History Main / GreedyTelevangelist

* The music videos for [[Music/CarpenterBrut Carpenter Brut's]] songs Inferno Galore and Sunday Lunch (both off the album Leather Teeth) feature an extreme version named "Reverend Godshyne" (a reverend with a glowing face) heavily. The first is an advertisement for a wildly abusive christian camp that parents can send their kids to if they think that they are [[FelonyMisdemeanor practicing Satanism, gay, or even just into heavy metal and synthwave.]] The camp, and all other [[FakeFaithHealer phony faith healing]] services offered by Godshyne are exorbitantly expensive, averaging thousands of dollars each. Sunday Lunch, meanwhile, briefly showcases the gruesome end of the "good" reverend: his headlamp broke, exposing him as a fraud, the police started investigating the [[PedophilePriest copious amounts of child porn in his possession]], and when he drunkenly tried to flee in his private jet purchased with the money he had swindled he was [[TurbineBlender sucked into the turbine]] [[BloodyHilarious and left as a large smear of blood and guts on the tail of the plane.]]

* ''WebVideo/WizardsWithGuns'': Rev. Ruby Ranch and Pastor Titus Diamondback from the ''"G" is for Jesus'' series use their televangelism to sell overpriced garbage, including everything that's "complementary" or "free". In their Christmas episode, they hold a fundraiser to help the starving kids of Lake Titicaca (called "Lake Peepeecaca" by Ruby Ranch), only to reveal at the end that only ''10%'' is actually going to the kids...and that's as bibles.

* ''WebVideo/WizardsWithGuns'': Rev. Ruby Ranch and Pastor Titus Diamondback from the ''"G" is for Jesus'' series use their televangelism to sell overpriced garbage, including everything that's "complementary" or "free".

* ''Film/{{Repossessed}}'': Ernest and Fanny Weller, a husband and wife team spoofing the Bakers, are happily planning to televise the possessed Nancy Aglet's exorcism (whom Ernest doesn't even believe to be possessed). The couple are eager for the number of converts, and thus donations, the special will bring in for their church and even try to give Satan some tips on how to put on a better show for their audience. This all backfires when it turns out Satan was merely using them to get access to a massive television audience he could then possess via the airwaves.

* In ''Literature/TheApocalypseTroll'', the Troll's chief human subordinate is a former one who lost his financial empire after a journalist exposed just how he was spending his donations (most notably the PaidHarem).
* The ''Bedlam's Bard'' series by Creator/MercedesLackey has Reverend Billy Fairchild, who started out as a fairly sincere traveling preacher until his daughter's literally magical singing voice propelled him to a media empire (including a televangelism program). The fame and fortune went to his head (to the point where he eventually built himself a combined church/casino in Atlantic City), and his daughter eventually ran away from home to live on the streets in order to get away from him, which caused Fairchild's fortunes to start declining, as her singing was the cornerstone of his church's popularity.

* The music videos for [[Music/CarpenterBrut Carpenter Brut's]] songs Inferno Galore and Sunday Lunch (both off the album Leather Teeth) feature an extreme version named "Reverend Godshyne" (a reverend with a glowing face) heavily. The first is an advertisement for a wildly abusive christian camp that parents can send their kids to if they think that they are [[FelonyMisdemeanor practicing Satanism, gay, or even just into heavy metal and synthwave.]] The camp, and all other [[FakeFaithHealer phony faith healing]] services offered by Godshyne are exorbitantly expensive, averaging thousands of dollars each. Sunday Lunch, meanwhile, briefly showcases the gruesome end of the "good" reverend: his headlamp broke, exposing him as a fraud, the police started investigating the [[PedophilePriest copius amounts of child porn in his possession]], and when he drunkenly tried to flee in his private jet purchased with the money he had swindled he was [[TurbineBlender sucked into the turbine]] [[BloodyHilarious and left as a large smear of blood and guts on the tail of the plane.]]

* The music videos for [[Music/CarpenterBrut Carpenter Brut's]] songs Inferno Galore and Sunday Lunch (both off the album Leather Teeth) feature an extreme version named "Reverend Godshyne" (a reverend with a glowing face) heavily. The first is an advertisement for a wildly abusive christian camp that parents can send their kids to if they think that they are [[FelonyMisdemeanor practicing Satanism, gay, or even just into heavy metal and synthwave.]] The camp, and all other [[PhonyFaithHealer phony faith healing]] services offered by Godshyne are exorbitantly expensive, averaging thousands of dollars each. Sunday Lunch, meanwhile, briefly showcases the gruesome end of the "good" reverend: his headlamp broke, exposing him as a fraud, the police started investigating the [[PedophilePriest copius amounts of child porn in his possession]], and when he drunkenly tried to flee in his private jet purchased with the money he had swindled he was [[TurbineBlender sucked into the turbine]] [[BloodyHilarious and left as a large smear of blood and guts on the tail of the plane.]]

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->''Well, I'm counting my blessings''
->''[='=]Cause I've found true happiness''
->''[='=]Cause I've been getting richer day by day''
->''You can find me in the phonebook''
->''Just call my toll-free number''
->''You can do it any way you want; just do it right away''
-->-- '''Music/{{Genesis|Band}}''', [[Music/WeCantDance "Jesus He Knows Me"]]

* Discussed and subverted in the ''Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}'' FanSequel ''Danganronpa: Paradise Lost'': despite being the Ultimate Televangelist, Yashiro Fujiwara is depicted as a genuine believer in the teachings of Christ -- [[EstablishingCharacterMoment his introduction has him outright criticize other televangelists]] [[StopBeingStereotypical that he sees as caring about their fortune rather than their faith]]. His true sin happens to be wrath.

