The families of Gil and Kelly Jo Bates and Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been close for years. The Bringing Up Bates family has appeared on the Duggar show in prior seasons, and some Bates family members have even attended weddings of the 19 Kids and Counting clan. Now that Josh Duggar and his parents are making headlines and the show has been yanked from TLC, many have been curious to see how the Bates family would react. Are they speaking out in support of their friends?
Season 2 of Bringing Up Bates premieres on UP TV on Thursday, June 4. This new season will be jam-packed with exciting developments for Bates family fans. John and Alyssa Webster have welcomed baby Allie Jane, while Chad and Erin Paine have baby Carson now, too. Michael and Brandon have gotten engaged and, of course, there is Zach and Whitney’s baby boy, Bradley, to update fans on as well.
While it is a happy time for the Bates family, many family followers can’t help but think of them in the midst of the 19 Kids and Counting drama. As everybody now knows, a police report has surfaced that details incidents that happened in the Duggar home involving a teenage Josh and five female victims, including several of his sisters.
At least for now, TLC has pulled episodes of 19 Kids and Counting off the air in the wake of the police report coming to light. Now, Hulu has pulled the show as well. As TMZ notes, advertisers are dropping like flies and family members are keeping quiet after official statements from Josh, Anna, Jim Bob, and Michelle were released.
The Bringing Up Bates family didn’t address the Duggar controversy at all in the first week or so. However, as Access Hollywood shares, they now have commented after being directly asked. Gil and Kelly Jo Bates did give a very brief comment to the show and indicated that they will not be issuing any further comment at this time.
The Bates couple said , “We are praying for our dear friends” and that they “respect their privacy.”
So far, nobody in the Bates family has referenced the Duggar drama via their social media accounts. Though the Bates and Duggar families have been quite close over the years, many would say that the Bringing Up Bates family may well be handling this situation as well as they possibly can, referencing praying as most would expect, but not going into any further detail.
Dedicated fans of 19 Kids and Counting are still pushing for the show to return, but no official decision has been made yet. It has been said that TLC is considering trying to do a spin-off that would focus on Derick and Jill Dillard, with baby Israel, along with Ben and Jessa Seewald, who also have a baby on the way. Would advertisers be willing to stand behind that version of the show? Would people be willing to tune in?
Would advertisers be willing to stand behind a spin-off version of the show focusing on Jill, Jessa, and their new families? Would people be willing to tune in? Others wonder if a network like UP TV, where Bringing Up Bates airs, might consider working with the family if TLC cancels the show.
Fans will have to stay tuned to see just what comes next for the Duggars and 19 Kids and Counting . As for the Bates and their show, Bringing Up Bates , a new season full of happy news is set to begin on UP TV on Thursday, June 4.
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