In the
wake of Josh Duggar's child molestation allegations and charges, Discovery Communications-owned TLC has temporarily pulled
19 Kids and Counting off the airwaves.
Just last night, the network irresponsibly aired marathons of the show.
Here's some precedent: Another TLC show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, was cancelled over similar allegations; however, unlike the Duggar family, Honey Boo Boo's family is supportive of LGBTQ rights.
Travis Gettys at The Raw Story:
TLC has pulled the plug on its long-running reality show, “19 Kids and Counting,” over revelations that stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar covered up their son’s molestation of his sisters and other girls.
The network has canceled all airings of the program from its lineup, reported TMZ, after Josh Duggar – the eldest son of the 21-member evangelical Christian family – admitted this week to “inexcusable” actions 12 years ago, when he was a teenager.
[...]
It’s not clear whether TLC knew of the allegations against the Duggars until this week.
Sources told TMZ that no long-term decision had been made about the show, but a General Mills representative said it had removed “19 Kids and Counting” from the company’s advertising schedule.
Kate Stanhope at The Hollywood Reporter:
TLC refused to comment on the incident Thursday, but the network sparked outrage later that evening when it ran a 19 Kids and Counting marathon. As of early Friday, the show had been scheduled to air on the morning of May 27, but it has since been taken off the schedule.
[...]
The move is no surprise considering that TLC canceled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo shortly after allegations surfaced about a romantic relationship between series matriarch June "Mama June" Shannon and a man convicted of child molestation.
On Friday, Shannon told TMZ that she is prepared to sue TLC if they do not act swiftly about 19 Kids and Counting, citing unfair and inconsistent treatment. Shannon claims she has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars since the sudden October 2014 cancelation of her series.
The long-term fate of the show is currently uncertain. I am hoping that this show finally gets cancelled for good.
If it gets cancelled, it is a cause for celebration; however, like with what happened when A&E suspended Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty temporarily back in December 2013, at least some of the Religious Right will be screaming mad over the show's cancellation by playing the usual victim card and falsely claiming "we're being persecuted for being [Conservative] Christians."
#CancelTheDuggars