Josh Duggar Scandals Exploited In ‘Jill & Jessa’ Duggars Show? TLC & Discovery Hit By Boycott & Ad Loss
TLC cancelled 19 Kids And Counting following the confirmation of reports that Josh Duggar had molested five underage girls, several of whom were his sisters. At the time, advertisers were fleeing, and the network made it clear that it regretted having to cancel the lucrative reality TV show about the Duggars. But now, two of the Duggar family have returned in a three-part special, despite the fact that Josh has continued to generate scandals, reported USA Today.
Jessa Duggar Seewald, who just turned 23 and became a new mom, and her sister, Jill Duggar Dillard, are supposed to be the stars of the three-part special, Jill and Jessa: Counting On, which begins December 13 at 8 p.m. ET. But the show’s promotional videos have shown the new Duggar family spin-off actually focuses on the ongoing saga of how Josh Duggar’s scandals have impacted his family.
In addition to molesting the underage girls (Jill and Jessa have self-identified as being among the sisters molested by their brother), Josh confessed to cheating on his wife Anna and being addicted to porn. The 27-year-old dad of four lost his former life as a conservative family value lobbyist on the East Coast and entered sex addiction rehab.
And the new Duggar 19 Kids And Counting reboot thus far shows Josh’s sisters and his wife Anna discussing the disgraced Duggar family member.
“It was heartbreaking to hear what had happened,” confessed Anna.
In addition to Anna, the TV specials will showcase the Duggar family sisters, including Jessa’s life as a new mom to baby Spurgeon with husband Ben and Jill’s life in Central America with husband Derick and their 7-month-old son, Israel, doing missionary work.
Without commenting on the latest scandals, TLC has created a Facebook page for the new Jill & Jessa: Counting On show that’s getting slammed with criticism as it reveals the extent of the show, placed not on the sisters but on Duggar family life around the scandals.
“From a time of turmoil to a time of celebration,” posted the network for a video displaying a tearful Anna Duggar discussing how her husband, Josh, caused her so much heartbreak.
The comments ranged from empathy for Anna to anger at the network for broadcasting the Duggar family show.
“Interesting advertising tool. Anna’s tragedy is being exploited for ratings, money, and reality TV fame,” wrote one user.
“Disgusting how TLC & the Duggars will use Anna to gain sympathy yet dissed her in Aug. for not being joyfully available to her husband. I am done with TLC,” warned another former TLC viewer.
As the protests mount on the official Facebook page established by TLC for the new Duggar family show, several Facebook groups have sprung up to work actively against Jill & Jessa: Counting On and the network.
“Take the pledge on Dec 13, 20 and 27 2015 join us in boycotting all Discovery network channels for the one hour they are airing the TLC show Jill & Jessa Counting on 8/7 c. This family minimized childhood sexual abuse showing victims they do not matter,” say the boycott organizers.
In addition, a Facebook group that has been contacting sponsors to ask them not to run ads (#NoMoreDuggars) has more than 1,000 members and a growing list of companies who have agreed not to pay for ads that would support the Duggar family with regard to their appearances on TV. Lost ads for the show means a loss in revenue, leaving the show’s continuation potentially in jeopardy.
The group also maintains a list of Duggar/Dillard/Seewald family advertisers, with members working actively to contact corporations and request that they not support any shows that have members of the 19 Kids And Counting clan.
[Image via Duggar Family/Facebook]
