Jill And Jessa Duggar Spin-Off: Do Duggar Daughters Still Have A Chance At Landing New Show?
Jessa Duggar and Jill Duggar talked a lot about the past during their highly anticipated interview with Megyn Kelly, but what about their future?
19 Kids and Counting fans are still anxiously waiting to find out what will happen to the Duggar family’s popular reality show now that the whole world knows that Josh Duggar molested Jessa, Jill, and three other girls. The series is definitely in danger of being canceled, but TLC hasn’t given it the axe yet — the network could decide that the the show’s ratings are just too good to give up. However, if enough advertisers let the network know that they’re uncomfortable with the idea of linking their company names to a family that has generated so much controversy, TLC will have to look at other options.
One option that’s allegedly on the table is a spin-off focused on Jessa Duggar and Jill Duggar, and the girls’ future on TV might be decided by the reaction to their Friday night interview with Megyn Kelly. According to CNN, network execs at TLC “want to assess public reaction to both the parents and the daughters’ comments on Fox” before making a definitive decision about what to do next. Because of the huge media backlash to the molestation scandal, many viewers might think that 19 Kids and Counting is doomed. However, Brian Stelter writes that “the pressure is not overwhelming” to cancel the show. In other words, a Jill and Jessa Duggar spin-off might actually be the worst-case scenario for the family.
Unfortunately for fans of Jill and Jessa Duggar, TLC might discover that there’s simply not enough material for a 19 Kids and Counting spin-off that focuses solely on the girls. The TLC cameras will also have a tough time following both Duggar daughters if Jill goes through with her rumored plans to head to Nepal for a mission trip.
They might not manage to save their reality show careers, but Jessa and Jill put up a good fight during their interview with Megyn Kelly. Stelter points out that the Duggar daughters tried to shift the narrative of their family’s scandal by complaining about the release of the records documenting their sexual abuse. They also tried to minimize Josh’s actions by saying that they don’t view him as a child predator, and they attempted to give their parents’ images a much-needed boost by praising the way they handled the whole molestation situation. However, it’s important to point out that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s reluctance to alert the proper authorities about Josh’s behavior allowed him to continue victimizing his siblings. Because of their failure to take action, he went on to sexually assault his five-year-old sister.
Jessa Duggar and Jill Duggar said that they’ve moved on with their lives, but they also reminded their fans that they’re still victims. They feel like it’s not fair that they’re being re-victimized by this dark family secret coming to light, and many 19 Kids and Counting fans probably share their feelings. Critics of the family believe that Josh Duggar and his parents shouldn’t be allowed to star on a reality series focused on family values after what they did, but Jessa and Jill don’t deserve to be kicked off of TV because of their family members’ actions.
Jill and Jessa told Megyn Kelly that they’re not sure if 19 Kids and Counting will survive this scandal, and they tried to make it seem as though they weren’t doing the Fox News interview simply to save their show.
According to PEOPLE, Jessa Duggar said “life goes on” whether or not she and her family stay on TV.
“We’re not a TV family. We’re a family that just happened to be on TV.”
Do you think TLC will find some way to keep Jill and Jessa Duggar on TV?
[Image via Jessa Duggar/Instagram]
