Anna Duggar’s ‘Jill & Jessa: Counting On’ Appearance Sparks Family Boycott Of TV Specials
Anna Duggar’s appearance on the upcoming TLC series, Jill & Jessa: Counting On, is reportedly tearing the Duggar family apart. The Duggars don’t disagree on much — or at least they tried to make it seem that way on 19 Kids and Counting. However, a recent report suggests that some members of the family aren’t happy with Anna Duggar’s decision to speak out about her husband’s scandals on Jill & Jessa: Counting On. These family members are boycotting the TLC specials in their own special way by refusing to appear on them.
The upcoming series of three TLC specials were supposed to be all about Jessa Duggar Seewald’s pregnancy and Jill Duggar Dillard’s mission trip, so fans and critics of the Duggar family were surprised when Anna Duggar popped up in a recent promo for the show. A source close to the Duggars recently told ETonline that some members of the family think that Anna’s appearance on Jill & Jessa: Counting On is inappropriate, so they’ve decided not to take part in the special.
According to the source, some family members “are disagreeing with a lot of what they are doing” on the TLC specials. The Duggar dissenters have allegedly complained that the specials are “turning into a circus,” and they seem to believe that Jill & Jessa: Counting On is making light of the two major scandals that rocked the Duggar family earlier this year. Some of these family members have reportedly “chosen not to participate in the special out of respect to the serious ordeal the family has been going through in the last months.”
Both of these scandals had a major effect on Anna Duggar’s life. Her husband, Josh Duggar, lost his job with the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. after he confessed to sexually molesting four of his younger sisters and another little girl when he was a teenager. Josh and a heavily-pregnant Anna were forced to move back to Arkansas, and Anna had to abandon the birthing plan that she had in place.
Just a few months later, Gawker discovered that Josh Duggar was using the Ashley Madison website to cheat on his wife. Josh admitted to having an affair, and he also claimed that he was suffering from an addiction to internet pornography. He decided the best way to deal with his troubles was to spend a few months away from his wife and kids. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Josh flew to Illinois to enroll himself in a “school of discipleship” near the end of August. Anna Duggar stayed in Arkansas with their four children, and her in-laws have been helping her take care of the kids.
It’s unclear which family members have a problem with Anna Duggar appearing on Jill & Jessa: Counting On, but Josh Duggar has a very good reason for not wanting his wife to on the specials — they’ll remind Duggar fans about his scandals, and everyone will be talking about them again.
The ETonline source says that the Duggar family members who are upset about the Jill & Jessa: Counting On specials believe that “certain members of the family are more focused on ratings and a paycheck than actually focusing on the issues at hand.” Fashion & Style speculates that Anna Duggar might be very interested in earning a TLC paycheck because her husband is currently jobless and facing a lawsuit. According to In Touch Weekly, porn star Danica Dillon is suing Josh for “the physical and emotional injuries” she sustained after a violent sexual encounter with the former 19 Kids and Counting star. In her lawsuit, Danica Dillon says that she “felt as if she were being raped” by Josh Duggar.
If Josh Duggar is really worried about his finances, perhaps he has decided that he can endure a little more shaming to get his hands on his wife’s TLC paycheck. In other words, he also has a reason not to object to Anna Duggar’s appearance on Jill & Jessa: Counting On.
However, Josh’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, might have an issue with Anna Duggar reminding longtime 19 Kids and Counting fans about their family’s issues. According to People, Jim Bob Duggar was never really on-board with the idea of a spinoff focusing on a few select family members, especially if the format change meant that he wouldn’t get a large amount of screen time.
“He absolutely wanted to be back on TV and was never thrilled about the show suddenly shifting focus,” a Duggar family insider told People.
Jim Bob might not be crazy about the new TLC specials, but, as the Inquisitr previously reported, he and Michelle Duggar will likely appear on Jill & Jessa: Counting On.
The other members of the Duggar family who have good reason to be upset with Anna Duggar talking about the Josh Duggar sexual molestation scandal are Josh’s victims who haven’t spoken out about what their brother did. Jill and Jessa Duggar revealed that they were two of Josh’s victims this summer, and they agreed to talk to Fox News host Megyn Kelly about their brother’s troubling behavior. However, the other two sisters that Josh molested have chosen to remain silent. This could be because they simply want to put the past behind them, and, if this is the case, there’s a chance that they don’t agree with Anna’s decision to talk about the scandal on Jill & Jessa: Counting On.
If all but a few members of the Duggar family appear on the trio of TLC specials, viewers will easily be able to figure out which Duggars boycotted Anna’s appearance on the shows.
[Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook]
