Joni Lamb

A pioneering voice in global Christian media and the executive leader of the Daystar Television Network, Joni Lamb died on May 7, 2026, at her home in Bedford, Texas, at the age of 65. Known to millions as the Emmy-nominated host of 'Joni Table Talk,' she was a foundational figure in religious broadcasting who spent over four decades building one of the world’s largest faith-based media empires.

The defining crucible of her public and private life arrived in November 2021. Following the death of her husband and network co-founder, Marcus Lamb, she assumed the sole presidency of Daystar. It was a moment that tested the very resilience she had preached for decades. Stepping into the executive void, she anchored a grieving global organization and took absolute command of a network reaching billions. This period of profound personal and professional upheaval crystallized a recurring theme in her life and writing, which she simply called the storm. As she later reflected in her 2024 book, 'Through the Storm: Courageous Faith in Turbulent Times,' she relied on her foundational beliefs to navigate the crisis. "Through the Word, the Holy Spirit guiding, godly counsel and friends, the Lord has never failed me," she wrote. "He's been my anchor and lighthouse through some of the most heart-wrenching, violent storms."

That steadfast authority was a far cry from her beginnings, yet entirely born from them. Raised Joni Trammell in Greenville, South Carolina, she grew up in a devout Pentecostal household as an active member of the Tremont Avenue Church of God. It was within the walls of that home church during a 1980 revival service that she met a visiting preacher named Marcus Lamb. They married on August 6, 1982, forging a partnership that would reshape modern religious broadcasting. In the early years of their marriage, the couple worked as itinerant evangelists, traveling across the United States to preach in modest venues. The contrast between those grueling early road trips and the high-tech, global reach of the empire she would eventually command is a testament to her relentless drive.

The transition from traveling preachers to media executives began in 1984 when they co-founded WMCF-TV in Montgomery, Alabama, establishing the first full-power Christian television station in the state. Realizing the need for a larger platform, they relocated to Dallas, Texas, in 1990 to form KMPX-TV. This strategic move laid the groundwork for the 1993 launch of the Daystar Television Network. Under her steady hand, Daystar expanded from a regional broadcast effort into a massive global entity, eventually reaching over 110 million homes in the United States and 5 billion people worldwide, as detailed by the Daystar Television Network.

While she was a formidable executive behind the scenes, she was best known to the public as a pioneer of authentic Christian broadcasting. In 2001, she created and launched her flagship program, 'Joni Table Talk.' The show represented a deliberate shift away from the polished, often impenetrable veneer of traditional televangelism. She insisted on transparency, tackling difficult cultural and personal issues with a conversational approach that resonated with a modern audience. "On the air I've always tried to be real, letting you see the authentic me, even when personally going through my own turbulent storms, and there have been many," she noted in her 2024 book. This commitment to high-quality, relatable production earned the program five Daytime Emmy nominations, marking a rare and significant crossover recognition for a faith-based program. The show also garnered three Lone Star Emmy Awards and ten Telly Awards for excellence in television production.

Her peers recognized her not just as a host, but as the strategic general in the room. Following her solo ascension to the presidency in 2021, she wielded Daystar's massive platform with geopolitical weight. In 2024, she received the Israel Allies Foundation award, an honor that underscored the network's consistent support of Jewish causes and its significant influence on the global stage under her leadership. Pastor Paula White-Cain captured her standing among religious leaders, writing on social media, "Today a General for the kingdom, a pioneer, a worldwide evangelist and MY FRIEND went to be with The Lord. With tears in my eyes .. I will miss you @jonilamb .. and I know you are in the Presence of God.. fully perfected .. You finished your course."

Even as she navigated her later years, including her 2023 marriage to clinical psychologist and author Dr. Doug Weiss, she remained intensely focused on the future of her network. She viewed her executive role as a mandate to keep expanding, writing in a 2026 newsletter, "Expect God to move in your circumstances. Expect Him to open doors no one else can open." One of her final major executive acts was overseeing the 2026 launch of Daystar Español on Totalplay in Mexico, a strategic move that brought the network to an additional 2.5 million households, according to Daystar News.

She is survived by her husband, Doug Weiss, and her three children, Jonathan Lamb, Rachel Lamb Brown, and Rebecca Lamb Weiss. The empire she built now rests in the hands of the next generation, ensuring the continuity of a vision that began in a small South Carolina church. She will be remembered not merely for the staggering scale of the network she built, but for the unyielding fortitude she brought to the broadcast industry. By insisting that faith could be both globally ambitious and deeply, transparently personal, she redefined what it meant to be a leader in Christian media, steering her organization through every storm with an unwavering hand.