‘We Do Not Support The Views Of The Duggar Family’ — Yogurt Shop Responds To Feedback

Yet another business is distancing itself from the Duggar family, after a social media posting about the family’s visit drew negative feedback. Sweet Loring, a frozen yogurt shop in Laredo, Texas, was recently paid a visit by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, their daughter Jinger, and Jinger’s boyfriend, Jeremy Vuolo. The shop proudly posted on Facebook and Twitter to thank the reality TV stars for stopping in.

Hours later, they deleted the post and apologized to their customers.

Below is a screenshot grabbed before Sweet Loring deleted the post from their Facebook page.

The negative feedback poured in. Social media users asked the business if they support anti-gay and anti-trans views, and if they support the Duggar family continuing to enjoy fame after Josh Duggar admitted to molesting several young girls, including four of his sisters — one of whom was only 5 at the time.

@SweetLoring Having TLC’s Duggar family promote your place is not a good thing. Over 1,000 advertisers have dropped this family.

— Smiley (@Smileysmilealot) June 26, 2016

@SweetLoring Obviously your business is anti gay, woman and transgender. No thank you.

— Phillip Pessar (@PhotogPhillip) June 26, 2016

They are hardly the first to distance themselves from the family’s controversial views. Companies who run ads on TLC have asked the network not to associate their products with the show, and a few have even publicly declared that the network ran their commercials during the family’s new show, Jill and Jessa: Counting On without permission.

It’s not only businesses, either. A ministry that once proudly did business with the Duggar family has recently denounced “depravity” in Christian homeschool families, making allusions to sexual abuse and referring to Josh as a “pornographer and adulterer.”

Even Josh Duggar’s cousin Amy and her husband have spoken against the family, distancing themselves from the “grifter” label so many viewers apply to the Duggars without disputing it for Jim Bob and his offspring, and mocking the “fundie” lifestyle as

“…staying home & sewing skirts and memorizing the whole Bible in a day.”

Sweet Loring must have felt the same pressure that other companies and entities have. They deleted the post from Twitter and Facebook a short time after posting, and issued a new post, apologizing.

pic.twitter.com/sQkxJWfvVX

— SweetLoring (@SweetLoring) June 26, 2016

“On behalf of Sweet Loring we apologize for all the distress our post has caused; We do not support the views of the Duggar family, that was not our intention. We respect our community however we do not condone negative comments of any sort on our page therefore we will be removing the post. And again we welcome Everyone to our Shop.”

The Duggar family has not responded to the yogurt shop’s comments.

TLC announced only this month that the controversial family, with 19 kids and a unusual brand of conservative beliefs, would return to television for a second season of Jill and Jessa: Counting On. A specific date has not been stated, but TLC says the show will return later this summer.

The previous Duggar reality show, 19 Kids and Counting, was canceled after a police report was published regarding allegations that eldest son Josh molested several young girls, and his subsequent confession on social media. A large portion of recent seasons of the show was devoted to the courtships and marriages of two of the oldest daughters, Jill and Jessa. The show’s return was announced concurrent with the announcement that sixth-born child Jinger is now courting, and the new season is expected to focus extensively on her relationship.

Since the Duggar family was reportedly filming on at least one trip to Laredo, and the photo op at Sweet Loring appears linked to Jinger’s courtship, it’s possible that the visit will appear in an episode of the upcoming season of the show.

[Image via Facebook]