# Who is the woman with Jerry Falwell Jr. in the “unzipped” photo? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698 "2020-08-10T04:22:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/1 "2020-08-10T04:22:12Z")
Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/2 "2020-08-10T04:35:15Z")
It appears that she is an assistant to Falwell’s wife. As quoted from [a NYT article](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/us/falwell-liberty.html): > [@](#): > > Mr. Falwell responded to criticism of the photo earlier this week in an interview with WLNI, a local Lynchburg radio station. “Yeah, it was weird. She’s pregnant. She couldn’t get her pants zipped and I was like trying to like … I had on a pair of jeans I haven’t worn in a long time and couldn’t get zipped either. So, I just put my belly out like hers. She’s my wife’s assistant, she’s a sweetheart. I should have never put it up and embarrassed her. I’ve apologized to everybody. I promised my kids I will try to be a good boy from here on out.” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/3 "2020-08-10T04:43:57Z")
I’ll bet it’s the first the wife has heard about having an assistant… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/4 "2020-08-10T04:49:33Z")
Didn’t he also claim it was a costume party? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/5 "2020-08-10T04:57:29Z")
Yes, it was apparently a themed costume party. The NYT article to which I linked states: > [@](#): > > A now-deleted video of a party on the yacht, titled “Trailer Park Boys,” showed Falwell family members and friends in costumes in an apparent reference to the Canadian mockumentary series. And, in the picture, he’s holding a cup of what he later claimed to be “black water,” whatever the heck that is, but certainly not alcohol, because he doesn’t drink, no sir. _facepalm_ ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/6 "2020-08-10T05:03:41Z")
I could never figure out why he didn’t just say it was Coke. What the hell is black water, and who has that setting around at a party on a yacht? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/7 "2020-08-10T05:07:21Z")
WOW! I had no Idea this was a Trailer Park Boys party lol Falwell should be more embarrassed about being at a TPB party than in a pic with his belly out. That show is 100% drugs, crime and rough living. As for the drink, the character Falwell is dressed up as is named Julian, who wears all black and has a black beard and mustache, and is never without a glass of rum and coke. Like even when they were in a car crash that rolled several times, he walked out of the car with his rum & coke. It actually would be completely “in character” and an important part of the costume for him to be holding a glass at all times. Not sure why he didn’t just put actual Coke in there, perhaps he doesn’t do caffeine either. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/8 "2020-08-10T05:15:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > And, in the picture, he’s holding a cup of what he later claimed to be “black water,” whatever the heck that is, but certainly not alcohol, because he doesn’t drink, no sir. _facepalm_ As every good Frank Zappa fan knows, _black water_ is coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/9 "2020-08-10T10:54:07Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I could never figure out why he didn’t just say it was Coke. What the hell is black water, and who has that setting around at a party on a yacht? If “black water” is something like [this](https://shop.getblk.com/), it seems like exactly the type of thing I would imagine having on a yacht… although I’ve never had black water or been to a party on a yacht. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/10 "2020-08-10T11:18:55Z")
Of all the things Falwell Jr has said and done, this goofy picture doesn’t remotely register on my outrage-o-meter, apart from the confusion about what the hell “black water” is. From some of the descriptions it sounded like he had his junk hanging full out instead of just having his jeans slightly undone. I’m not a fan of the man but unless she’s carrying his lovechild this gets a “meh” from me. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/11 "2020-08-10T14:17:34Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Of all the things Falwell Jr has said and done, this goofy picture doesn’t remotely register on my outrage-o-meter, But this sort of stuff is what enrages the evangelicals. NOT the blatant discrimination, the sexism, the racism, the open pursuit of money that Mr. Falwell has has embraced. THAT didn’t ping on the Trustees radar at all. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/12 "2020-08-10T14:22:04Z")
