Hulu Drops ’19 Kids And Counting’
The hits just keep coming for the Duggar family brand and their reality show sensation, 19 Kids and Counting. In the wake of controversy involving Josh Duggar, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, streaming service Hulu has now joined a mounting roster of media outlets and advertisers who are cutting ties with the show.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Hulu customers can no longer view episodes of the former TLC show via the streaming service. When users access the show’s page via Hulu, an error message appears that states “the page you’re looking for doesn’t exist.” Us Magazine notes that a search of Hulu still yields a handful of external links to archived clips, but many of those links lead to videos that are no longer hosted by TLC.
As previously reported by Inquisitr, at least a dozen major advertisers have pulled support for 19 Kids amid revelations that Josh Duggar molested five underage girls when he was a teenager. Duggar has since acknowledged and apologized for his conduct, but that has not stemmed copious quantities of criticism directed at the Duggar family and their show since the scandal broke.
Indeed, cyberspace has been the most active staging area for much of the anger vented at the Duggar family and TLC since the allegations against Josh Duggar were brought to light. Twitter users have been particularly vociferous in expressing their opinions, employing blunt hashtags such as #Cancel19KidsAndCounting and #BoycottTLC.
.@TLC – The @duggarfam has nothing to say to Americans with morals & ethics, who protect their kids. #Cancel19KidsAndCounting
— Pesky Jski (@PeskyJski) May 28, 2015
@TLC Let’s keep it going! #CancelTheDuggars #Cancel19KidsAndCounting NO SPINOFF!
— Mary Lou Stevens (@merltie) May 28, 2015
Appalled and disgusted by the fact that @TLC chooses to stand by and protect a confessed sexual predator #CancelTheDuggars #BoycottTLC
— Jennifer Vanessa (@JenniVBH) May 28, 2015
Hulu’s decision to pull 19 Kids and Counting episodes, clips, and related content from their programming library was implemented with little fanfare or forewarning. The New York Daily News indicates that the company made no formal announcement prior to removing 19 Kids and, while the aforementioned news outlet has reached out to Hulu for comment, they have not received a response.
TLC has not completely resolved the question of what to do with 19 Kids thus far. Although the controversy has been fast moving and far-reaching, the program did enjoy a vast viewership prior to the present scandal. The network has temporarily shelved the show (including reruns), but 19 Kids and Counting has not been officially cancelled. Buzz abounds that some of the Duggar family’s young women may get their own spinoff if the show is ultimately canceled, but there are no confirmed plans for such an endeavor at present.
[Image via Hulu.com / TLC]
