Posted on 07/16/2015 2:56:54 PM PDT by NYer
TONTITOWN, AR, July 16, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) -- TV's biggest family is officially off the air.
Two months after TLC suspended "19 Kids and Counting," the network has formally cancelled its biggest show. "TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with '19 Kids and Counting,'" the channel told The Associated Press. "The show will no longer appear on the air."
According to the Duggars, there are no hard feelings. "Years ago, when we were asked to film our first one hour documentary about the logistics of raising 14 children, we felt that it was an opportunity to share with the world that children are a blessing and a gift from God," the family said in a statement.
"We are so thankful for our film crew that has shown up at our house for over a decade. They have become like family to us. They have invested their time and energy into our lives and have been so loving and patient. We love and appreciate them so much!"
America's biggest TV family faced public criticism earlier this year, when it was revealed that eldest child Josh had molested several girls, including a babysitter and four of his sisters, as a young teenager. Josh immediately resigned as executive director of FRC Action, a branch of the Family Research Council.
Jim Bob and Michelle said their son had received professional counseling and "was a changed person," while the daughters themselves stated that the family had long ago dealt with and put the issue behind them. However, many in the media criticized the parents for their handling of the situation and had called for the show's cancellation.
While "19 Kids and Counting" is gone, a TLC spokesperson told the Associated Press that two of the sisters molested by Josh, Jill and Jessa, will be in a documentary on child molestation later this year. The Duggars said, "We look forward to working with TLC on this upcoming special documentary and hope that it is an encouragement to many.”
"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."
The Duggar sisters who will be in the documentary have already spoken publicly about the molestation they endured. They said that their brother’s actions were wrong, but they forgave him. They also strongly criticized the media’s portrayal of the situation.
Is this the same network which has a show, “I am Jazz.” It is about a transgendered girl. Well, he was a boy who changed to a girl. Or the other way around. I tune out when the ads come on.
What in the world took them so long? Ah. They decided there was no money in it.
They are fundamentalist Christians who believe in a sky god, have lots of children and home schooling. How radical. They should all die. /s/
Read all the way down to the part about Bill Gothard. Will we will hear from the Bates that they never had, nor wanted anything to do with Bill Gothard?
And Kelly Bates deleted the pictures that would associate her and her family with Bill Gothard as the link in post #1 talks about? Surely not! /s
I hear you.
Why anyone ever wanted to watch this I’ll never know. All of this realityTV sucks. Garbage voyeurism that is cheap to make so networks keep cranking it out due to the shallowness of the American public.
We are realityTV nation now. We have the Kim Kardashian presidency and sadly, on our side, a clownish realityTV star leads the pack - at least till his campaign implodes and we forget all about him the way we did Herman Cain.
where does the child molester fit in?
The Gothard part in the article really is all anyone really needs to know about concerning the Bates. That alone is enough.
Hey, they only have 19 kids. If just one is child molester, that means only approximately 5.26% of their kids are pedophiles!
Who in the heck watches these sicko television shows? People with no life and no brain is my guess.
Get a life...if 12 yr olds went to prison for playing Doctor. You would probably in jail
Yea...Christians are real sickos
We found a reality show TV watcher. LOL Enjoy.
Molon Labe homo! - Fundamentalist Christian Home School Warrior
Agreed.
Not sure what is funny about virtue. But anyways, Yea, my daughters enjoy watching Godly Christian girls honor God with their faith.
Believe me. The fascist Obamabots would like nothing more than to come and take your kids away and force them into a government reeducation camp like the local Public School.
Agreed!
committing a crime gets you renewed
I’ve got a life thanks and I never molested a child, sorry about your history.
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