‘Counting On’ Canceled? Low Ratings, Josh Duggar, And A Family Feud With Derick Dillard Reportedly To Blame
Counting On, the spinoff of the now-canceled TLC series 19 Kids & Counting, may be on the verge of cancellation, and speculation is that Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, is to blame. After months of controversial posts and comments on his own social media pages, Dillard has disappeared from the family’s Facebook page, and his behavior may end up costing his in-laws their TV show.
TLC canceled 19 Kids after the Josh Duggar molestation and adultery scandals, but less than a year later, the network came back with Jill and Jessa Duggar: Counting On. They later shortened the title to just Counting On, but as the Hollywood Gossip reports, the ratings were significantly lower than the original 19 Kids that featured parents Jim Bob and Michelle with their large brood.
The ratings have steadily declined over six seasons, and now TLC has deleted a post announcing they had renewed the show for Season 7. This is fueling speculation that the show will not return.
In addition to the low ratings, the show has not turned out to be what the network expected. Josh Duggar is not allowed on the spinoff, but a new villain has emerged in the form of Dillard.
After it was revealed that Josh Duggar molested his sisters and cheated on his wife, Anna, TLC cut ties with him and canceled 19 Kids and Counting. TLC allowed the Duggars back on TV with the spin-off Counting On but did not want Josh anywhere near the show. Duggar Patriarch Jim Bob has tried everything in his power to get TLC to let Josh appear on the show. TLC eventually caved and allowed Josh to shoot a webisode about fatherhood that premiered on their website in June.
Aside from the drama with Josh, Derick Dillard and his social media behavior might be tearing the family further apart. Jill Duggar’s husband’s absence from the family’s Facebook page during the past few months is not a coincidence. Radar Online is reporting a possible feud between Dillard and his in-laws. The site brought up the fact that during Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell’s wedding, Ben Seewald (Jessa’s husband), Austin Forsyth (Joy-Anna’s husband), and Jeremy Vuolo (Jinger’s husband) all sat together, while Dillard sat on the other side of the auditorium.
Dillard seems to go out of his way to stir up controversy with posts about racism not existing in America and the myth of someone being transgender, and it is causing some backlash from fans. He claims it’s freedom of speech and not bigotry, but he never passes up the opportunity to share his divisive views.
Will the Duggar family end up paying the price for Josh Duggar and Derick Dillard’s bad behavior? We will have to wait and find out if Counting On makes it on the schedule next season.
[Featured Image by TLC]
