TLC Cancels Fan-Favorite Series Amid Controversy

The Duggar family drama has apparently become more than TLC was willing to deal with, as Counting On has been cancelled, with the network citing the recent arrest of Josh Duggar and its fallout as the reason. The series, a spinoff of 19 Kids and Counting, ran for 11 seasons, with what will now be its final episode airing in September. Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Arkansas in April on suspicion of receipt and possession of child pornography. His trial was originally set to begin on July 6, but earlier today his defense succeeded in pushing the start date back to November.

Duggar’s team had originally sought to delay the start at least until February 2022, but prosecutors balked at such a lengthy delay, and the court found a middle ground. This is not Duggar’s first brush with the law, or bad publicity: revelations that Duggar had molested five girls between 2002 and 2003, and that he had been a member of the “cheating” website Ashley Madison, led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting in 2015.

“TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting On,” the network told TVLine in a statement. “TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately.”

After the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting, Joshua Duggar was not featured in Counting On, although his wife and children remained part of the reality show. In 2019, rumors emerged that his wife Anna was hoping for a divorce, but that the family feared what might come out, and how it may damage their reputation, if Josh had to face any kind of trial.

A trial is now an inevitability, unless Duggar opts to plead guilty on the current charges. Per Fox News, the government alleges that the Duggars have failed to turn over evidence and documents relating to the case, which have been demanded by the court. Evidence still outstanding reportedly consists of two separate computers. One contains “the Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) charged in the Indictment and the other containing relevant corroborative evidence, such as text messages and digital photographs, placing Mr. Duggar in proximity to the computer containing CSAM during the relevant timeframe.”

The government also says that the Duggars have failed to turn over documents pertaining to the Little Rock, Arkansas, Police Department’s involvement in the case, while Duggar’s lawyers claim that unspecified discovery documents have still not been shared with the defense. Part of their argument for a delay relied on the notion that it may take them months to review all the evidence against Duggar, and that they are still not yet in possession of all of it.