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'': One episode features a gospel singer who, while frugal, only insists she and her colleagues save money to later build an excessively lavish temple.

** {{Music/Ghost}}'s cover of the same song, in addition to being a bit more metalized than the Genesis version, goes full on into the HookersAndBlow with its televangelist.

* Music/{{Genesis|Band}}'s ''Music/WeCantDance'': "Jesus He Knows Me" is a song criticizing televangelists for their extravagant lifestyles and hypocrisy. The music video shows the band dressed like famous televangelists living in luxury, while the lyrics show insistence on being right by AppealToAuthority.

[[caption-width-right:330:"The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."\\
-- [[Literature/EpistlesToTimothy 1 Timothy 6:10]]]]

-->-- '''Music/{{Genesis|Band}}''', "Jesus He Knows Me"

* ''Film/LeapOfFaith'': Jonas Nightengale is an evangelist/faith healer who travels from town to town holding revival services and promising miracles. In reality, his "faith healing" is a con, aided by his skill at cold reading and his manager Jane feeding him information through an earpiece to make it seem like he is receiving it directly from God. Things get complicated when an actual miracle happens.

SubTrope of VillainByDefault and CorruptChurch. SisterTrope to FakeFaithHealer, and can easily overlap if he has a TV show. Compare SinisterMinister and ScamReligion, which often overlaps as well. Several {{Religion Rant Song}}s that don't rail against God or religion in general are about these kinds of televangelists.

* ''Film/HonkForJesusSaveYourSoul'' is a mockumentary that focuses on fictional Pastor Lee Curtis Childs and his wife Trinitee as they try to rebuild their church congregation following Childs' sex scandal. While they nominally talk about loving the Lord and wanting to save souls, they are clearly very focused on material wealth, wanting to show the camera crew their walk-in closet full of Prada suits in every color, their expensive shoes, cars, and the flashy showpieces built into their church. A recording of a past sermon showed Childs gloating about his private jet, pretty wife, and nice house, saying that it was proof of his favor with God. When it starts to become clear that their congregants don't plan to return, the Childs seem more upset about the loss of power, money, and prestige than about having harmed the local community's view of church and Christianity.

* ''Series/RoboCopTheSeries'' featured Reverand Robert Taker in the Episode "Prime Suspect". A Televangelist Fire and Brimstone Preacher that used his congregation to accrue millions of dollars in donations. Throughout the episode Taker would accuse Robocop of being a tool of Satan and "A thing of pure evil". He was later killed by an offscreen assailant while carrying out an extra-marital affair, leading to Robocop being accused of his murder.

* Music/{{Genesis|Band}}'s ''Music/WeCantDance'': "Jesus He Knows Me" is a song criticizing televangelists for their extravagant lifestyles and hypocrisy. The music video shows the band dressed like famous televangelists living in luxury, while the lyrics show insistence in being right by AppealToAuthority.

* Music/IronMaiden has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPV4jlOlWjA "Holy Smoke"]], from ''No Prayer for the Dying'', a song-length TakeThat against televangelists and profit-driven megachurches, which also takes potshots at notorious televanglists Jimmy Swaggart and Tammy Faye Bakker, both of whom were involved in serious scandals. It is also one of the only songs Iron Maiden has done [[PrecisionFStrike which has swears in it.]]

-->''Her lover's turning off, turning on the television, and I can't tell the difference between ABC News, Hill Street Blues and a preacher on The Old Time Gospel Hour stealing money from the sick and the old. Well, the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister.''

** One of the criticisms of religion that comes up in "Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk" from ''Music/BroadwayTheHardWay'' is how televangelists tend to manipulate people with religious beliefs into giving them money. The song explicitly mentions Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker as well as Pat Robertson, who have widely been accused of being this, and the former of whom were caught in a scandal.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'': The episode "TV or Not to Be" has Mother Mirabelle, a televangelist for the Home Miracle Network, which is openly aimed at a very important demographic; People with disposable income. She and her followers worship a painting of a pair of feet called The Blessed Mother of the Weeping Soles, which she claims causes miracles to happen. When the painting is seemingly stolen, Duckman and Cornfed go to offer their detective services to her in order to find it, but Duckman causes a scene and calls her a fraud on live television. The feed cuts and she threatens them with a group of goons, but upon finding out they're detectives, she takes $20 off them as an apology...and promptly gives them the $20 as the fee for their detective services, effectively hiring them for free. In the end, it turns out that she engineered the theft to boost viewership when the painting was returned, and only got Duckman and Cornfed involved so it looked like she was trying to find it.

* "Vanna Fucci Is Alive and Well and Living in Hell" is a short story by Creator/DanSimmons about a televangelist's TV talk show where the titular character gets put on it after being sent to Hell centuries ago so he can explain what Hell's like to the public. There's a lot of awful punishments there, which make him quite upset, especially since he was a political dissident rather than a sinner but got sent to Hell after he died anyway. And whenever said character gets too upset, he [[FlippingTheBird gives God the finger]], which causes every thief in his vicinity to be spontaneously turned into a demon and attack him. The evangelist, the other guests on the show, and a chunk of the audience are all turned into demons and dragged down to hell.