Television May 27, 2015
Possible Duggar Spinoff? Fans Post Desperate Pleas for Show to Continue
Following the police report released by In Touch Weekly containing underage molestation accusations against oldest son, Josh Duggar, TLC has yanked “19 Kids and Counting” from its lineup, and at least four major corporations have pulled advertising from future broadcasts of the show.
While the network has yet to announce whether the reality show will be officially cancelled, a source close to the Duggars told People a new plan might be in place for the series to shift focus away from the family, and instead focus a spinoff series around newlywed sisters Jill and Jessa Duggar.
"The show had begun to focus more and more on the next generation of Duggars, anyway – mainly Jill and Jessa and their marriages and babies," revealed the insider to the magazine. "That's when the show got its highest ratings."
The network has yet to comment on the future of the show, or about the departure of major advertisers, but Duggar family fans are not letting that stop them from pleading with consumers to reach out to the four corporations asking them to reconsider.
The DuggarFamilyBlog.com, which describes itself as a source of “factual and encouraging” information about the Duggars, has been collecting supportive remarks from fans, and providing contact information for General Mills, Choice Hotels, Payless Shoe Source and Walgreens on their website.
Walgreens is the latest major retailer to pull its ads, and explained their decision on its official Facebook page: "In the wake of recent news, we are no longer advertising on the '19 Kids and Counting' program.”
