Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. is a figure admired in conservative circles and scorned by liberals. His viewpoints on feminism, LGBTQA+ matters, and other religions have been a topic of discussion among many on the left. He and his wife are both evangelical leaders and seek guidance from God.
However, his personal life was disrupted by an affair that led him to struggle with periods of depression and weight loss. Allegedly, his wife is culpable of being involved in a relationship.
Becki Tilley Falwell, Wife of Jerry Falwell Jr
In 2019, issues emerged about their marriage after actor Tom Arnold exposed that Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen told him that Jerry Falwell Jr and his wife Becki had requested Cohen to meet an unnamed person and retrieve some explicit photographs of the couple.
Arnold did not possess further details to provide at the time, as Cohen was incarcerated, rendering him unavailable to communicate with the reporter and explain the situation.
Who is Becki Tilley Fallwell?
Becki Tilley was born in 1965.
The conservative figure is about 55 or 56 years old, and her exact date of birth is unknown. Her husband, Jerry Falwell Jr, is 58 years old.
Becki Tilley and Jerry Falwell Jr. crossed paths as adolescents.
Becki Tilley coincided with Jerry Falwell Jr. at the age of 13. He would have been approximately 16 years old at the time. They did not commence dating until five years later when Tilley was a freshman at the University of Virginia.
There is no specificity regarding the future Mrs. Falwell’s area of study or if she even completed her education. Falwell is said to have quipped that she was “interested in an M-R-S degree,” adding that was code for “husband hunting.”
Marriage of Becki Tilley and Jerry Falwell Jr.
Becki Tilley and Jerry Falwell Jr. Tied the Knot in 1987
They have three children and two grandchildren. The couple has two sons, Charles Wesley, aged 26, and Jerry Trey Falwell III, aged 30. They also had one daughter, Caroline Grace, aged 19. The Tilleys are also grandparents to two granddaughters, Reagan and Virginia Rose.
Becki Tilley upholds staunch conservative views.
Like her husband, Tilley is highly conservative. She supports Donald Trump and vocally opposes LGBTQA+ rights.
In 2019, she even went as far as disparaging transgender individuals by discussing her granddaughter. She stated, “We’re raising her as a girl. We’re not letting her have a choice. God decides what the babies will be. And God decided she was a girl.”
She and her husband adhere to orthodox Christian beliefs.
Tilley Allegedly had an Affair with a Pool Attendant
In a peculiar story that emerged in 2018, the Falwells were in court in Florida over a youth hostel. They acquired the hostel in Miami with their friend and business associate, Giancarlo Granda, who worked as a pool assistant at a high-end hotel in Miami.
The couple developed a friendship with the younger man and even flew him to various locations on their private jet. They shared photographs of themselves bonding with him.
Giancarlo Granda Allegedly a Pool Attendant Who Engaged in an Affair with Becki Tilley Falwell
Granda, who is 29 years old, resided in Washington, D.C. and was attending Georgetown University at the time when he proposed a business plan to purchase, redecorate, and manage a hostel in the Miami Beach area. Falwell later divulged that he provided a loan from a shell company to Alton Hostel LLC, which was overseen by Falwell’s wife, son, and Granda, to finalize the deal.
According to court documents, Falwell stated, “My wife and I provided a $1 million loan for Alton Hostel’s purchase of the Alton Property. Later, my wife and I provided an additional amount of approximately $800,000 for renovations of the Alton property, which are being treated as an additional loan.”
The legal disputes arose when two other men, Jesus Fernandez Sr. and Jr., sued Granda and the Falwells, claiming they were promised a share of the deal, but the promised remuneration never materialized.
Speculation abounded regarding the nature of the relationship between the Falwells and Giancarlo Granda.
Granda met the couple at the age of 20 in March of 2012, and from that moment, Granda claims “the relationship involved him having intimate relations with Becki Falwell while Jerry Falwell looked on.”
“Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room,” Granda elaborated, stating that the encounters occurred “multiple times per year and took place at hotels in Miami and New York, and at the Falwells’ residence in Virginia.”
The conservative figure purportedly bore witness to his spouse engaging in intimate activity with the pool supervisor for a duration of seven years.
Upon the revelation of the legal case, there was extensive speculation about the dynamics of the relationship between the Falwells and Granda and whether there was a sexual dimension to their interactions.
A considerable portion of the speculation was fueled by the couple’s long-standing and emphatic criticisms of premarital intimacy, same-sex partnerships, and LBTQA+ rights. The potential for a sexual transgression to unveil a couple that has censured how others engage in intimate relations always presents a cultural flashpoint.
Falwell Jr. disclosed that his wife had an affair with Giancarlo Granda.