The other thing is that he was the president of a university where such a photo violates the school code of conduct. A similar photo of a student would result in disciplinary action. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/13 "2020-08-10T14:29:23Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I could never figure out why he didn’t just say it was Coke. What the hell is black water, and who has that setting around at a party on a yacht? Exactly. That was my first thought too- just say he had a Coke in his hand, and that he was doing a silly picture copying her pregnant un-buttoned look with his gut sticking out. No harm, no foul. I bet had they both been deliberately making the same silly pose, it would have just skated below the radar. I mean, I saw that picture, and didn’t think there was a sexual component to it at all, nor did I assume he was drunk, or even drinking. Certainly had he wanted to show that he was drinking or that it was supposed to be sexy, they could have done a better job of it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/14 "2020-08-10T14:29:59Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Of all the things Falwell Jr has said and done, this goofy picture doesn’t remotely register on my outrage-o-meter, apart from the confusion about what the hell “black water” is. From some of the descriptions it sounded like he had his junk hanging full out instead of just having his jeans slightly undone. > > I’m not a fan of the man but unless she’s carrying his lovechild this gets a “meh” from me. I’m not a fan of the man either. I’m not a fan of the way he siphons money from people under the guise of religion and under the guise of education. Or of the way he “educates” people to believe a bunch of bullshit. I’m not a fan of the way he’s a part of an organized effort that goes back decades, centuries even, to fleece people out of their money and control them through fear. I’m not a fan of the racism and sexism that is rampant in his belief system and the oppression and injustice that it attempts to rationalize and justify. There’s a whole shitload of things about him and what he does that I’m not a fan of, beyond just how loathsome an individual he is. So nothing that makes him (or anyone like him) look bad and/or diminishes his stature and power in this world will ever get just a “meh” from me. This gets a “woot; fuck yeah and fuck him” from me. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/15 "2020-08-10T14:41:24Z")
So, what I did not actually realize until reading some of the recent news stories is that, although Jerry Jr. is among the U.S.'s most prominent evangelical voices, is the son of a minister, and runs a Christian college, he is not actually a minister – he’s a lawyer and businessman. After his father’s death, Jerry Jr. took over Liberty University, while his brother Jonathan (who is, in fact, a minister) took over Thomas Road Baptist Church (the megachurch which their father ran). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/16 "2020-08-10T14:43:08Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I’m not a fan of the man either. I’m not a fan of the way he siphons money from people under the guise of religion and under the guise of education. Or of the way he “educates” people to believe a bunch of bullshit. I’m not a fan of the way he’s a part of an organized effort that goes back decades, centuries even, to fleece people out of their money and control them through fear. I’m not a fan of the racism and sexism that is rampant in his belief system and the oppression and injustice that it attempts to rationalize and justify. There’s a whole shitload of things about him and what he does that I’m not a fan of, beyond just how loathsome an individual he is. I agree that the Falwell family are a nasty lot so I suppose if this turns out to be the thing that hurts him I should take the win. They got Al Capone on tax evasion, after all. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/17 "2020-08-10T18:14:44Z")
**Moderator Action** Since this has been answered factually and the thread has moved on to opinions about the topic, let’s move this to IMHO (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/18 "2020-08-10T18:43:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > with his belly out It’s not his belly that provides the poor optics. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/19 "2020-08-24T22:28:55Z")
Falwell has resigned from Liberty U, and the story is even weirder than I could have envisioned. Read at your own risk. > **[Former business associate says he had years-long affair involving Jerry...](https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/513407-former-business-associate-says-he-had-years-long-affair-involving/)** > > A former business associate of Jerry Falwell Jr. on Monday told Reuters the evangelical leader was a willing participant in an affair he had with Falwell’s wife Becki Falwell,&n… ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2020, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698/20 "2020-08-25T01:04:52Z")
It feels like he’s throwing his wife under the bus to explain his weird behavior. She seems to be going along with it so maybe not. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-woman-with-jerry-falwell-jr-in-the-unzipped-photo/917698.md?page=2)