Why The Duggars' Fame Is Over
The Duggar family has endured a colossal amount of bad press lately. Lies, deceit, scandals, and a dirty extramartial affair have taken center stage instead of the usual bubbly memories of this large family. With so much negative press, it's clear the Duggar family is having trouble holding onto the fame gained from 19 Kids and Counting. Luckily, a few of the siblings have a chance at making a return to reality TV.
Josh Duggar's abusive past
In May 2015, it was revealed that Josh Duggar, the oldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, sexually molested five girls some 12 years prior. Josh eventually confessed, saying he acted "inexcusably" and that he deeply regretted his behavior. This troubling confirmation was the first major controversy for the Duggars.
19 Kids and Counting gets pulled
Shortly after Josh's shocking confession, reruns of his family's beloved television show, 19 Kids and Counting, were pulled from the TLC network. Soon after, major ad dollars began disappearing. Walgreens pulled its advertisements from the show. Payless and other brands followed suit, rendering the show virtually worthless to the network. In July 2015, TLC permanently cancelled the series.
Josh's sisters defend him
While it wasn't initially clear who was targeted by Josh's horrific behavior, that summer his parents revealed that four of his sisters, including Jill and Jessa, were among the victims. Both Jill and Jessa spoke up about the incident in a highly anticipated television interview with Fox News' Megyn Kelly. Instead of condemning their older brother, they vigorously defended him. They refused to label him as a child molester and insisted the entire media blitz was overboard. While much of the public and media was still weighing in, the sisters announced the entire family, including the unnamed babysitter, had forgiven Josh.
A second scandal
After the controversy began to die down, news of Josh's devious behavior as an adult married man took the family on yet another nasty roller coaster. In August 2015, Josh came clean about having extramarital affairs after his name was dug up in connection to Ashley Madison, a website geared towards helping married people successfully cheat. In his statement to the press, Josh labeled himself a hypocrite among other things. But his cheating wasn't the only damaging news—he confessed to having a pornography addiction as well.
Josh checks into rehab
Josh left his wife, Anna Duggar, and four children behind in August 2015, checking himself into a long-term rehab center in Rockford, Illinois. The all-male treatment camp works its patients hard, requiring 40 hours of labor a week on top of daily prayers. Seven months later, Josh left the treatment facility. It's unclear how Josh will readjust, but it's safe to say he won't be returning to reality TV.
Anna Duggar refuses to divorce Josh
The family's life on reality TV would get a much-needed dosage of drama and conflict if Anna took matters into her own hands and divorced her cheating husband, Josh. However, Anna announced she has no plans to leave the father of her four children. Anna says she made devout vows to both God and Josh and will stick by them. The family stood by Josh during both of his scandals and it doesn't appear their support will diminish anytime soon.
Jessa and Jill land a new TV deal
In September 2015, the troubled family and TLC brokered a new deal, bringing both Jessa and Jill Duggar back to television. They filmed a three-part TV special, Jill & Jessa: Counting On, focusing on Jill and her husband preparing to move to El Salvador for missionary work with Jessa focusing on the arrival of her first child that fall. Afterwards, Jill & Jessa: Counting Onwas picked up for a full season of television, which started on March 15, 2016. The kids are all growing up and moving on with their lives. While it's not as exciting as 19 Kids and Counting, we're glad to see some of the Duggars once more. We doubt we'll ever see the collective clan back together on TV, but it's nice to see Jessa, Jill, their families, and a few of their siblings back on reality TV.