Joni Lamb, the president and co-founder of the Daystar Television Network, has passed away at the age of 65, according to an announcement on the network’s social media pages. Regarding her cause of death, Daystar shared that prior to a recent back injury, Lamb had been privately facing serious health challenges. This injury exacerbated those issues, leading to a medical situation far more grave than anticipated. Despite the dedicated efforts of her medical team and prayers from supporters worldwide, her condition worsened significantly in her final days.
Lamb is survived by her three adult children and her second husband, Doug Weiss. Her first husband and Daystar co-founder, Marcus Lamb, passed away in 2021 from complications related to COVID-19. Notably, for nearly four decades, the Daystar Network provided a platform for a “who’s who” of prosperity gospel proponents and controversial teachers, including Jesse Duplantis, Sid Roth, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Jim Bakker, Marcus Lamb, Bill Winston, Perry Stone, Joel Osteen, Joseph Prince, T.D. Jakes, Andrew Wommack, and Paula White.
The recent departures of several high-profile ministers from the Daystar Television Network were primarily driven by a combination of public scandals, family infighting, and the leadership transition following the death of co-founder Marcus Lamb in 2021.
While the network officially attributed many of the exits to routine contract expirations, the timing coincided with serious allegations and internal friction.
1. The Family Abuse Allegations and Cover-Up Scandal
The most significant factor was a public and legal battle between Joni Lamb and her son, Jonathan Lamb. In late 2024, Jonathan and his wife, Suzy, publicly accused Joni and the network leadership of covering up the sexual abuse of their young daughter (Joni’s granddaughter) by a male relative.
- The Fallout: Although Joni denied the claims and a police investigation was eventually closed in 2025 due to “insufficient evidence,” the public nature of the dispute caused many ministers to distance themselves to protect their own reputations.
- Departures: Following these allegations, high-profile figures like Joyce Meyer and Canadian broadcaster Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson cut ties, with Thompson specifically citing “ethical deficits” among senior executives.
2. The Remarriage of Joni Lamb to Doug Weiss
In 2023, Joni Lamb married Dr. Doug Weiss, a counselor and frequent Daystar guest. This marriage reportedly caused a deep rift within the Lamb family and the network’s inner circle.
- Jonathan Lamb and others raised concerns regarding the biblical grounds of Weiss’s previous divorce.
- This internal tension led to Jonathan being demoted and eventually fired in November 2024, which signaled to long-time partners that the network’s “founding family” unity had fractured.
3. Economic and Contractual Shifts
Many “prosperity” teachers operate on a pay-for-play model, where they purchase airtime on the network to broadcast their programs.
- Lance Wallnau, a frequent guest and host, cited “economic reasons” for pulling his show, noting the high cost of airtime.
- Jesse Duplantis, a staple of the network for decades, left at the end of 2024, stating that his contract had ended and he felt “led by God” to move in a different direction.
- Other leaders, like Kenneth Copeland, have increasingly focused on their own independent platforms (such as the Victory Channel), reducing their reliance on Daystar’s distribution.
4. Leadership Transition After Marcus Lamb
Since Marcus Lamb’s death from COVID-19 complications in 2021, Daystar underwent a significant shift in culture. Marcus was often seen as the “glue” that held various charismatic and prosperity-focused factions together. After his passing, the vacuum in leadership and the subsequent legal battles with his heirs (Jonathan) made the network a less stable environment for third-party ministries.
