Even after Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar confirmed their oldest son Josh molested four of his sisters when he was a teenager, representatives for the network would not respond to any questions about their knowledge of the circumstances or the show’s fate.
TLC
In late May, In Touch published a 2006 police report that revealed that 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar had molested five girls — four of whom, the Duggars later confirmed, were his sisters. In the weeks that've followed, TLC has not commented on the family behind one of its most successful TV shows.
On May 21, the day the report first emerged about Josh, the eldest Duggar child, he, his wife Anna, and his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, all issued statements on their Facebook page explaining that Josh had acted "inexcusably" 12 years prior.
The following day, TLC quietly pulled 19 Kids and Counting reruns from its schedule. After multiple requests for comment, the network issued the following statement: "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."
Since then, TLC has either ignored or responded with "no comment" to BuzzFeed News' multiple questions about, for example, whether or not they knew about Josh's past, and, if they did, how long ago they learned what had happened in the Duggar home. Nor has TLC revealed their thoughts, plans, or whether they are conducing an internal investigation to any media.
Josh and Anna Duggar.
Facebook / Via Facebook: ja20com
TLC has been filming the family since 2005. The network initially ran five one-hour specials — airing in September 2005, two in March 2006, June 2006, and September 2007 — about the ever-expanding family. In September 2008, TLC launched a reality show that followed the Duggars, then called 17 Kids and Counting.
In December 2006, with four specials under their belts, the Duggars were scheduled to appear on Oprah, but Harpo productions received an anonymous letter alluding to Josh's actions. "You need to know the truth," it read. "They are not what they seem to be." The family's appearance was promptly canceled and Harpo faxed the letter to the authorities who started an investigation into the matter. (Because the statue of limitations had expired, Josh was not charged.)
In May 2007, as Gawker pointed out, a commenter on a messaging board about the Duggars claimed that Josh had molested four of his sisters and Harpo productions canceled their appearance after learning about the abuse.
Then, on Wednesday, June 3, Michelle and Jim Bob did their first interview since Josh's actions came to light, with Fox News' Megyn Kelly. They confirmed that after Josh came to them three times over the course of 2002-2003, admitting to molesting his sisters. After the third time, in 2003, they sent their then 15-year-old son to Little Rock, Arkansas to get counseling from "a man who mentored young men … who had made unwise choices in their lives." The Duggars also confirmed that in 2006, they took Josh and a family friend as a witness to the Arkansas State Police Headquarters to give a statement about what he had done. However, according to a police report published by In Touch, Jim Bob wouldn't allow Josh to be interviewed by the authorities. "On Tuesday, December 19, 2006, at approximately 1300 hours D. Hignite received a voicemail from Jim Bob Duggar in reference to the interview with [redacted, Josh]. Det. Hignite received a voicemail from Mr. Duggar stating that [redacted, Josh] had hired an attorney and will not be coming in for interview."
TLC did not respond to BuzzFeed's question as to whether or not they were aware the family had gone to the authorities when they filmed any of the specials.
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