Will ‘19 Kids And Counting’ Get A Spin-off After Josh Duggar Controversy? Jill And Jessa May Get Their Own Show
TLC has pulled "19 Kids And Counting" from its schedule, and many people want the show canceled entirely. However, the network might find a way to keep the Duggars around -- by giving Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Jessa (Duggar) Seewald a spin-off, according to People.
The controversy started when InTouch reported that Josh Duggar, now 27, had been charged with sexual assault in the fourth degree when he was a teenager. He was accused of molesting several underage girls but was never prosecuted. Josh apologized in a statement to People and resigned from his position with the Family Research Council. Since Josh’s apology, TLC has pulled the reality show, which has been on the air since 2008, from their schedule. Also, advertisers have been dropping out of the show and several people, including “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” star Mama June, have asked TLC to cancel the series.
However, it appears TLC doesn’t want to get rid of the successful brand. “They want the family to be in the TLC family in some way shape or form and only cut ties with Josh,” a source recently told Hollywood Life. “They are scared of the backlash from the religious contingent that watches and supports the show, the same people that kept 'Duck Dynasty' on the air after their controversy is only going to help '19 Kids.' TLC is willing to take the initial ratings loss and hopes that, even if Josh is gone, the network can continue the show and keep it on the channel.”
Yet, it seems that the network might cut several family members from the show besides Josh. Ratings for the series boomed when Jessa, 22, and Jill, now 24, chronicled their weddings and pregnancies on the show. Jessa’s wedding to Ben Seewald, now 20, brought in 4.3 million viewers, making it the highest ranked reality program of the night when it aired on March 31.
“The show had begun to focus more and more on the next generation of Duggars, anyway – mainly Jill and Jessa and their marriages and babies,” a source revealed to People. “That's when the show got its highest ratings.”
TLC has not made any official announcements about the future of "19 Kids and Counting" or the possibility of a spin-off.
Would you watch a "19 Kids and Counting" spin-off? Would you keep watching the original show if Josh wasn’t in it? Sound off in the comments section below!
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