It’s been nearly two weeks since Jonathan Lamb, the son of Daystar Television Network co-founders Marcus and Joni Lamb, was fired from the global Christian media company headquartered in Bedford.
Here’s what we know so far about the details of his termination.
Why was he fired?
Jonathan was fired from the family TV company on Nov. 16, according to a termination letter he shared with The Dallas Morning News. The letter highlighted the confidentiality agreement Jonathan Lamb signed when he joined Daystar, saying he would be subject to defamation laws if he made “untrue or misleading statements” about Daystar or its leaders.
Joni Lamb, his mother and Daystar CEO, said the decision to terminate her son came after a 15-month review of his performance and “refusal to take any steps to satisfy a detailed performance improvement plan put in place.”
In a previous interview with The News, Jonathan said Daystar had a “submission culture.” He believed he was removed from the network’s board and from his role as vice president in April 2023 and later put on the performance improvement plan because he refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Alleged job performance issues
“Jonathan Lamb is no longer a part of Daystar Television Network following his repeated failure to comply with a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) that expired the day before his termination,” an emailed statement from Daystar said.
Jonathan was put on a performance improvement plan in April of this year and was put in charge of the network’s cafe, facilities and distribution departments. “They were placing me in this position as a form of punishment for not agreeing to their demands of signing the NDA,” he said in a previous interview with The News.
Both Jonathan and Daystar shared copies of the performance improvement plan he was put on prior to his termination.
The performance improvement plan included six points. The third point concerned social media: “Refrain from posting comments in a conversation, text or email or on your or Suzy’s blogs and social media regarding any of the following without first obtaining the written approval of its content from the CEO or a Trustee: (i) your reassignment, (ii) the existence or contents of this Plan, (iii) decisions or actions taken by Daystar leadership on any topic, (iv) the appearance or non-appearance of you or Suzy on programs or broadcasts of Daystar.”
Suzy Lamb is Jonathan’s wife.
The plan’s fifth point concerned Joni’s marriage. “You have expressed religious objections relating to the marriage of Doug Weiss to CEO Joni Lamb. As you know, Joni is the CEO of Daystar, and their marriage is legally recognized and has been vetted and affirmed as Biblical by credible pastoral counselors.”
Death in the family
Joni and Marcus Lamb co-founded Daystar in the 1990s. Marcus Lamb served as CEO until his death in November 2021. Joni Lamb married Weiss in 2023. She is Daystar’s current president and CEO.
Since his termination, Jonathan has “engaged in a smear campaign using false allegations against Daystar and its leadership. Based on a clear and documented pattern, it is clear this smear campaign is the result of Jonathan not being designated as the future President of Daystar following the untimely death of Daystar’s founder, Marcus Lamb,” the emailed statement from Daystar said.
In her video addressing the company’s leadership changes, Joni Lamb said the death of her husband Marcus divided the family.
“Jonathan was extremely disappointed that he was not named the future president of Daystar following the death of his father and my husband Marcus Lamb,” she said.
Jonathan previously told The News that a rift between him and his mother grew because he had religious objections to her marriage to Weiss. The Christian Post reported in May that Weiss filed for divorce from his previous wife, Lisa, two months after Marcus Lamb’s death.
“Jonathan’s disappointment in not getting his way only deepened when I married Dr. Doug Weiss, who has been such a blessing to me, the rest of my family and Daystar,” Joni Lamb said in the video.
Joni Lamb’s video ended with an affirmation of her religious convictions.
“We stand firm in our faith, knowing that God is with us, and his purpose for Daystar is far greater than any present challenge we may be facing,” she said.
Daystar says it has over 100 television stations in the U.S. and is on “nearly every major cable and satellite provider across the globe.” The network is registered as a church and adheres to a statement of faith that is posted on its website. It airs shows by major evangelical pastors including Kenneth Copeland and Joel Osteen.
Adrian Ashford covers faith and religion in North Texas for The Dallas Morning News through a partnership with Report for America.
