19 Kids and Counting Canceled, the Duggar Family’s Told

The show had been in limbo since May after revelations that 27-year-old Josh Duggar molested five children including four of his sisters. Despite cancelling their hit show, 19 Kids and Counting, the network still has plans for a documentary about child sexual abuse awareness that will feature both Jessa and Jill, who admitted recently to being victims of sexual abuse at the hands of an older brother, Josh Duggar.

“We have committed to Him that in all things-difficulties or success, good times or bad-we will goal, bringing Him honor by staying true to our faith and our family”, the family wrote on its blog. They are very complementary of TLC and the crew that worked with them for so long, calling them part of the family, but it’s clear it’s an end of an era for the family. It also allowed Christian conservatives Jim Bob and Michelle to become politically active. However, with the announcement of that cancellation came the news that TLC is planning to create a documentary on the topic of child sexual abuse in conjunction with the Duggar family.

Reported by NBC News, two of the molested members of the Duggar family have already forgiven Josh Duggar twelve years after the incident. His wife Anna was due to deliver her fourth child on July 10.

”It is our prayer that the painful situation our family went through many years ago can point people toward faith in God and help others who also have lived through similar dark situations to find help, hope and healing, as well.

Jessa Seewald, who was one of the victims, previously said that the extent of Josh’s molestation was exaggerated by the media. “We look forward to working with TLC on this upcoming special documentary and hope that it is an encouragement to many”.

At the height of its popularity, 19 Kids and Counting was TLC’s the most watched show, averaging 2.3 million viewers per new episode in the season 10, and scoring in the Nielsen’s Cable Top 25, in 2015, according to Zap2it’s TV By the Numbers. A very few people were publicly supporting the Duggars, following the allegations.

While it’s hardly typical for any network to drop its biggest show, this is not the first time Kaplan has pulled the plug on a successful series suddenly caught up in scandal.