Duggars Anger Locals By Filming TLC Series, Family Members’ Contracts Up Soon

The Duggars are returning to TV, and some residents of Springdale, Arkansas, are not happy that members of the family are traipsing around town with a TLC camera crew in tow. However, Duggar critics can take some comfort in knowing that some of the Duggars’ contracts with the TLC will be up in a few weeks. This could mean that TLC is simply filming a few more specials with the family before severing ties with the Duggars.

According to In Touch Weekly, Joy-Anna Duggar was recently photographed being tailed by a TLC camera crew while she and the Duggars’ party planner, Sierra Jo Dominguez, shopped at a Harps Food Store in Springdale, Arkansas. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Joy-Anna and Sierra were likely purchasing supplies for a baby shower that the Duggars were throwing for a family friend. In recent weeks, the Duggars have also been spotted filming at a local thrift store and a lumberyard.

Entertainment Tonight is reporting that some of the residents near the Duggars’ Springdale home aren’t happy about the family returning to TV. They seemingly agree with the numerous critics who are calling for TLC to ditch the Duggars for good.

“There is a lot of hate regarding the family. After all that has happened, this isn’t the same family in many people’s eyes,” a family source revealed.

Duggar fans and critics alike are curious about whether Josh Duggar will be appearing in the Duggars’ new series or special, but TLC reportedly hasn’t made a decision regarding its future relationship with Josh. The network cancelled 19 Kids and Counting last summer after it was discovered that Josh had sexually molested five young girls as a teenager. Four of Josh’s victims were his own sisters, and two of them, Jessa and Jill, were later given their own TLC special. However, Jill & Jessa: Counting On wasn’t just about the married Duggar daughters—Josh’s distraught wife, Anna Duggar, also appeared on the show to talk about her husband’s cheating scandal.

Many Duggar fans saw nothing wrong with the Jill & Jessa: Counting On format, and as long as they didn’t have to see Josh Duggar, they were happy. However, as The Inquisitr previously reported, critics of the family have pointed out time and time again that Josh isn’t the only member of the family whose behavior has been problematic. Michelle Duggar has equated transgender women to child molesters, and Jessa Duggar has compared abortion to the Holocaust. Jim Bob Duggar has stated that rape victims should be forced to carry their attackers’ babies, while Jessa Duggar’s husband, Ben Seewald, has criticized Catholics.

Many critics also believe that Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, are wasting donated money on a long-term mission trip to Central America that they’re treating more like a vacation.

Critics of the family will be happy to learn that there’s a chance that TLC might soon end its relationship with a few of the Duggars after the Entertainment Tonight source revealed that the contracts of a few members of the Duggar family will be up in March. At that time, the network will have to decide whether it wants to continue tying itself to the controversial family. It’s possible that TLC is only filming with most of the Duggars right now because it’s taking advantage of the contracts that haven’t run out. Perhaps the network will continue working with the Duggars until each family member’s contract is up.

If TLC chooses to continue its relationship with the Duggars by renewing all of their contracts, critics of the family won’t let them return to TV without a fight. According to Starpulse, groups that include the No More Duggars and Cancel the Duggars Facebook pages convinced more than 600 sponsors to pull their advertisements from the Jill & Jessa: Counting On specials. If these groups’ efforts had any effect on the amount of advertising dollars that TLC made from the Jill & Jessa specials, it’s possible that the network will think twice about renewing the Duggars’ contracts. However, the Duggars might try to convince fans to fight for them by promising that viewers will get to see more courtships and weddings if the family stays on TV, and TLC is reportedly still interested in the Duggar girls’ stories.

“I’m sure there will be more girls courting soon,” the family source told Entertainment Tonight.

TLC responded to reports that the Duggars are filming again by saying that the network has “nothing to announce at this time.”

[Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook]