwell.

“You should by now understand that I will not be extorted,” Jerry told Granda. “I have always treated you fairly and been restrained in response to your threats because I did not wish to ruin your life.”

“You can’t promise people life-changing sums of money and opportunities then call it a crime when they try to collect on said promises, especially when there’s evidence to verify everything I said,” Granda responded.

Reuters published its chronicle of the Falwell-Granda relationship in August 2020. By that time, Liberty University had already placed Falwell on leave after a photo of him with another woman with both of their pants unzipped circulated on social media. With the publication by Reuters, the Falwells admitted to the affair, but denied that Jerry had ever watched Becki & Granda have sex. Other stories about Becki’s relationship with Liberty students also began to circulate, and the university eventually forced Jerry to resign as president. He pocketed a $10.5 million severance package on his way out the door. The school also opened an inquiry into other areas of Falwell’s conduct as president, including some shady financial dealings, censorship of students critical of Donald Trump and abuse of Liberty’s tax-exempt status.

Jerry Falwell is now suing Liberty University for slander. Giancarlo Granda, however, has refused to stay silent. He provided Talking Points Memo with scores of emails, text messages, photos and videos which the website claims corroborate his stories regarding the Falwells.

Jerry and Becki Falwell continue to deny any financial improprieties as well as Jerry’s involvement in the affair with Granda.

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