Jerry Falwell Jr. Gets $10.5 Million Severance Package From Liberty University

On August 25, evangelical leader and prominent Trump supporter Jerry Falwell Jr. resigned as president of Liberty University, a hub of conservative politicians in Lynchburg, Virginia. The resignation came after a series of scandals over the past few years.

Falwell, 58, stated he’ll be receiving a $10.5 million severance package – $2.5 million over 24 months and $8 million in retirement – because he was never formally accused of wrongdoing before leaving. “There wasn’t any cause,” he said. “I haven’t done anything.”

For years, Falwell has been the subject of public scrutiny for racist and homophobic remarks, poor leadership, and personal scandals. Calls for his resignation only grew louder this week as allegations of an extramarital affair involving his wife Becki and a former pool boy surfaced. Falwell said he resigned so his wife’s actions wouldn’t embarrass the school.

In the past, Falwell was accused of predatory behavior by Giancarlo Granda, who met the Falwells as a young pool boy and later received their help on a business venture. Similarly, in 2019, internal records and interviews showed that Falwell steered Liberty University into selling 18-acres of property to his personal trainer, Benjamin Crosswhite.

Falwell is also known to have received help covering up racy photos of himself and his wife from President Trump’s now-jailed fixer, Michael Cohen. Months later, Cohen persuaded Falwell to endorse Trump’s 2016 campaign. “I asked the Falwells, as a personal favor to me, to assist with the lagging Trump campaign in Iowa,” Cohen claimed.

The terms of Falwell’s resignation angered many, especially those who had been calling for resignation for a while. “If they’re going to bow down and let this happen, it’s going to be an obvious statement that they care less about the interests of the university than Falwell,” said Dustin Wahl, founder of Liberty University alumni group, Save71.