Jesse Duplantis: The Prosperity Preacher from the River Road

The Prosperity Preacher from the River Road

Jesse Duplantis was born on July 9, 1949, in Destrehan, Louisiana — a small town on the River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. He grew up in the working-class world of St. Charles Parish before finding religion and building one of the largest ministries in the American South. He founded Jesse Duplantis Ministries and leads Covenant Church, based in the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Duplantis is a charismatic preacher in the prosperity gospel tradition — a theological movement that teaches material wealth as evidence of divine blessing. He's a gifted speaker with a Cajun accent and a comedian's timing, and his sermons draw thousands of followers in person and millions through television and internet broadcasts. He has authored numerous books on spirituality and Christian living.

The Jets

In 2018, Duplantis made international headlines when he asked his followers to donate money for a $54 million Dassault Falcon 7X private jet. He already owned three other aircraft. His justification became one of the most quoted lines in modern televangelism: he said he believed that if Jesus were on earth today, he wouldn't be riding a donkey. The request sparked outrage, mockery, and a national conversation about wealth, faith, and the business of American religion.

Controversy and Continuation

Duplantis has faced criticism from multiple directions — for his wealth, for his theology, for his response to Hurricane Ida in 2021, and for a 2024 securities fraud complaint involving cryptocurrency promotion within Christian communities. His ministry continues to operate and draw large audiences.

Jesse Duplantis is a product of the same River Road that produced plantation owners and sugarcane workers, jazz musicians and Mardi Gras Indians. He took the showmanship that Louisiana breeds into its people and applied it to the pulpit. Whether that's admirable or alarming depends entirely on who you ask.