Photo: The Duggar Family/Instagram
The Duggar family is speaking out after their hit reality seriesCounting Onwas canceled.
Less than a week after TLC confirmed that the show hadended after 11 seasonson air,Jim BobandMichelle Duggarreleased astatementon Saturday on behalf of the entire family, in which they addressed the cancellation news.
They continued, “Over the years, some of our most treasured moments have been those when we met children across the country who are alive today because of our testimony that children are a blessing—a special gift from God—and that the only real hope for individuals and families is a close relationship with Jesus Christ.”
Counting On.TLC
In their statement, Jim Bob, 55, and Michelle, 54, referenced filming “difficult and painful moments” over the years.
“Since we began filming so long ago, we’ve had the amazing honor to share our lives, our faith, and our story with you—including some of the most difficult and painful moments our family has ever faced,” they said. “We are full of deep gratitude for the love shown to us and the prayers of so many who have sustained us both now and through the years.”
“We look forward to all the new adventures and endeavors that may come our way, and with so many grown children and wonderful grandchildren, we know our love will only continue to multiply!” the statement concluded. “We are forever grateful for our film crew and so many others behind the scenes who have become like family to us over the years. The wonderful experiences that filming has provided us will be treasured always, and we look forward to discovering what’s next for our family and sharing more with you along the way!”
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Addressing the series coming to an end, starsJinger (Duggar) Vuoloand her husbandJeremy Vuolosaid in a statementon Tuesday that they “wholeheartedly agree with TLC’s decision not to renewCounting Onand are excited for the next chapter in our lives,” going on to “thank our fans, friends, and the amazing film crew who have shown us love and support. We look forward to continuing our creative journey in Los Angeles and seeing what the future holds.”
Similarly,Amy (Duggar) Kingsaid she also supported the network’s choice to end the series,writingon Instagram: “@TLC- thank you for the ride🎢 I’ll treasure the memories, always . Also, I stand with the network in this decision!”
On Tuesday, TLC confirmed that it “will not be producing additional seasons ofCounting On,” adding that the network “feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately.”
The “situation” referenced in the statement alludes to recent public scandals involving Jim Bob and Michelle’s oldest child,Josh Duggar.
Counting Onpremiered on TLC in 2015 and served as a spinoff series to19 Kids and Counting, which ran from 2008 to 2015. The spinoff was created amid the previous molestation controversy surrounding Josh, 33.
That same year, news broke about Josh allegedlymolesting five underage girlswhen he was a teenager. Two of his sisters, Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald latercame forwardas two of the victims, insisting they had already “moved on” and forgiven their brother when the news became public.
Also in 2015, amid Josh’s first public scandal,19 Kids and Countingwascanceled after nine seasons. Then, a month later in August 2015,Josh confessed to having a pornography addictionand cheating on his wife Anna Duggar in anapologetic statementafterGawkerreported that he appeared to have had active accounts onAshley Madison, a website created to facilitate cheating on your spouse.
Most recently, Josh made headlines this April when hepleaded not guiltyto charges of receiving and possessing child pornography and wasreleased from jailone week after he was arrested. Prosecutors believe Josh hadmore than 200 images of children on his computer.
If convicted of the alleged crimes, he could receive up to 20 years of imprisonment and up to $250,000 in fines on each of the two counts, amounting toa total possible sentence of 40 years.
News ofCounting On’s cancellation came the same day that a federal judgepushed Josh’s criminal trialto Nov. 30, according to federal court records. It was originally set to begin on July 6.
In a statement to PEOPLE on Tuesday, Josh’s attorney Justin Gelfand said: “We are pleased with the Court’s decision and we look forward to continuing to litigate this case.”
source: people.com
