Joni Lamb, the president and co-founder of Daystar Television Network, one of the world’s largest Christian television ministries, died Thursday at age 65. The network said she had been suffering from serious health issues before a back injury caused her condition to deteriorate. No cause of death was released. Her death marks the end of a decades-long journey that began in 1993 when she and her husband Marcus Lamb started broadcasting with a single station in the Dallas area. By the time of her death, Daystar, based in Bedford, Texas, said it reaches 2.3 billion homes in more than 200 countries, airing programs from prominent preachers such as Joel Osteen and T.D. Jakes.
Lamb’s leadership extended beyond business. In 2010, she appeared alongside her husband on live television as he admitted to having had an affair years earlier and alleged that three people tried to extort money from him to stay silent. Facing the cameras, Joni Lamb described her devastation and said she prayed to the Holy Spirit, who told her, “He’s worth fighting for.” The couple said they 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,” she said at the time. The episode became a lasting public testament to her resilience and the network’s transparency.
After Marcus Lamb’s death at age 64 in 2021, Joni Lamb remarried two years later to Doug Weiss, and the pair co-hosted the program “Ministry Now.” Throughout her career, she hosted the talk show “Joni Table Talk,” where she discussed daily issues and cultivated a loyal following. The network’s Pentecostal roots — characterized by spirited worship, belief in modern-day miracles, and everyday spiritual battles — remained central to its identity.
The board of directors expressed confidence that the ministry would continue. “Joni’s love for the Lord and for the people we serve shaped this ministry from the beginning,” they said, adding that Lamb had ensured a leadership team was in place. The network did not immediately announce succession plans.