Updated Feb. 6, 2008 -- Bishop Thomas Weeks III speaks exclusively to BET News telling his side of what went down the night he allegedly beat his wife, the Prophetess Juanita Bynum. Don't miss the encore of this controversial one-one-one interview, airing Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT).
It was seemingly a match made in heaven when Prophetess Juanita Bynum and Bishop Thomas Weeks III tied the knot in a million-dollar ceremony and a blaze of publicity in 2002. The power-couple and televangelists went on to sell out copies of their nuptials on DVD to devoted fans. They co-authored books together, held popular ‘Teach Me How to Love’ Seminars around the world and lived the life that many envied. They had what many believed to be the perfect marriage.
Five years later, this fairytale romance came to a sensationalized screeching halt in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel. There, Bynum accused Weeks of brutally beating her in a fit of rage and violent fury. Across the country, a media frenzy ensued on television, radio and the the Internet dissecting the allegations of domestic violence among the jet-setting couple that could do no wrong. The new face of America’s televangelist first couple: Photos of the Prophetess’ cuts and bruises and the Bishop’s mug shot.
Since, Bynum has controlled the airwaves and media outlets in a wave of publicity telling her side of the story from the Tom Joyner Show, Good Morning America and back-to-back issues of Essence magazine. Further, she even halted the publication of the Bishop’s new book that was said to unearth damaging information against her.
For the Bishop, the days have been long with what seems to be a premature guilty verdict in the court of public opinion. His woes have included the questioning of his character and faith, a decreasing ministry, allegations of past violence against women and extreme financial woes. While his wife put him on full-blast, he has mostly remained silent. But no more. The Bishop has had enough.
Don't miss the BET encore of The Bishop Speaks Sunday at 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT).