Jessica Hahn
Jessica Hahn (born
July 7,
1959 in
Massapequa, New York) is a model, actress, and former church secretary best known for her
sex scandal with
televangelist Jim Bakker.
According to Hahn, on the afternoon of
December 6 1980, when she was a 21 year-old church secretary, she was drugged and raped by Bakker for "about 15 minutes" and another preacher, John Wesley Fletcher. [
1] Later, she overheard Bakker comment to another PTL staffer "Did you get her too?"
Hahn burst into the media limelight following Bakker's announcement on
March 19,
1987 that he was stepping down as head of
PTL and
Heritage USA, pending the imminent disclosure of the sexual encounter and that he would be replaced by televangelist
Jerry Falwell. Investigative journalists and auditors hired by Falwell uncovered $265,000 in
hush money paid to Hahn as well as even more serious financial irregularities that led to the collapse of the PTL empire and Bakker's conviction.
Hahn subsequently used the notoriety she had gained by appearing nude in several
Playboy magazine pictorials and videos, and appeared in a variety of TV shows, including
Married... with Children. She also gained notoriety from her relationship with comedian
Sam Kinison, and she often appears in person and as a call-in guest on the
Howard Stern Show on
Sirius satellite radio. She lives in
Beverly Hills with
Ron Leavitt, the co-creator of
Married... with Children.
*
"Tv's Unholy Row: A sex-and-money scandal tarnishes electronic evangelism" by Richard N. Ostling,
April 6,
1987,
Time Magazine*
"Magazine Buys Story From Jessica Hahn" July 14,
1987,
New York Times*
"Celebrities of Summer Are Cashing In" by Andrew L. Yarrow,
September 28,
1987,
New York Times*
"Church Chat", Season 13: Episode 6,
Saturday Night Live transcript,
December 5,
1987*
"Judge Orders Ex-PTL Secretary To Repay Hush Money to Ministry" July 21,
1988,
New York Times*
Transcript of interview with
Larry King,
CNN,
July 14,
2005*
*
The Real Jessica Hahn Official site with pictures and sound clips.
