TLC is officially canceling 19 Kids and Counting, citing an “important conversation” that directly references the child molestation scandal swarming the extraordinarily popular – and now extremely controversial – Duggar family of the American south.
The hit reality show “will no longer appear on the air”, the network said in a statement on Thursday, saying “recent attention around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection”.
The show featuring the Duggar family had been in limbo since May, after revelations that 27-year-old Josh Duggar molested five children, including four of his sisters.
For 10 seasons, it had chronicled the home life of Arkansas couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their now-19 children. It was pulled from the network in May when reports surfaced of the molestations that occurred a dozen years earlier.
In a statement of their own, the Duggar family seemed to have put the ordeal behind them, citing a “painful situation” in the past tense.
“[O]ur daughters and our entire family overcame a terrible situation, found healing and a way forward. We are so pleased with the wonderful adults they have all become.”
TLC also announced it has teamed with two prominent child-protection organizations for an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about child sexual abuse. The initiative will begin with a one-hour, commercial-free documentary probably airing in late August.
The network said the Duggar family was working with Jill and Jessa Duggar as well as “other survivors and families that have been affected by abuse”.
“TLC has been especially concerned for the victims in this situation, including the Duggar family,” the network said.
