Jim Bakker, the longtime American televangelist who became one of the most recognizable figures in Christian television, was also a father of seven children. His family life spanned two marriages, first to Tammy Faye Bakker and later to Lori Bakker.
Bakker and Tammy Faye had two biological children together, Tammy Sue and Jay. Both grew up during a period when their parents were highly visible through The PTL Club, the Christian television program that made the family widely known.
Years later, Jim Bakker and his second wife, Lori, expanded their family through adoption. In 2002, the couple adopted five siblings from the Phoenix area, bringing the total number of Bakker’s children to seven.
While Jim Bakker’s public life was often dominated by his television career, ministry and controversies, his children followed different paths of their own. Some remained connected to Christian ministry and entertainment, while others maintained a much quieter public profile.
Here is a closer look at Jim Bakker’s children, including his two biological children with Tammy Faye and the five children he adopted with Lori.
How Many Children Did Jim Bakker Have?
Jim Bakker had seven children in total.
Two of his children were born during his marriage to Tammy Faye Bakker. They were:
- Tammy Sue Bakker, born in 1970
- Jay Bakker, born in 1975
Jim later married Lori Bakker, and together they adopted five siblings in 2002.
The adoption brought five children into the Bakker family, including Maricela, who was affectionately known as Little Lori, and Ricky. The identities of the other three siblings have generally remained much more private.
This gave Jim and Lori a large family and allowed the five siblings to remain together rather than being separated.
Tammy Sue Bakker
Tammy Sue Bakker is Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye’s eldest child.
Born in 1970, she grew up during the height of her parents’ television ministry. As a child, Tammy Sue frequently appeared on The PTL Club, giving viewers a glimpse of the Bakker family behind the scenes.
Growing up in such a public family was unusual. Her parents were television personalities, and their ministry attracted a large national audience.
As she became an adult, Tammy Sue developed interests in television and music. She later worked as a television producer and became involved in gospel singing.
Her childhood was also shaped by the major changes that affected her family. The rise and eventual collapse of her parents’ ministry became a major national story, and Tammy Sue experienced those events while growing up in the public eye.
Despite the challenges surrounding her family’s history, she continued to maintain her own connection to faith and entertainment.
Jay Bakker
Jim and Tammy Faye’s second child is Jay Bakker.
Born in 1975, Jay grew up in an environment where religion, television and public attention were part of everyday life. His childhood was dramatically affected by the scandal surrounding his father’s ministry and the subsequent legal troubles.
As a teenager and young adult, Jay struggled with some of the difficulties that came with being the son of two famous televangelists.
Those experiences later became part of his public story. Jay eventually became a Christian pastor and developed a reputation for presenting a more progressive approach to Christianity.
He founded Revolution Church and became known for reaching younger people who might not have felt comfortable with traditional church culture.
Jay also wrote about his upbringing and his relationship with his parents. His book Son of a Preacher Man explored his experiences growing up as the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
His career took a very different direction from the television ministry his parents had built, but faith remained an important part of his life.
Jim Bakker’s Five Adopted Children
Jim Bakker and his second wife, Lori Bakker, adopted five siblings in 2002.
The children came from the inner city of Phoenix, Arizona, and Lori had reportedly gotten to know them through her ministry work.
Rather than adopting children from separate families, Jim and Lori chose to bring the siblings into their home together.
The decision meant that the five children could remain connected to one another while becoming part of the Bakker family.
Among the adopted children are Maricela, whom the family has called Little Lori, and Ricky.
The other three siblings have lived considerably more private lives, and there is not as much publicly available information about them.
Who Is Maricela, or Little Lori?
Maricela is one of the five siblings adopted by Jim and Lori Bakker.
She has also been referred to within the family as Little Lori, a name that helped distinguish her from Lori Bakker.
Her adoption was part of the family’s decision to welcome five siblings from Phoenix into their home in 2002.
Unlike Jim’s biological children, who grew up with significant public attention because of their parents’ television careers, Maricela and her siblings entered the family later, when Jim and Lori were building a different chapter of their lives.
The family has occasionally discussed their experiences with adoption and parenthood, but much of Maricela’s personal life has remained private.
Who Is Ricky Bakker?
Ricky is another one of Jim and Lori Bakker’s adopted children.
Like his siblings, he joined the Bakker family in 2002.
Ricky has appeared in some discussions connected to the family’s ministry and has spoken about faith and his upbringing. His name has also appeared in Christian media coverage because of his connection to the Bakker family.
Growing up as one of five adopted siblings gave Ricky a different experience from Tammy Sue and Jay, who were raised while their parents were at the center of a massive television ministry.
Still, all seven children share the unique experience of being part of a family that has been closely watched by the public for decades.
Why Did Jim and Lori Bakker Adopt Five Siblings?
The decision to adopt five siblings was closely connected to Lori Bakker’s ministry work.
Lori had become familiar with the children through her work in Phoenix and developed a relationship with them. Rather than separating the siblings, she and Jim decided to bring all five into their family.
The adoption took place in 2002.
Adopting five children at once was a major commitment, but it also allowed the siblings to stay together.
The move came several years after Jim’s highly publicized divorce from Tammy Faye and his eventual marriage to Lori. By then, Jim had entered a new stage of his life and ministry.
The adoption became an important part of Jim and Lori’s family story.
Jim Bakker’s Family Life With Tammy Faye
Jim Bakker’s first marriage was to Tammy Faye, and together they had Tammy Sue and Jay.
The couple became famous through their Christian television ministry and The PTL Club. Their children grew up surrounded by cameras, television crews, ministry events and public attention.
For Tammy Sue and Jay, childhood was therefore very different from that of most children.
The family also experienced a dramatic fall from prominence. Jim’s legal troubles and the collapse of the PTL empire became major national news, and the impact extended beyond Jim and Tammy Faye to their children.
Tammy Faye later rebuilt her own career and became known for her distinctive personality and emotional approach to television. Jay also eventually developed his own path in Christian ministry.
A Family With Very Different Paths
One of the most interesting aspects of Jim Bakker’s family is how differently his children developed.
Tammy Sue remained connected to television and gospel music. Jay became a pastor and writer with a more progressive approach to Christianity.
The five children adopted by Jim and Lori have generally lived outside the same level of public attention.
That difference reflects the changing circumstances of Jim Bakker’s life. His first two children were born during his television heyday, while his five adopted children joined his family years later, when his ministry and personal life had entered a different phase.
Jim Bakker’s Legacy Through His Children
Jim Bakker’s public legacy is complicated. His career included enormous success in Christian broadcasting, followed by scandal, imprisonment and a long return to television ministry.
But his children represent another part of his life.
He became a father of two with Tammy Faye and later a father of seven after he and Lori adopted five siblings.
His children have pursued different interests and careers, with some remaining involved in Christian ministry and others living away from the spotlight.
For many people who followed the Bakker family over the decades, Tammy Sue and Jay are especially familiar because they were featured during their parents’ years on television. The five adopted children, meanwhile, became part of a later chapter in Jim’s life.
Ultimately, Jim Bakker’s story as a father is broader than his famous television career. His seven children reflect two different eras of his life, from the highly public years with Tammy Faye to his later family life with Lori and their five adopted siblings.