In a sad development, YouTube has terminated the official channel of the late Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua’s megachurch, Emmanuel TV, for violating its hate speech policies.
This decision comes in the wake of a recent investigation by the BBC and openDemocracy which was triggered by the release of a damning BBC Documentary exposé on TB Joshua.
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TB Joshua BBC Documentary Exposé Triggers YouTube Action
The BBC documentary shed light on shocking allegations of sexual abuse, torture, and staged miracles that occurred during TB Joshua’s leadership until his passing in June 2021. These revelations prompted an in-depth examination of SCOAN’s practices and led to the recent termination of Emmanuel TV, the church’s YouTube channel.
Emmanuel TV, which played a significant role in TB Joshua’s rise to global prominence, boasted over half a million followers and had accumulated hundreds of millions of views on the video-sharing platform.
According to BBC News, during the investigation, openDemocracy discovered approximately 50 “abusive” videos on Emmanuel TV’s YouTube channel. These videos depicted individuals with mental health issues being held in chains, disseminated medical misinformation, and engaged in smear campaigns against women who had spoken out about TB Joshua’s sexual abuse.
Citing violations of its hate speech policies, YouTube confirmed the termination of Emmanuel TV. This is not the first time the YouTube channel has been suspended. Previous breaches of YouTube’s community guidelines had resulted in the channel being temporarily suspended.
DStv Pulls the Plug on Emmanuel TV Amid Scandal
The termination of Emmanuel TV’s YouTube channel comes a couple of weeks after MultiChoice, the South African company that operates DStv, recently disconnected the TB Joshua Emmanuel TV channel from its satellite service. Emmanuel TV’s satellite channel was dropped on January 17, 2024, after being one of the most successful Christian networks globally for many years.
In light of the BBC Documentary investigation into TB Joshua and the disturbing revelations surrounding SCOAN, the authorities decided to disconnect the Emmanuel TV channel
