Televangelist George Bloomer Wins $62.2M Over 'Racist Connotations' Against the Word Network

A federal jury in Detroit awarded televangelist Bishop George Bloomer $62.2 million (€55.4 million and £46.8 million) on Wednesday, 14 October 2026. Jurors found The Word Network owner Kevin Adell liable for racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation following a five-day trial. US District Judge Susan K. DeClercq presided.

The case grew from a September 2019 dispute over a digitally altered image, but the lawsuit went much further. Bloomer alleged that Adell continued making offensive references after being asked to stop and threatened his television airtime. Their working relationship ended that month.

Bloomer, 63, is the founder of Bethel Family Worship Center in Durham, North Carolina. He hosted Rejoice in the Word and The First Word on the religious broadcaster, which Adell founded and owns.

George Bloomer Objected to Image Before Airtime Threats

According to federal court records, two network employees showed Adell an online article on 4 September 2019. It contained an image depicting him as a pimp in a white fur coat, standing before a limousine with four Black ministers.

Bloomer was already pictured among the ministers, wearing a white tuxedo. Court documents place Bloomer in the original image, rather than in a later version.

Bloomer testified that Adell laughed at the picture when showing it to him at work. After Bloomer said it was racist, Adell sent it to him by text with remarks comparing his appearance to Tattoo, a character from Fantasy Island.

Bloomer objected again. The court records reproduce his warning that the pimp imagery had 'a racist connotation to it' and needed to be removed. Adell sent another photograph the following day showing a white man whose face had been covered with black markings.

The messages continued. On 11 September, Adell sent a close-up of Bloomer from the original picture, again referring to Tattoo. Bloomer replied, 'Not funny!!!!!'

After another objection, Adell's documented responses included 'So sensitive' and 'WTF'. Two Black network employees described his treatment of Bloomer as offensive or racially insensitive in declarations cited by the court.

The dispute then reached Bloomer's programming. In a separate message, he criticised delayed customer orders and reported that some preachers compared the network to a plantation. He also asked for more consistent airtime.

Adell testified that the plantation comparison angered him. He acknowledged considering taking away some of Bloomer's broadcasting slots, an action he called 'the whip'. Bloomer separately alleged that Adell made racist remarks and threatened his airtime during a telephone conversation.

The parties disagreed over why Bloomer left. The controversy also prompted a clergy boycott campaign and criticism from the Detroit chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists.

George Bloomer Wins Verdict Following Years of Litigation

Bloomer and GG Bloomer Ministries sued Adell, The Word Network Operating Company and Church of the Word on 12 October 2022. They alleged discrimination, harassment and retaliation under federal civil rights law, alongside claims relating to contracts and unpaid commissions.

The financial dispute concerned Bloomer's promotion of religious products through network programmes. Adell contested the existence of some commission agreements, according to court documents.

In June 2025, US District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds allowed substantial portions of the case to proceed to trial, while dismissing some claims involving commissions. That ruling assessed whether evidence could support the claims. It was not itself a jury verdict.

Following the October 2026 trial, jurors found in Bloomer's favour on racial discrimination, harassment and retaliation, awarding $62.2 million (€55.4 million and £46.8 million).

Adell had previously said Bloomer wanted more airtime and had left for reasons unrelated to racism. In November 2019, he apologised for the image, saying he had not created it and that it did not reflect his character. 'I apologize profusely,' he wrote.

An Adell representative declined to comment when contacted by Detroit television station WDIV on 15 October. The reported award is a jury decision, not confirmation that Bloomer has received payment.

The available reports do not establish how jurors divided damages between individual claims or defendants. Any subsequent challenges to the verdict would need to be assessed through later court filings.