New documentary by House Speaker’s daughter examines the life of the fallen evangelical leader 2 years after a gay sex and drugs scandal cost him his church
DENVER — A disgraced evangelical leader gave a documentary filmmaker a behind-the-scenes look at his life in exile after a 2006 gay sex and drugs scandal two years after accepting an agreement with his former church that barred him from talking publicly about his fall.
"The Trials of Ted Haggard," directed by Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is set to air next month on HBO. Haggard has agreed to take part in publicity for the project, HBO said.
"We look forward to presenting the film, Ted Haggard and his family at a press tour in Los Angeles next month," a spokeswoman for the cable network said Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Haggard, 52, resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and was fired as senior pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in November 2006 after a former male prostitute went public with allegations that Haggard paid him for sex and used methamphetamines.
Haggard, a married father of five, said he bought the drugs but never used them. He confessed to undisclosed "sexual immorality" and has said, "I really did sin."
Neither Pelosi nor Haggard responded to requests for comment on the documentary, which is scheduled to first air Jan. 29. However, a Web site for a Toronto-based entertainment company that promotes HBO and other television projects describes it as "a behind-scenes-look at the rise and fall of Pastor Ted Haggard."
The 41-minute documentary "follows Haggard and his family as they move from houses to motels as the excommunicated pastor tries to redeem himself and support his loved ones," it says.
Haggard moved his family to Arizona after the scandal, and also lived in Texas. He is now selling insurance.
Haggard was prominently featured in the 2007 HBO documentary "Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi," which was filmed before the scandal.