TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting last week, and now a source says Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are so desperate to get their reality show back that they’ll throw son Josh Duggar under the bus if that’s what it takes.
The cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting was quite a blow to the Duggar family. It is reportedly they main source of income and they loved using the show as a conduit through which to share their faith with viewers.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar truly believe Josh is healed of whatever demons possessed him to sexually molest five underage girls–four of whom are his own sisters–when he was a teen. They firmly believed that by now the entire scandal would have blown over. If they have to do a show without Josh Duggar in it or distance themselves from their son in order to get their show back, the source says that’s what they’ll do.
“If they have to choose between money and Josh, Josh doesn’t stand a chance,” the source said. “The show was their biggest moneymaker, and they loved being in the limelight. This has been a huge blow to their wallets and their egos.”
It seems sisters Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald and their husbands feel the same way, too. There was talk of a 19 Kids and Counting spinoff before the Josh Duggar sexual molestation scandal made news, and now that is no longer in the works.
#JoshDuggar rejoins the family and celebrates his parents' anniversary http://t.co/wayNwhTDAG pic.twitter.com/GldQlpJ2kB
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) July 22, 2015
Cousin Amy Duggar and her fiance Dillon King are crushed that TLC won’t air their wedding special. They even asked fans to contact TLC on their behalf, and share their disappointment.
“The whole clan is furious,” the source adds. “They’re holding Josh responsible for the destruction of their very lucrative brand.”
Josh #Duggar Shares Photo of Baby Meredith Grace as Jim Bob, Michelle Film Birth Announcement: http://t.co/yQ8dFEvE1C pic.twitter.com/gdJXpEUBlz
— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) July 20, 2015
Do you think TLC–or maybe even another network–would give 19 Kids and Counting another chance if Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were to distance themselves from their son Josh?
Or is it far more likely that the Duggar family and their reality show is now a very definite thing of the past?