Anna Duggar Done With ‘Counting On,’ Blames Duggar Family’s TV Series For Josh’s Downfall
Anna Duggar’s career as a reality TV star is reportedly over. According to a recent report, she’s decided that a life away from the Counting On cameras will be healthier for her and her family.
Many of Anna’s major life events were filmed for her in-laws’ TV series. 19 Kids and Counting viewers watched Josh Duggar serenade Anna with “The Loyalty Song” at the couple’s wedding, and they saw Anna give birth to her second child on the toilet. Most of the big moments in Anna’s life that have been televised were happy ones, but things changed when TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting and replaced it with Counting On. Because of her husband’s actions, Anna was cast in a new role as a woman to be pitied.
Anna Duggar was a main Counting On cast member during the earlier episodes of the show. She spent a lot of time tearfully talking about her husband’s infidelity and explaining why she had decided not to divorce him, but she was also filmed enjoying a girls’ weekend away with a few of her female in-laws. Anna’s role was greatly diminished in later episodes, and now she might disappear from the show altogether. Josh was in a Christian rehab center while the earlier episodes of Counting On were being filmed, but he’s been back home for almost a year. TLC has reportedly decided not to keep focusing on Anna’s life because it’s become too difficult for the Counting On cameras to avoid her husband.
“Now that Josh is back, there is no plot line TLC can touch that includes Anna and not Josh,” a Duggar family insider recently told Radar Online.
On the set #selfie with @TLC @EricaRHill & @duggarfam #19Kids @JessaSeewald @BenSeewald @SiDuggar! pic.twitter.com/7Oyhk27H19
— Josh Duggar (@joshduggar) May 20, 2015
As the Daily Mail reports, TLC network executives have banned Josh from appearing on Counting On because of his sexual molestation scandal. The show’s production team takes this ban very seriously; they used a fake sun glare to censor Josh’s face in Jinger Duggar’s wedding special.
Luckily for TLC, Anna Duggar decided not to protest the network’s decision to give her the boot because of her husband’s bad behavior. According to the Duggar family insider, Anna isn’t bemoaning her loss because she believes that Josh’s TV fame is partially to blame for his downfall.
“In the end though, it was Anna’s call. She wants to focus on her family, and sees the show as part of what ultimately brought Josh down.”
Josh and Anna Duggar: How they overcame scandal & infidelity—and are 'rebuilding a life together' https://t.co/m76b7EAggl pic.twitter.com/8tJrwGHtnJ
— People (@people) March 18, 2017
If Josh had never become famous, In Touch Weekly wouldn’t have dug into his past, and the public would never have learned that he sexually molested his younger sisters as a teenager. And if he had still decided to create an Ashley Madison account in this alternate life, perhaps Anna would have remained blissfully unaware that he was using the website to search for potential sex partners; Anna only found out that Josh was cheating on her because Gawker discovered his famous name in the Ashley Madison website data leaked by hackers.
There’s also a chance that a fame-free Anna and Josh would be at the exact place they are now, minus the shame and embarrassment of knowing that millions of people know sordid details about Josh’s sex life. As People reports, Josh is supporting his family by selling used cars. This is the same thing he was doing years ago before his reality fame helped him score a job with the Family Research Council (FRC). That was another gig he lost because of his sexual molestation scandal.
Josh may now share Anna’s alleged belief that fame has affected his life negatively, but he used to consider being on TV a big blessing. When he was still employed by the FRC, he told the Washington Post that being famous was helping him connect with powerful politicians.
“People know who our family is, that it’s built on strong faith and caring for people,” Josh said of 19 Kids and Counting. “It’s been a great fit, it’s an extension of who we are.”
Josh Duggar has lost that extension of who he is, but life goes on. He and Anna are preparing for the arrival of their fifth child, and Josh is reportedly receiving counseling from a “family pastor.” Are you disappointed that the Counting On cameras won’t be following Anna Duggar as she and her husband try to rebuild their marriage, or do you think Anna made the right call by turning her back on reality TV? Share your thoughts below.
[Featured Image by Josh Duggar/Twitter]
