19 Kids is off the air following news that Josh Duggar, Jim Bob and Michelle’s oldest son, was accused of (and admitted to) molesting a girl when he was a minor. According to the Canada Journal , TLC decided to remove the show from their line-up as a direct response to the news . It is unknown if the show will be on the future, or if the network will decided to cancel it altogether.
“Effective immediately, TLC has pulled all episodes of ’19 Kids and Counting’ currently from the air. We are deeply saddened and troubled by this heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims at this difficult time,” the network said in a statement.
19 Kids being taken off the air is pretty significant as it has been one of the network’s most popular shows. However, network execs are pretty strict when it comes to stuff like this — they canceled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo when Mama June was dating a registered sex offender, for example.
According to Raw Story , an investigation uncovered that Josh Duggar molested “multiple” victims , and some are said to be his own sisters. He was never prosecuted for his actions, which took place over a decade ago, because a police officer who was also a family friend didn’t take any legal action at the time. He was actually called by Jim Bob to intervene, but didn’t follow through with any kind of paperwork. Instead, he just gave Duggar a “stern talk.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the officer, identified as Jim Hutchens , had a few secrets of his own. He is currently in jail, serving a 50+ year prison sentence for child pornography. It’s unknown if he chose not to prosecute Josh because of his own issues, or if he was just trying to give the family a break. It sounds like Jim Bob may have just wanted to scare his son a bit, but didn’t have any intention of pushing for Josh to be charged.
As far as 19 Kids going off the air for the time being, a decision about the future of the show is expected in the coming days. Many believe that Josh will be removed from the show, but that 19 Kids And Counting will continue.
Many seem to have mixed feelings about this, and wonder what will become of the Duggars. No word on how the story actually broke, or why now, after all of these years.
Do you think TLC should cancel 19 Kids And Counting ? Would it be acceptable for the show to continue without Josh Duggar? Sound off in the comments below.
[Photo via Josh Duggar/Instagram]