Four major advertisers have dumped TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting in the wake of Josh Duggar’s sexual molestation confession. If TLC decides to cancel the show, how much does the Duggar family stand to lose?
According to TMZ , four advertisers have pulled its advertising from TLC in the wake of the Duggar scandal . General Mills pulled its advertising last week, just two days after news broke of the 2006 investigation into allegations that Josh Duggar sexually molested underage girls, some of which were his sisters, when he was a teenager.
Early Tuesday, Payless ShoeSource and Choice Hotels announced to fans via Twitter that they, too, were pulling their advertising. On Tuesday afternoon, Walgreens announced on Facebook its decision to pull the plug on its advertising with 19 Kids and Counting as well.
@JamesIsFearless Our ads ran during this show as part of a larger buy w/ TLC. We are taking steps to have them removed from future episodes.
— Payless (@PaylessIsBack) May 26, 2015
@moaevil Thank you for reaching out. We share your concerns and we have decided to remove our advertising from the show.
— Choice Hotels (@ChoiceHotels) May 26, 2015
TLC has pulled reruns of the show from its current lineup, but has not yet cancelled the show. Although the network has not made its final decision on whether to pull the show entirely, the Duggar family has a lot to lose if TLC cancels 19 Kids . According to People , a source close to the Duggars say the family could lose between $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. There were 22 episodes in Season 10 of the show. This is not the only source of income from the show the Duggar family stands to lose, however. The family has reportedly earned millions in speaking engagements and merchandising, including books and DVDs.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, before Walgreens, Payless, and Choice Hotels dumped advertising with the show, TLC was considering moving forward with filming without Josh Duggar because it is the sisters who are the actual driving force behind the show’s ratings. The network has not commented on the molestation scandal since its announcement Friday that it was pulling 19 Kids from its current lineup.
“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.”
Now that more advertisers have pulled its advertising, will TLC finally cancel the show entirely? According to Reuters , the latest season averaged 3.5 million viewers per episode . With the type of following 19 Kids has, it is possible TLC can work a deal with advertisers to continue airing one of its most popular shows.
According to E! Online , reruns of 19 Kids and Counting will resume June 1 on TLC.
[Image via Facebook ]