It took three months, but TLC has finally pulled the plug on 19 Kids And Counting, the reality series that centered on Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children. The show became the center of a scandal after the couple’s oldest son, Josh, 27, admitted to sexually abusing five young girls, including two of his sisters.
The network told the Associated Press this morning that production will not resume for what would have been an 11th season. Repeats of the show, which were pulled on May 23, will also not air on TLC.
“We spent the past month and a half in thoughtful consideration about what is the best way forward here,” Marjorie Kaplan, group president of TLC, Animal Planet and Velocity networks, told the AP.
The move comes after months of public outcry that erupted when Josh admitted that an InTouch Weekly report about him molesting young girls while he was a teen was true.
This lead to a series of public excuses the Duggars gave, including an uncomfortable Fox News interview, in which Jim Bob said that his son was not a pedophile since he touched the victims “over their clothes” and was “not unforgivable.” Josh’s sisters, Jill and Jessa, also spoke to Fox News. Jill was 12 when she was molested and Jessa was 9 or 10.
TLC told the AP that they will begin planning a multi-platform initiative to raise awareness of child sexual abuse. The network has teamed up with two child-protection groups - Darkness to Light and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and will produce a one-hour, commercial-free documentary. Jill and Jessa will participate, as well as other victims of abuse. The special will air next month.
However, TLC might not be completely done with the Duggars. There were rumors that the network was considering a spin-off series with Jill and Jessa. According to CNNMoney, this is still an option.
screenshot from AloneYetNotAlone YouTube Video