The absence of Jonathan Lamb from the speaker lineup at his mother’s memorial service highlighted the family tensions and controversies that plagued Joni Lamb and Daystar Television Network in the years before her death.
Family members, ministry leaders and supporters gathered Monday at Gateway Church to honor the life and legacy of the longtime Christian broadcaster, who died May 7 at age 65 after serious health complications worsened by a recent back injury.
While several family members and high-profile figures delivered tributes during the memorial, Jonathan Lamb, Joni Lamb’s eldest son and former Daystar executive, did not speak.
According to The Roys Report, Jonathan and his wife, Suzy Lamb, were seated in the front row away from the rest of the family and largely out of camera view.
The omission came amid a years-long public rift within the Lamb family that intensified after the death of Marcus Lamb in 2021.
Shortly after Joni Lamb’s death, Jonathan shared a childhood photo of himself with his parents on social media, writing: “Thank you for your prayers. God will carry us through.” Suzy Lamb, meanwhile, claimed on X that the couple was not informed in time to say goodbye before Joni Lamb’s death.
“As Joni Lamb was nearing the end, we weren’t informed of anything,” she wrote. “They knew she was dying yesterday evening … they didn’t call Jonathan to come say goodbye.”
“We were down the road, but weren’t given a call to say goodbye. We forgive them,” she added.
Joni Lamb’s daughters, Rachel Lamb Brown and Rebecca Lamb Weiss, delivered emotional tributes during the service, remembering their mother as compassionate and devoted to her faith. Rebecca later reposted Daystar’s statement announcing her mother’s death on Instagram.
“One of the things Mom was best at was making others feel valued and loved,” Rebecca Lamb Weiss told attendees. “She had a way of connecting with people and making them feel like family. What’s amazing is that she was able to translate that through a television screen.”
The service also featured music from artists including Nicole C. Mullen and tributes from prominent Evangelical and political figures, including Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Joel Osteen and Paula White-Cain.
Trump offered the only mention of Jonathan during the service in a recorded message from the Oval Office, according to The Roys Report. The president stated: “To the entire Lamb family, and to all Christians all over this world, but especially Joni’s husband, Doug, and her children, Rachel, Rebecca, Jonathan, today we honor Joni. We celebrate her incredible life, and we know that she is looking down on us right now, filled with love and joy.”
Speakers also praised Lamb’s role in building Daystar into one of the world’s largest Christian television networks and highlighted her support for Israel and conservative causes.
Born in Colleyville, Texas, in 1960, Joni Lamb co-founded Daystar with Marcus Lamb in 1993. Under their leadership, the network expanded globally through satellite, cable, streaming and digital platforms. Lamb hosted programs including “Joni Table Talk” and “Ministry Now!” and remained president of the network until her death.
But the network and the family became embroiled in controversy in 2024 after Jonathan and Suzy Lamb alleged in an interview with The Roys Report that a relative identified publicly only as “Pete” had sexually abused their daughter.
The couple alleged that when they informed Joni Lamb about the accusations, they were discouraged from reporting the matter to police and that their daughter may have been pressured to stop discussing the alleged abuse.
Joni Lamb denied the allegations, insisting that her granddaughter had accused a preschool-aged boy — not the relative identified as “Pete” — of inappropriate touching. Police investigated the matter but ultimately filed no charges.
“Daystar fully cooperated with law enforcement’s investigation,” the network said at the time. “No evidence has ever existed implicating ‘Pete’ in any crime.”
Joni Lamb later accused Jonathan Lamb of conducting a “smear campaign” against her in an attempt to gain control of Daystar after Marcus Lamb’s death.
The ministry also faced criticism over other controversies in recent years. In 2024, the Trinity Foundation reported allegations that Joni Lamb had used Daystar’s ministry jet for personal travel. The organization noted that while such use is legal if properly reported and taxed, the allegations raised broader questions about stewardship and governance within the ministry.
Despite the controversies, many Christian leaders remembered Lamb this week as a pioneering broadcaster whose influence shaped modern Christian television.
Christian author Max Davis, who had been working on a book with Lamb, said after her death that “there was an unreal amount of grief and pressure on Joni, yet her faith never wavered.”
“I knew her as someone who wasn’t perfect, but loved the Lord deeply, her family and was passionate about the Gospel,” Davis wrote.
