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Pat Robertson steps down as host of 'The 700 club', Internet says 'good riddance'

Pat Robertson began hosting 'The 700 Club' in 1966, six years after founding The Christian Broadcast Network. His son Gordon will be taking over now

After 55 years of hosting the Christian Broadcast Network talk show 'The 700 Club', Pat Robertson, 91, stepped down from the position on Friday, October 1. "Today’s show will be my final as host of The 700 Club. My replacement will be my very capable son, Gordon, who will take over as full-time host of the program, " he said on Friday’s show. Robertson's son, Gordon Robertson, 63, has been the show’s co-host and executive producer for the past two decades.

Robertson began hosting 'The 700 Club' in 1966, six years after founding The Christian Broadcast Network. The program’s name was inspired by a 1963 telethon hosted by Robertson in which he asked 700 viewers to pledge $10 a month to the network. Robertson started CBN in a small Virginia television station and now it has grown into an international religious network. 'The 700 Club' was the network's flagship program.

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"CBN was the first Christian television network established in the United States, " writes CBN’s website. "Today CBN is one of the world’s largest television ministries and produces programming seen in 159 nations and heard in 70 languages." While retiring as host, Robertson is planning to shift his energies towards teaching at Regent University, which he founded in 1977. Robertson will make guest appearances on CBN broadcasts, including future episodes of 'The 700 Club'. "'Good and faithful’ doesn’t even begin to describe my father’s service to CBN for 60 years. His legacy and the example of his prayer life will continue to lead ‘The 700 Club’ in the years to come. And the best part is, he is just going across the street to Regent University and will be on ‘The 700 Club’ regularly in the future," Gordon said of his father.

'Pat Robertson blamed gays and lesbians for 9/11 attacks'

Robertson faced backlash on social media for being 'anti-gay' as people 'celebrated' him stepping down from the show. One person tweeted, "You guys remember when jerry falwell and pat robertson blamed "gays and lesbians" for the 9/11 attacks?" Another wrote, "Pat Robertson, 91, is stepping down as host of the 700 Club after 55 years! Why so soon? lol...He has been the host since LBJ was President and a great majority of Americans today were not alive when he started! Good riddance & hope this show dies off for good! #PatRobertson." One tweet read, "Pat Robertson steps down as regular host of 'The 700 Club' - CNN Yahoo!!! Jesus will be soooo f’n happy this charlatan will no longer debase his teachings by integrating them into an autocratic fascist ideology and calling it Christianity! #religion." One person wrote, "MAGA minister Pat Robertson steps down as host of the 700 club. Robertson knew the January 6, 2021 insurrection was going to happen, yet he did not notify FBI as a responsible person in his position would do. What a jokester!" "Pat Robertson proclaimed hate and intolerance, not love of any sort. What he did wasn't 'service' -- it was propaganda for money. He changed the definition of "Christian" which under his baleful eye, became nothing to do with Jesus Christ."