Derick Dillard is no stranger to controversy. His social media comments caused TLC to cut ties with him and remove him from the Duggar show Counting On . Neither he nor his wife, Jill Duggar, will appear on any upcoming episodes. The relationship ending with the network didn’t seem to phase Dillard, as he has been back on social media talking about the sensitive subject again.
Initially, Derick Dillard was slamming Jazz Jennings. She is a transgender teen who has been documenting her transition from male to female. TLC airs I Am Jazz , and the former reality star slammed the show and the network. When fans confronted him about why he was bullying a child, Dillard spoke out against the network. He faced heavy criticism for slamming the network that employed his family and enabled him to have money for his growing family. When the ties were cut, Derick simply thanked fans for their support.
Now, there is another controversy brewing, which is heating up on Twitter. Derick Dillard tweeted about the Parkland shooting victims, and the social media site erupted. In Touch Weekly ran a story on the subject, and Dillard responded to clarify. Instead of criticizing the children, he says he was slamming the media because “they use” children. He even said his “heart went out to all of the victims,” but he implied there was an agenda behind the victims speaking out. Of course, he took the opportunity to tag TLC and mention the network’s “use” of Jazz Jennings.
No, I criticized the media’s use of kids again…like @TLC uses Jazz. My heart goes out to the victims, but all ideas should be heard, and subjected to criticism.
Derick Dillard Slams Parkland Shooting Victims and Fans are Outraged – In Touch Weekly https://t.co/GcAiXImxeg
— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) March 1, 2018
There is some speculation that Derick Dillard has caused tension in the Duggar family. They had almost rebounded from the Josh Duggar scandals, and then, TLC cut ties with an extension of Jim Bob’s family. Two of the children are no longer filming, which also removes the pregnancy storylines and anything else the children would have to deal with that may be good for ratings.
Counting On returned earlier this week without Derick Dillard or Jill Duggar present. They have stirred up a lot of feelings on social media, and the latest tweets aren’t going to sit well. Dillard isn’t shy about speaking his mind, but this time, the backlash could be worse than the Jazz Jennings controversy. Parkland has sparked a lot of debate about gun control and conspiracy theories, and he walked right into this one. While he did clarify his earlier remarks, Derick Dillard did not apologize for his insensitivities.
