Hulu’s ‘God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty’ Shines a Light on the Falwell Family Scandal
Everyone loves a scandal, and the upcoming Hulu documentary, God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty, shines a very unfavorable light on the so-called Christian family, the Falwells. Here’s everything we know about the documentary, including the release date, what it entails, and the showrunners bringing it to the streaming platform.
Who is Jerry Falwell Jr.?
To understand the magnitude of the Falwell scandal featured in God Forbid, one has to know about Jerry Falwell Jr.’s father, Jerry Sr. A prominent Baptist pastor, Falwell Sr. founded Lynchburg, Virginia’s megachurch, Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1967. He later went on to found the United States’ most influential evangelical college, Liberty University.
Falwell Sr. ran into legal troubles over the years, but the most well-known incident centered around Larry Flynt and his pornographic magazine, Hustler. The publication published a parody of an interview with Falwell Sr., and he sued Flynt. Flynt was ordered to pay $200,000 for emotional distress.
When Falwell Sr. died in 2007, Falwell Jr. stepped into his father’s shoes as president at Liberty University. That is, until a sex scandal forced him to step down from the position in 2020. Falwell Jr. posted a photo to Instagram that showed him with his arm around a younger woman. He also held a glass of dark liquid in one hand, and both of their pants were unzipped. He claimed they were at a costume party on a yacht. However, journalists said they thought this violated Liberty University’s Code of Conduct. Former Liberty instructor Mark Walker called for Falwell Jr.’s resignation.
‘God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty’ takes a deep dive into the Falwell family scandal
In August of 2020, reporters contacted Falwell Jr. about an alleged affair his wife, Becki, had with a pool attendant in 2012. God Forbid dives into the scandal and sheds light on the situation.
The Hulu synopsis for God Forbid reads, “Giancarlo Granda, former pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Hotel, shares the intimate details of his 7-year relationship with a charming older woman, Becki Falwell, and her husband, the Evangelical Trump stalwart Jerry Falwell Jr.”
The synopsis also adds that the documentary “outlines Granda’s entanglement with the Falwell’s seemingly perfect lives and the overarching influence this affair had on a presidential election.”
‘God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty’ premieres in November
For those interested in watching the upcoming Hulu documentary don’t have to wait long. God Forbid premieres Nov. 1, 2022, exclusively on Hulu. Showrunners behind the film include director Billey Corben, who also served as executive producer. Plus, Alfred Spellman for Rakontur and Adam McKay and Todd Schulman of HyperObject also worked on the project.
