Picture this. A woman named Becky is lounging by the pool at the Fountain Blue Hotel when a strapping pool attendant catches her eye.

She asks him if he'd like to go on a date with her, but there's a catch. Her husband? He wants in on the action too.

What begins as an unconventional proposition will soon throw them all into the international spotlight.

And that's because the couple is none other than Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becky,

two of the most powerful figures in evangelical America.

But as their forbidden fling blossomed into a full-fledged relationship, the Falwells did much more than break their own rules.

Wondery presents, in God we lust, a story of an alluring sex scandal, power, money, and a very public fall from grace.

While running Liberty University, a school that strictly enforced abstinence, there's

even a rule against prolonged eye contact with the opposite sex. The Falwells lured

Jean-Carlo Grande into a love triangle that lasted years. They promised

him the world, paying for a new apartment, treating him to lavish vacations, and brokering meetings

with the likes of Donald Trump. But when word of their thruple fell into the wrong hands, it led to political extortion and

international headlines that brought Jerry Falwell Jr.'s empire crashing down.

You're about to hear a preview of In God We Lust.

While you're listening, subscribe to In God We Lust on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or listen early and ad free by joining Wondery Plus and the Wondry app.

So, Eresha, I want you to picture a pool at a luxury hotel on Miami Beach.

Oh, this is perfect. I need a vacation.

Well, it's not just any hotel. It's the luxurious, historic fountain blue.

Back in the 50s, you could catch legends like Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland lounging poolside

or walking through its giant marble lobby.

They actually once had to put arm guards at the door just to keep out screaming fans.

Those were the days drinking Manhattons with old blue eyes.

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