Pat Robertson, ‘700 Club’ Host and Evangelical Extremist, Dead at 93

Pat Robertson, the man who made a name for himself by founding the conservative political organization the Christian Coalition and hosting the 700 Club TV show, has died at the age of 93, The Associated Press reports.

Robertson’s death was announced Thursday, June 8, in a release sent out by the Christian Broadcasting Network, the TV station he founded in 1961. No cause of death was given.

Robertson spent much of his career as the host of the 700 Club, the weekly Christian talk show he founded in 1966, which welcomed hundreds of notable guests including several U.S. Presidents, actors, athletes and musicians. The show also served as a platform for Robertson’s conservative and extremist views, including his opinion that feminism was akin to socialism and witchcraft, that homosexuality made him want to “vomit” and that many gay people are “Satanists,” and that 9/11 was caused by abortionists and gays.

His opinions often drew criticism, but he and his show maintained popularity for more than fifty years. Robertson retired as host of the 700 Club in 2021 when his son Gordon took over, though Robertson continued to make appearances when he could.

Robertson turned his sights on politics when he ran for President in 1988. Though he eventually dropped out of the race and endorsed George H. W. Bush, he maintained political influence throughout the rest of his life by creating the Christian Coalition, a grass-roots political organization that courted voters and supporters of conservative causes.

Robertson is survived by his four children. His wife Dede died in 2022 at the age of 94.