This article contains mention of sexual assault.
Since the end of season 2, theories have swirled about Eli Gemstone stealing millions of dollars on The Righteous Gemstones. If true, stealing the money to fund the megachurch is one of the worst things Eli has ever done. Fans may have to wait until season 3 to hopefully get an answer.
The hedonistic pseudo-religious family makes millions off their megachurch, but fail to live what they preach. The Gemstone family and friends make the worst decisions and dig themselves in deeper until people get hurt. These are the worst things the Gemstones and company have ever done.
BJ Barnes: Marrying Judy
BJ’s life would be so much easier if he never married Judy between seasons 1 and 2. She treats him terribly, and he deserves better from a significant other. He is the target for verbal abuse from her entire family, and he’s too timid to respond appropriately and shut it down.
He makes changes to his personality for her. He gets a nose job for her. He gets baptized for her. Everything he does is for Judy, and he does not receive the same courtesy. Marrying Judy is the worst thing BJ has done for his life and his future.
Keefe Chambers: Being Dependent On Kelvin
With his former Satan-worshipping past and his loyalty to his friends, Keefe is an incredibly likable Righteous Gemstones character. The biggest issue in his life is being dependent on Kelvin. In season 1, Kelvin has a breakdown where he questions God which causes Keefe to return to his Satanist friends because he has no idea where to go.
He is so dependent on Kelvin providing food, shelter, and direction in his life. This dependency is the worst thing possible for him because it gets him into questionable situations. He is locked in a cage by the God Squad because he can’t bear the cross for Kelvin.
Baby Billy Freeman: Credit Cards In His Son’s Name
Baby Billy is a terrible person who has done some pretty terrible things to his family. He abandons his wife and son because he cannot provide for them. He sells family land for money and manipulates Aimee-Leigh into agreeing to a reunion tour while she’s pregnant.
He struggles to provide for his family while spending money to achieve a lifestyle similar to Eli. He takes out credit cards in his unborn son’s name to fund his business venture selling quick healing products. Baby Billy knows what is like to be in debt and still chooses for his child to experience the same. He doesn’t care about his son’s future. He only wants to fund his next get-rich-quick scheme.
Kelvin Gemstone: Treatment Of The God Squad
The Righteous Gemstones has unpopular opinions about Kelvin and Keefe. In season 2, when Kelvin creates the God Squad, he takes his faith to the next level. However, how he treats the God Squad is one of the worst things he’s ever done.
The fitness-obsessed group of men doesn’t question their leader until Eli undermines Kelvin, and he begins to lose control of them. He forces them to complete things he cannot do himself despite thinking he’s a Messianic figure. The men live in a weird little village on his lawn while he enjoys his sprawling mansion. Kelvin is only living his fantasy of having a group of people look at him like a religious figure.
Judy Gemstone: Sexually Assaulting Her Professor
Judy is a loose cannon. She wants to be taken seriously as a member of the family and have a larger role within the church. However, her season 1 confession may be the worst thing she has ever done. Judy confesses to sexually assaulting her college professor and then kidnapping his child to tell him of their “affair.”
The alleged affair was simply assault, as Judy claims the man was crying and talking about his family. Judy lives in her head and imagines an entire consenting relationship with the professor. Somehow she got off with only a restraining order against her.
Gideon Gemstone: Blackmailing His Family
As one of the most intelligent characters in the series, Gideon recognizes his family’s weak spots and uses them to his advantage. He knows Jesse preaches a wholesome lifestyle but doesn’t follow one. Recording his dad and friends doing drugs with prostitutes is used to his advantage for money.
Gideon’s actions bring down a storm of unnecessary drama for the Gemstones. He and Jesse wouldn’t be held up at gunpoint in the church vault by Scotty if not for his actions. Amber wouldn’t have shot Jesse in the buttocks if Gideon didn’t record and blackmail his dad.
Amber Gemstone: Shooting Her Husband
Amber is depicted as a loving wife and mother, submissive to her husband. However, audiences see a new side to her personality when Jesse shows the wives of his men’s group the blackmail video. Amber begins destroying the house before grabbing a rifle and hunting down Jesse.
Shooting him in the buttocks before he makes it out of the yard is an unhinged moment for Amber, but one that viewers may be able to sympathize with. She always supports him but is never given the same respect in return. For a character who always does the right thing, shooting Jesse, even out of pure anger, is Amber’s worst moment by far.
Jesse Gemstone: Lying About The Blackmail Video
Jesse regularly makes poor decisions, but not telling Eli and Amber about being blackmailed sets off a series of events that could have been avoided. Eli is a powerful man in the community. He could’ve made everything disappear, but Jesse chose to lie to him. He involves Judy and Kelvin, and things go more awry.
When Gideon takes responsibility for the blackmail, Jesse doesn’t take responsibility for the video until he begins to feel guilty. He is shot by Amber because he lied. Preaching a holy lifestyle while doing cocaine and partying with prostitutes is hypocritical. However, lying about the events is even worse for the Gemstone family.
Eli Gemstone: Covering Up Murder
As the wealthiest member of the Gemstone family, Eli is a savvy businessman. He builds the megachurch from the ground up with the help of his wife. Unfortunately, he has a dark past named Glendon who wants to launder money through the church. After turning him down, Eli’s senile father shoots Glendon, and he’s buried underneath the rollercoaster on the Gemstone state.
Junior never knew what happened to his dad until Eli finally reveals his death. Until the series confirms that Eli stole the millions of dollars from Glendon’s duffelbag, covering up the man’s death is the worst thing he has done.
Aimee-Leigh Gemstone: Mistreating Staff
Only appearing in flashbacks, Aimee-Leigh is the beloved matriarch who stands up for herself against Baby Billy and tries to be a supportive wife for Eli. However, when a reporter discusses Aimee-Leigh with Eli in season 2, viewers learn how she was mistreating the staff.
Aimee-Leigh is depicted as a wholesome religious singer, but her former assistants paint a different picture of the woman as a controlling boss. The reporter is killed before he can publish any stories painting Aimee-Leigh in a negative light, so viewers will have to wait until season 3 to find out if there’s any truth to the claims.