Over the past week, Daystar Television Network — the Christian TV empire founded in 1997 by the late Marcus Lamb — made headlines over a shocking controversy involving the family-run organization.
Lamb’s son, Jonathan, and his wife, Suzy, allege their young daughter was molested by a family member and that the horrific ordeal was improperly handled. Those stunning allegations come amid a dispute over leadership changes within Daystar.
Marcus Lamb died in 2021 due to complications with COVID-19, leaving his wife, Joni, to serve as president of Daystar. Jonathan had served as a vice president but was demoted in April after purportedly declining to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Audio provided to Investigative Reporter Julie Roys features Jonathan and a representative from Daystar speaking about a document Jonathan had declined to sign and an ultimatum; this audio, which doesn’t provide context on the document he’s being asked to inscribe, is reportedly from last November.
“If you do not do that, then you are removing yourself from the board and removing yourself from your vice president position, and you are then…still an employee,” the representative warned. “That’s where we are.”
The drama surrounding Jonathan’s relationship with Daystar is unclear, though the situation reportedly intensified after this exchange, as he was terminated by the network earlier this month over what the organization allegedly called “deficiencies” in his “judgment and performance.”
The situation is complicated by the fact that Jonathan’s sisters and brothers-in-law are also on staff at Daystar, possibly adding multiple intricacies to an already difficult scenario.
Plus, Jonathan alleges he was always intended to be his father’s successor, but that plans changed once he and Suzy made the allegations reported by Roys. Just days after a family dispute over these claims, Jonathan said his father sent an email to the family announcing a different succession plan and noting that his wife, Joni, would take over Daystar if he died.
Jonathan told Roys he believed that decision was a “punishment” for the abuse claims he made surrounding his daughter.
Marcus passed away just three months after that email was sent, and Joni subsequently took over.
Understanding the Allegations
Jonathan and Suzy Lamb released a video last month explaining why they’ve gone public with their claims — the details of which we’ll explore in-depth.
The two said they felt God calling them to speak out and deemed they had no other option. They also previewed that they had shared their story with other reporters, including Roys.
“We never dreamed this would be our lives,” Suzy said in the video, with the two noting they are in an undisclosed location over safety fears. “We begged God for months and months that He would take it any other route, but we have to obey in the end.”
Roys’ report, released after that video, sheds light on the allegations and the heart of the complicated matter. In Roys’ article, Jonathan and Suzy are quoted saying their young daughter revealed a few years ago that she had been molested.
At the time, the child didn’t identify the man outside of a few characteristics. Over time, the couple began to suspect an unidentified family member who Roys only referred to as “Pete.”
Several factors added to these suspicions, including a story Pete allegedly told in which the child walked in on him when he was naked in the bathroom. After revealing the molestation, the little girl also allegedly became scared to go to Daystar, where Pete worked, according to Roys.
The child, at one point, even hid when he entered the room. Other family members also allegedly warned the couple about Pete, who they said would also go to Jonathan and Suzy’s home to play when only the nanny was there. The unnamed nanny reportedly found this “creepy,” according to Roys’ report.
The situation came to a crescendo during the disturbing event that reportedly unfolded Aug. 3, 2021, at a beach house Daystar rented for its annual executive retreat; this happened about eight months after the initial claims of molestation came to light.
According to the couple, Pete followed their 5-year-old daughter upstairs while she was changing to go swimming. Suzy said the man’s eyes “went black” as though he was in what she described a “zombie mode.” Jonathan said he quickly took action and ran to the room.
“To my horror, when I got up there, my daughter was completely naked, and (he) was in the room,” Jonathan told Roys. “And I was just immediately like, ‘What are you doing?’ — screaming at the top of my lungs. And (he) is like, ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.’ He apologized like 50 times, like I caught somebody red-handed.”
Following Jonathan’s dismissal from Daystar, he and Suzy told Roys that Joni and Marcus — the latter of which is no longer alive to respond to these accusations — attempted to protect Pete and the network’s image rather than the child who has been purportedly harmed.