In August of 2020, Falwell Jr. divulged that during his indefinite absence, his wife did indeed engage in an affair with Granda. He asserted that during her affair, he was despondent and shed 80 pounds. The couple eventually reconciled, and he mentioned that the affair persisted for a brief period only.
Despite the affair occurring years ago, Granda intensified in “anger and aggression”. He then elected to extort the Falwells by threatening to expose the affair.
However, Falwell Jr. could not substantiate any extortion attempts by Granda. This prompted Falwell Jr. to take the story to the press before Granda had an opportunity to do so.
In response, Granda stated, “Any allegation of extortion is false, defamatory, and contradicted by clear documentary evidence. The Falwells’ attempt to ambush me, and the ‘Washington Examiner’, with a last-minute story without furnishing the ‘Washington Examiner’ with clear evidence that this was not solely an ‘affair’ with fabricated allegations of extortion reeks of desperation. The WHOLE truth will come out.”
In conclusion, Falwell Jr. needs to encourage others to seek help and mental health support if they are in need of someone to talk to, as that is what he should have done. He has made his struggles with mental health public to demonstrate to others that there are alternative ways of addressing issues rather than bottling them up.
“I should not have been hesitant to acknowledge my vulnerabilities and seek assistance from mental health professionals who could offer support.”
have eased this discomfort and pressure,” he stated. “I am dedicated to speaking up and spreading the word at Liberty about the significance of seeking counseling, rather than feeling the need to be strong and attempt to endure these burdens alone.“
Becki Tilley is allegedly linked to numerous sexual relationships.
Following Granda’s revelation in August of 2020, another accusation of a sexual encounter surfaced. This time from a former Liberty University student who alleges that Becki Tilley engaged in sexual activity with him at the Falwell home after a band practice with her son in 2008. The student was 22 at the time and stated that Tilley initiated the activity, and he acquiesced.
Granda informed Politico in an interview that, “She was the initiator.”
The Falwells have Denied Everything
The exposure of explicit photos of Jerry and Becki Falwell reignited questions about the nature of their relationship with Granda. Is it conceivable that the three of them indeed had a sexual relationship, and the photos served as evidence of that.
Cohen did not specify on the recordings, and Granda and the Falwells were denying Everything. An unnamed attorney working for them sent a statement, saying, “While the Falwells have a long-standing friendship with Michael Cohen, they never engaged or paid Cohen to represent them in any legal or any other professional capacity, and Cohen did not ever resolve any legal matter on their behalf.“
The lawyer followed up with a text saying, “There are no compromising or embarrassing photos of Falwell, period!”
For his part, Granda’s lawyer Aaron Resnick issued a statement adding, “Giancarlo Granda has never had any communications with Michael Cohen (directly or indirectly). He does not know Mr. Cohen. He has never met Mr. Cohen. Mr. Cohen is a convicted felon and admitted liar. Mr. Granda has no idea about the alleged, ‘personal photographs.’”
At the time, no one had witnessed the alleged photos to know what is in them or even if they existed.
Jerry Falwell Jr. was recently embroiled in another photo scandal.
Another incriminating picture of Falwell Jr. began circulating on the Internet. Social media users were quick to share their opinions on the photo, with many expressing concern about Falwell Jr.’s position at Liberty University in light of the inappropriate image. However, a spokesperson from the school declined to comment on the controversy.
As of August 7, 2020, he announced he was taking an unspecified leave of absence. This announcement came after the release of this photo because it directly violated the school’s code of conduct.
Former University of Lynchburg students are seeking to rename a part of the campus that was named after Falwell’s father.
In yet another scandal, Falwell Jr. is facing demands from former students who wish to sever ties with Liberty University and rename the campus area that was named after Falwell’s father due to his actions.
The students contend that Falwell Sr. was known for making prejudiced comments towards minorities. One former student wrote in a letter, “His values do not align with what the University of Lynchburg says they want to be. His rhetoric represented that of racism, bigotry, placism, and sexism until the last day.“
Falwell has already refuted the claims, stating, “My father loved everybody, but he did have certain theological beliefs and he expressed them and he was very vocal about them. But that’s theological; it’s not anything to do with not loving people.”
The online petition for the University to sever ties with Liberty currently has hundreds of signatures.
The Net worth of the Tilley Family is Very High
Falwell Jr. earns $1 million annually as president of Liberty University. His net worth is estimated to be around $100 million. He and his family wield significant influence in conservative politics — an endorsement from Falwell Jr. is highly sought-after in Republican circles.
The Falwell family rose to prominence due to Rev Jerry Falwell Sr.’s illustrious career as a conservative Christian minister. Far from being the kind of pastor who lives modestly, Falwell used television to build a Christian empire.
The family owns a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. This town is also the site of Liberty University, which Falwell Sr. established. Additionally, the family holds numerous businesses and real estate properties in Lynchburg and the surrounding area.
