The Duggar family has been gracing America’s televisions since their first documentary, 14 Kids and Counting. Their show became permanent with 17 Kids and Counting in 2008, and since then, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have gone on to have three more children: two biological and one adopted. After the tragic Josh Duggar molestation scandal, however, TLC pulled 19 Kids and Counting, but re-introduced a show called Counting On that focused on the older Duggar siblings as they married and had children of their own.
Although some complain that the TLC spin-off is boring, the family still has legions of fans and those who tune in to watch their escapades every single week. So how much does the family pocket for these shows?
Well, no one knows the actual sum the family makes per episode, but reality TV producer Terence Michael told In Touch Weekly, he believes the Duggar family makes anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. Each episode takes about four days worth of “work,” so it’s a lot of money to be banking for a short amount of time.
Michael came up with the sum by stating that he believes each episode costs around $250,000 to $400,000 to produce. Reality TV families, according to his experience, earn around 10 percent of the production cost .
However, things start to get a bit dicey when you take into account that some of the older Duggar siblings, like Jessa, Jinger, Joy-Anna, Joe and Jill now have their own families and Counting On now maintains its focus on them. Originally, the show was clear cut as Jessa and Jill were the only siblings to be dating and marrying, but with the Duggar siblings walking down the aisle in quick succession, it may be possible they are each pocketing only a fraction of the fee. It could also be possible each sibling earns a percentage of production costs.
It was recently revealed that TLC’s 90 Day Fiance was paying a surprisingly low amount to those who participate on the show, but it is hard to imagine the Duggars would be able to sustain their lifestyle on just a few thousand per episode.
They also make money on books and speaking engagement.
[Featured Image by The Duggar Family /Instagram]
