Yahoo Sports Pat Robertson, The 700 Club host and controversial religious broadcaster, dies at 93
Pat Robertson, the controversial religious television personality and former 700 Club host who influenced a generation of conservative politics, has died at age 93.
The Christian Broadcasting Network — which Robertson founded in 1960 — announced that the TV figure died Thursday morning at his Virginia Beach home, though no cause of death was revealed.
"With great sadness, we announce that Dr. M.G. 'Pat' Robertson has gone home to be with his Lord and Savior today, June 8, 2023," a CBN social media post read. "Thank you for your prayers for the Robertson family and the ministry of CBN at this time."
Though his reach impacted many in both positive and negative ways, Robertson is perhaps best known as the face of CBN's The 700 Club talk show, which allowed him to build an audience around the nation. Before Robertson's exit from the series in 2021, the show became so popular that he was able to welcome guests like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump.
In addition to his work in Christian-based programming, Robertson also launched the Christian Coalition and sought the Republican nomination for the United States presidency in the late '80s.
Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Getty Pat Robertson
Since then, the Christian Coalition mobilized religiously-inclined voters to support politicians who aligned with their ideals.
Though he was popular with his religious base, Robertson drew heavy criticism during his life for his radical views, including blaming natural disasters on non-scientific factors, such as when he linked the 2010 Haiti earthquake to a "pact with the devil." In 2002, he called Islam a violent religion that wants to "dominate" and "destroy." Robertson often spoke out against abortion, feminism, and homosexuality, saying in 2013 that the thought of seeing two men kissing made him want to "vomit."
Robertson's divisive views polarized social media amid news of his death. While many of his followers paid tribute to him under CBN News' tweet announcing his death, queer activist and Drag Me to Dinner star Marti Gould Cummings slammed Robertson on Twitter, writing: "Pat Robertson is dead! Enjoy hell bitch."
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