19 Kids and Counting

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In the beginning, there was… Jim Bob and Michelle.
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19 Kids and Counting was a crappy reality television show on the TLC network. The show featured the fundamentalist evangelical family of Jim Bob (1965–) and Michelle Duggar (1966–), all their J-named kids, and their annoyingly very (warped) Christian views. The "values" presented on the show are associated with the Quiverfull movement, but the family states that they are not part of the movement.[1] Jim Bob Duggar was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003.

The show, started in 2008 as 17 Kids and Counting, spawned numerous specials about the mom's latest deliveries and their oldest children's weddings. Some family members, notably Michelle Duggar, have come under fire for their anti-abortion and homophobic views.[2]

Canceled[edit]

19 Kids and Counting was suspended in May 2015 soon after allegations of incestuous sexual abuse concerning the eldest son, Josh Duggar (1988–), and one of the family's younger daughters appeared in a story published by In Touch Weekly magazine. The scandal was exacerbated by the failure of the family to report the abuse to authorities.[3] The incest allegations also ended Josh Duggar's wingnut welfare job in the political arm of the Family Research Council.[4] Former governor Mike Huckabee (R-AR) stood by the family at first,[5] then quietly stepped back from them. As if this example of pious preaching and less than pious conduct wasn't enough,[6] Josh Duggar's name also came up on the client list of the adultery website Ashley Madison after it was hacked.[7] On July 16, 2015, TLC announced that the show was officially canceled.[8] However, they quickly rebranded the show featuring various Duggars, except for the scandal-ridden Josh.[9] This show was itself canceled in July 2021, some time after Josh Duggar was arrested for downloading child pornography onto a laptop at his car dealership.[10]

7 Kids and Busted[edit]

In April 2021, Josh Duggar, the eldest of the 19 Duggar children and father of six (with a seventh on the way) was arrested for receipt and possession of child pornography:[11]

An HSI agent testified during Duggar’s bond hearing that one of the videos, “Daisy’s Destruction,” was one of the “Top Five Worst of the Worst” that he ever had to examine because it depicted the assault of an 18-month-old girl.[12][13]

In December 2021, he was convicted on all charges and faced up to 40 years in prison.[14] In May 2022, he was sentenced to over 12 years in prison for receiving child pornography.[15]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Duggar Family Blog FAQ. The Duggars write in their second book, A Love That Multiplies: "Even though Wikipedia and some Internet blogs report that we are part of a QuiverFull movement, we are not. We are simply Bible-believing Christians who desire to follow God's Word and apply it to our lives" (page 92).
  2. ↑ Abby Ohlheiser. Listen to Michelle Duggar’s anti-anti-discrimination robocall. The Washington Post. 29 August 2014. Retrieved on 21 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Bombshell Duggar Police Report: Jim Bob Duggar Didn’t Report Son Josh’s Alleged Sex Offenses For More Than a Year. In Touch Weekly, 23 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Brian Tashman. Flashback: Duggars Call LGBT People A Threat To Child Safety; Duggar Resigns From FRC. rightwingwatch.org. 21 May 2015. Retrieved on 21 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Lesley Messer and Ben Gittleson. Josh Duggar: Mike Huckabee Defends the '19 Kids and Counting' Star. ABC News. 22 May 2015. Retrieved on 23 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Andrea Denhoad. Josh Duggar's Ashley Madison Problem. The New Yorker. 21 August 2015. Retrieved on 8 October 2015. "Those claiming to profess a philosophy built on human brokenness might take more of a pause before making a show of declaring people mended."
  7. ↑ Josh Duggar after Ashley Madison hack: 'I have been the biggest hypocrite ever' by Dana Ford (Updated 10:46 AM ET, Fri August 21, 2015) CNN.
  8. ↑ An Official Statement From TLC. www.tlc.com. Retrieved on 16 September 2015.
  9. ↑ Duggar Family Returns With New Show On TLC After ‘19 Kids And Counting’
  10. ↑ Karen Butler, Duggar family optimistic after 'Counting On' cancellation. UPI, 3 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Hemant Mehta, Josh Duggar Faces 40 Years in Jail for Receiving and Possessing Child Porn. Archived from patheos.com, 30 April 2021.
  12. ↑ Adam Klasfeld, Josh Duggar Tries to Dismiss Child Porn Charges on Grounds That Trump’s Homeland Security Leaders Were Unlawfully Appointed. Law and Crime, 20 August 2021.
  13. ↑ Adam Klasfeld, Feds Say They Found a Toddler Rape Video on Josh Duggar’s Computer. Here’s the ‘Horrendous’ Story of the ‘World’s Worst Pedophile’ Who Made It. Law and Crime, 22 June 2021.
  14. ↑ Reality TV’s Josh Duggar convicted of child porn possession. Associated Press, 9 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Josh Duggar, a former reality TV star, gets 12 years in a child pornography case. NPR via the Associated Press, 26 May 2022.
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