Joni Lamb, who started of one of the largest Christian TV networks, has died

Associated Press AP Fri, May 8, 2026 • 12:08 PM

Television evangelist Joni Lamb sings a praise song during ‘Celebration’, a show that she and her husband Marcus host on the Daystar Network, on July 30, 2001, in Colleyville, Texas. (Lawrence Jenkins/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Joni Lamb, who with her late husband founded the Daystar Television Network and guided it to become one of the world’s largest Christian TV networks, died Thursday. She was 65.

Lamb, the network’s president, had been suffering from serious health issues before sustaining a back injury that caused her health to deteriorate, the network said in a statement. A cause of death was not released.

“Joni’s love for the Lord and for the people we serve shaped this ministry from the beginning,” the network’s board of directors said in the statement.

The network said its ministry will continue on and that Lamb made sure a leadership team was in place.

She and her husband, Marcus Lamb, who died in 2021, began broadcasting in the Dallas area with a single station in 1993. Five years later, Joni Lamb began hosting her signature daily women’s show.

Based in Bedford, Texas, the Daystar Television Network grew to broadcast in more than 200 countries and has aired shows from many well-known evangelists, including Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes.

The network said it reaches 2.3 billion homes worldwide.

Its ministry was rooted in Pentecostalism, the Christian tradition known for its spirit-filled worship, and its belief in modern-day miracles and everyday battles with evil influences.

In addition to being the network’s president and working behind the scenes, Joni Lamb could be seen on the air hosting “Joni Table Talk” and discussing daily issues.

She stood beside her late husband in 2010 when he admitted on television to an affair with a woman years before. Marcus Lamb also alleged that three people tried to extort money from him to stay quiet.

Joni Lamb said at the time that when she learned of his infidelity she was devastated and prayed to the Holy Spirit, who told her, “He’s worth fighting for.”

The couple said they had healed their marriage and had hoped to keep the matter private.

“All you can do is tell the truth and take your pain and use it to try to help someone else,” Joni Lamb said.

Following her first husband’s death at age 64, she married Doug Weiss two years later. Together they hosted the show “Ministry Now.”