Joni Lamb, the founder of Daystar Television Network died at the age of 65, as confirmed on May 7, raising questions about who would be her successor. Lamb had founded Daystar with husband Marcus Lamb, who died in 2021 from COVID related complications.
A cause for Joni’s death is not known, but Daystar noted that she had her health struggles and was also coping with a back injury. “Prior to her recent back injury, Lamb had been dealing with serious health matters that she chose to face head on and in private. The back injury compounded those challenges and led to a more serious medical situation than anyone had anticipated. Despite the dedicated efforts of her medical team and the prayers of so many around the world, her condition worsened in the last few days,” they said.
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Joni had ensured, even after husband Marcus died, that she would set up the ministry in a way that it would outlast them both, as per Jubileecast, a Christian music portal. Thus, with Joni passing away, the question is being asked about who will succeed her. A lot of focus is being turned to Joni’s second husband, Dr. Doug Weiss, who she married in 2023, and her three children – Jonathan, Rachel, and Rebecca Lamb.
Joni Lamb successor: Who will take up Daystar founder’s post
Joni was the president of Daystar, apart from founding it, and also hosted the Joni Table Talk. She’s ensured that there is a smooth transition within the organization after her demise.
Daystar confirmed that there is an executive team in place so that programming carries on as scheduled, with on-air tributes to follow, as per Jubileecast. Daystar stated “We will keep broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, alongside you.”
Technically, no successor has been chosen yet at the time of writing. The board of directors is expected to give more guidance on what the leadership structure might look like in the coming weeks. This has brought focus on Weiss, a television co-host, author, and psychologist, who had first appeared as a guest on Daystar. The two would go on to tie the knot and Weiss also appeared alongside Joni as a co-host on Daystar, in the years since.
It has also turned focus on the children – Rachel Lamb, Rebecca Lamb, and Jonathan Lamb. While all three have been active in the ministry, Jonathan had a falling out after accusing Joni and Marcus of protecting a family member, who they alleged had sexually abused their daughter. Jonathan’s wife, Suzy, claimed that he was only told about Joni’s death much later. Given the existing rift, it does not seem likely then that Jonathan’s name would be thrown in the ring, if Joni’s children are considered as successors. However, there’s no confirmation of that yet.
Under Joni and Marcus, Daystar Television Network went to over 2.4 billion homes worldwide, reaching more than 7.3 billion people. Joni Table Talk had by June 2025 reached about 2.55 million households and boasted of a viewership of about 7 million, as per reports.
