Ted Haggard's bitter boy toy tells all

On November 3, all-American family man Ted Haggard resigned as head of the 30-million strong National Association of Evangelicals after a male prostitute named Mike Jones went public as the preacher's former lover and drug dealer. Jones claims he had monthly, crystal meth–fueled sex sessions with Haggard over the span of three years. The sequence of events that led to Haggard's stepping down followed a rather familiar pattern: Right-wing zealot publicly condemns homosexuality (Haggard was a vocal proponent of an amendment on the Colorado ballot banning same-sex marriage—it passed); rumors surface that said zealot might, you know, be gay; zealot issues a Clintonian denial ("I have not, I have never had a gay relationship with anybody"); rumors turn to fact; zealot admits as much ("I am guilty of sexual immorality"); zealot resigns from post and goes into hiding to receive treatment for his "issues" (Haggard is currently undergoing "spiritual restoration").

For the first time, Mike Jones shares the intimate details about his "working" relationship with one of the evangelical community's biggest national figures.

RADAR: Did you have any idea that your going public as Ted Haggard's lover would be national news?
MIKE JONES: I knew it was going to be big, but I didn't know it would be nationwide and so incredibly explosive. I guess I was a little naive. I knew it would certainly cause some friction and conversation.

"The first time Haggard said, 'I don't know Mike Jones,' I thought, Well, that's the easiest part to prove"How does it feel to be thrust into the limelight?
I wish I had a word for it. Everything is a blur to me right now. I've had over 500 phone calls, 300 e-mails. It is just overwhelming. You know, I made the decision to do it on my own because that's the kind of guy I am. It's hard for me to ask for help.

What is your religious background?
It's not much. I guess I was raised a Methodist, but that really doesn't mean anything to me. I consider myself a Christian. I pray to God, but my mom always taught me that my religion and worship with God is personal. I do my praying and stuff, but I'm very uneasy in a church setting. I don't like organized groups.

You've said that you came forward at this time for political reasons—because of the amendment on the Colorado ballot banning same-sex marriage.
You always hear people say, "I don't care what the politicians believe as long as they are honest about it." That is exactly what I am doing. I am trying to be honest on everything, but I get chastised for it.

Has it accomplished what you wanted it to accomplish?
Well, it opened people's eyes, and that is one of the things I wanted to accomplish. I made it a point to have it happen before the election. I wanted to expose this hypocrite. I wish our initiatives in Colorado would have went the other way, which is one of the reasons I brought it up, but they didn't.