God Forbid: 5 details about pool boy Giancarlo Granda

Hulu has just released its much-anticipated documentary revolving around the Falwell family and Giancarlo Granda. Titled, God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty, the upcoming documentary has garnered quite the hype ever since its arrival.

What is interesting is the interactive approach that Hulu has taken with Giancarlo Granda, one of the three pivotal characters of the story. The documentary follows his experiences to give us a comprehensive view of the story at hand.

God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty is an exclusive title on the streaming platform Hulu which released on November 1, 2022 at 3 am E.T. With some extremely prominent names involved, this is easily one of the most notable scandals of the last decade, and is sure to be an interesting watch.

In this article, we explore the character of Giancarlo Granda, the central figure who was started out as a nobody but eventually came to be the undoing of one of the most influential families in America.

Meeting the Falwells, a business deal, and more: 5 quick facts about Giancarlo Granda, the pool boy from Miami

1) Granda was working as a pool boy when he met the Falwells

The Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami beach (Image via Paul Warchol)

Giancarlo Granda was only 20 years old when he first met the Falwell couple. He used to work in Miami's Fontainebleau hotel as a pool boy, when he came across Becki Falwell, wife to Jerry Falwell, former president of Liberty University and a prominent member of the Evangelical Christian community.

During the couple's vacation in March 2012, Becki, who was lounging in a bikini near the pool area, noticed the handsome 20-year old. She initiated a conversation and flirted with him. Granda, liking the attention and compliments he was receiving, accepted her offer to return to her room with her.

However, he was slightly taken aback at the condition that her husband would watch the two of them get intimate.

2) He has a book detailing his experience

Giancarlo and Jerry Jr. (Image via New York Post)

When the ordeal started, Granda was only 20 years. Now, at 29, after having been through it all, he looks back at his first encounter with Becki and considers the decision to return to her room as being one of the worst decisions he made. A simple no would have saved him years of manipulation and being used by the Falwells.

In the book he has written about his account of the six-year long affair, Off the Deep End: Jerry and Becki Falwell and the Collapse of an Evangelical Dynasty, he talks about how Becki was a master at the art of seduction and manipulation, and would periodically convince him into getting physical with her.

He has also written about how he initially thought the Falwells were serial killers and even shared their arrangement and address with his sister, who at the time, found the whole situation hilarious.

3) He entered a business deal with the Falwells

Miami Hostel, the shared business venture (Image via New York Times)

As per Granda, one of the primary reasons behind them falling out was a business deal gone wrong. Back in 2013, the Falwells invested in a real estate opportunity in Miami which also had Granda listed as one of the stakeholders in the business.

The Miami Beach youth hostel was a good place to invest in, and the Falwells had intended to make Granda the manager of the business. The down payment was put forth by Jerry Falwell Jr. while Becki Falwell and Giancarlo were among the list of partners. However, later on, when the latter wanted to cut ties with the family, he tried to buy out his share, which ultimately led to a botched deal.

4) He was the one who tried to break off their arrangement

Giancarlo and Jerry Fallwell Jr. in Washington DC (Image via Hulu)

After meeting the Falwells in early 2012, the couple and Giancarlo Granda got together quite often over the next few years. The routine was the same, Granda used to meet them at their vacation spots, Miami hotels they were staying at, in New York and even at their home in Virginia.

Most of these times, Becki and he engaged in s*xual activity while Jerry watched.

However, after a few years of the affair, in 2014, when he got into a serious relationship with his then-girlfriend, Angelina, he decided to break off the arrangement with the Falwells. Despite that, the Falwells and Granda ended up staying in touch till 2018.

A still from God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty (Image via Hulu)

Their last reported escapade took place on the Falwell's property in Lynchburg, in August 2018, when Giancarlo and his family were on their way to Washington DC, where he had enrolled in an university. They were invited to stay the weekend at the Falwell's guesthouse, where they had hoped to get intimate once again, even though Granda was in a relationship then.

5) Granda's former friend has sued both him and Hulu

With Hulu's documentary coming out, another man has been brought into the loop. Gordon Bello, a former friend of Giancarlo, has sued Hulu, asking them to not air the documentary. He has claimed that he was recorded without his consent and that the recording has been subsequently used in the documentary, also without his knowledge.

However, Billy Corben, the creator of the Hulu title, has said that Bello was made aware of the recording. He further added that it was made in New York, where the consent of the other party is not required to record them. According to Bello, who has now started a new consulting business, the recording of him in the documentary paints him in a bad light and will negatively impact his business.

Bello also had a falling out with Giancarlo over the real estate deal in Miami, where he too was allegedly promised a share. He claimed that it was he and his father who had directed them towards the business opportunity back in 2013. Their lawsuit that followed was settled for an undisclosed sum of money in 2019.

God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty premiered on Hulu on November 1, 2022.

Edited by Upasya Bhowal