On a New Episode of ‘The Con,’ the Return of Jim Bakker, Who Prosecutors Say Has Been Up to His Old Tricks Attempting To Con His Faithful Followers With a Sham COVID Cure

“The Comeback” – Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were once enormously successful at raising money for their televised religious programs. After its 1974 debut, their cable show became the highest-rated religious show in the country. In the 1980s, the Bakkers continued their success by building Heritage USA, a first-of-its-kind 2,200-acre Christian resort and amusement park, but the government would charge that Bakker had secured funding by defrauding his faithful viewers. In 1989, he was convicted and initially sentenced to 45 years in prison but ultimately only served five. In 2021, prosecutors claimed that Bakker was once again up to his old tricks but this time without Tammy Faye. They said he made promises on “The Jim Bakker Show” that his “Silver Solution” was a cure for the coronavirus; however, instead of a miracle, they said drinking silver could be toxic and even turn consumers permanently blue in the face if consumed in large quantities. The FDA immediately issued a cease-and-desist order while the states of Missouri and Arkansas sued him for his false claims. Bakker entered a settlement agreement promising not to sell the solution anymore but continued to deny wrongdoing. “The Comeback,” a new episode of “The Con,” airs THURSDAY, SEPT. 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC and next day on demand and on Hulu.

The ABC News Studios primetime series is narrated by Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Oscar® winner and moderator of “The View,” Whoopi Goldberg, with weekly appearances by podcaster Laci Mosley (“Scam Goddess”) as a featured expert.

For the series, David Sloan is senior executive producer, and Carrie Cook serves as executive producer for ABC News. Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman are executive producers for The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television, along with executive producer and showrunner John Henshaw.

About ABC News Studios
ABC News Studios, inspired by ABC News’ trusted reporting, is a premium, narrative non-fiction original production house and commissioning partner of series and specials. ABC News Studios champions untold and authentic stories driving the cultural zeitgeist spanning true-crime, investigations, pop culture and news-adjacent stories. Its subsidiary, ABC News Films, acquires and produces feature documentary films.

About The Intellectual Property Corporation
The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), a part of Sony Pictures Television, is an Emmy®-winning content creation and production studio based in Van Nuys, California. Founded in 2016 by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, IPC develops and produces premium television, film, documentary, commercial and interactive mobile content for global streamers and US broadcast and cable networks. Recent productions include “Indian Matchmaking” and “Night Stalker” (Netflix); “Selena + Chef” (HBO Max); “We’re Here” and “The Swamp” (HBO); “This Is Paris” (YouTube Originals); “The Last Narc” (Amazon); “The Substitute” (Nickelodeon); “Empires of New York” (CNBC); and “The Con” (ABC). IPC is a two-time Emmy Award recipient and a Producers Guild Award recipient for its series “Leah Remini: Scientology & the Aftermath” (A&E).

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