The Elder Lambs’ Alleged Response
Jonathan and Suzy claim Joni, upon learning of the abuse, asked to meet with her granddaughter one-on-one, and that the girl later stopped talking about the abuse.
They said it was unclear how that conversation went, but that their daughter was suddenly silent about it. Meanwhile, the couple secretly went to the police and reported what had happened, keeping this information from the family.
According to Roys, authorities initially closed the case due to the child not discussing details, though it was reportedly later reopened and is currently pending with the Colleyville Police Department in Texas.
Months later, when Pete was allegedly found by Jonathan alone with his daughter at the house rental, Jonathan and Suzy hoped Marcus and Joni would get involved.
But, according to Jonathan and Suzy, the elder Lambs felt Pete was innocent. A discussion about the incident is said to have descended into shouting and accusations aimed at the child.
Additional details are in Roys’ report, but one final claim worth noting: Jonathan and Suzy allege Joni said God told her while praying that Pete was innocent, with Marcus purportedly joyfully clapping over the revelation.
The family allegedly ended up visiting with a counselor at the behest of Marcus and Joni to assess the molestation claims, though Jonathan and Suzy said Marcus eventually concluded Pete was innocent.
Jonathan and one of his brothers-in-law were purportedly brought into Marcus’ office and told the allegations were found to be untrue. According to Roys, Marcus threatened that they’d need to find another job if they continued believing Pete was guilty of the abuse.
Roys reported that Jonathan felt he had “no choice” but to listen.
Daystar and Joni Lamb Respond
Daystar reportedly issued a statement to Roys noting the matter had been “settled” and that an “internal investigation” unfolded when the issue was first raised at the 2021 retreat.
It “concluded with no wrongdoing found nor evidence provided that corroborated the allegation,” according to the statement.
“It is unfortunate that these private family matters have just now resurfaced as these allegations were proven false, and the matter was resolved more than 3 years ago, after which family functions including holiday gatherings, continued for several more years,” the statement read.
Joni also put out a video responding to the allegations by stating it is a “smear campaign” motivated by the decision not to make Jonathan president of Daystar. She added that the judgment to terminate her son was made after a 15-month review of his work as well as a refusal to improve his performance.
“Rather than take any steps to improve his performance at Daystar, it seems clear now that Jonathan was focused on fabricating a smear campaign,” Joni said. “You see, Jonathan was extremely disappointed that he was not named future President of Daystar following the death of his father and my husband, Marcus, despite the fact that Marcus had clearly given a directive to the family and to the Board that I would succeed him as president.”
She continued, “His disappointment in not getting his way only deepened when I married Doug Weiss, who has been such a blessing to me, the rest of my family, and Daystar.”
Joni also accused Jonathan in a written statement of escalating the situation to “attempted blackmail” to try and make himself president of the network.
She said she had no choice but to speak out — and denied any wrongdoing.
“I want to assure you that all the allegations that are circulating against myself, my late husband, and other members of my family are completely false and we have already begun to take legal steps to defend ourselves and will address the accusations in a God-honoring way,” Joni said. “We stand firm in our faith, knowing that God is with us, and His purpose for Daystar is far greater than any challenge we face.”
Attorney For Accused Speaks
Mark Daniel, an attorney representing Pete, has also spoken out, penning a letter to Roys calling the allegations against his client “baseless.”
“[Pete] unequivocally denies the statements made by Jonathan and Suzy Lamb alleging that he engaged in some form of improper contact with any child,” he wrote. “Such statements are slanderous. Anyone who knows [Pete] knows that these statements are false, insulting, and demeaning.”
Daniel also cast doubt on whether Jonathan and Suzy believe the allegations, claiming the couple still traveled with Pete and his family, and echoing some of the claims seen in Joni’s video.
Jonathan responded to this claim by noting he and Suzy had a “strict boundary” that didn’t allow Pete or his wife to be alone with their daughter, and he had not been welcome to the home since the 2021 retreat.
It’s unclear what will happen next, though it seems both sides are doubling down on their positions.
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