Evangelical homophobe Jerry Falwell Jr will get $10 million payout after resigning amid ‘pool boy’ sex scandal
Former president of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr, delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Alex Wong/Getty)
Evangelical homophobe Jerry Falwell Jr is set to get a more than $10 million (£7.6 million) severance package from Liberty University, after he was forced to resign over his “pool boy” sex scandal.
The former president of the Christian Liberty University, which is notorious for its anti-LGBT+ policies and bans students from having gay sex, was accused of striking up a years-long relationship with a pool boy, who alleges that Falwell “enjoyed watching from the corner of the room” as he engaged in sexual acts with his wife, Becki Falwell.
The Virginia university banned all LGBT+ groups in 2006 on the grounds of “morality”, and under Falwell’s leadership secured an exemption from federal anti-discrimination laws to allow it to discriminate against LGBT+ people in 2014.
When Falwell was originally placed on leave earlier this month after posting a racy drunken photo with his wife’s assistant to Instagram, rumours began swirl once again as Falwell announced that he had “forgiven” his wife after she had an affair with their former “pool boy”.
In a statement on Sunday (23 August), Falwell claimed that his wife cheated on him with Giancarlo Granda – an affair he described as “something in which I was not involved” which was “very upsetting to learn about”.
But the next day, an exclusive interview was published by Reuters, in which Granda alleged that “Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room”.
Although Falwell insisted that he and his wife had been victims of a blackmail plot by Granda, the explosive sex scandal meant that he opted to officially step down from his role as Liberty University president.
Jerry Falwell Jr insists he deserves his massive severance package.
But, despite his speculator fall from grace, Jerry Falwell Jr will receive more than $10 million in a Liberty University severance package.
Falwell told The Washington Post that his contract entitles him to a $10.5 million payout from his former employer, including two years’ salary ($2.5 million) over 24 months, followed by $8 million in retirement.
The evangelical homophobe insisted he deserved the money as he had resigned without formally being accused of any wrongdoing.
He said: “The board was gracious not to challenge that. There wasn’t any cause. I haven’t done anything.”
