What bugged fans most about TLC's "Counting On" wasn't just that child molester Josh Duggar may be returning. It wasn't that the pedophilia scandal lost them the original show "19 Kids and Counting." It wasn't that Anna Duggar got pregnant with their fifth child while her sex addict husband was in rehab. It wasn't even that Duggar wants (or needs) the show, or who pulled strings to get him back. Why are reality TV fans so upset?
Josh Duggar takes out '19 Kids and Counting'
TLC pulled the plug on the beloved family of "19 Kids and Counting" when a police report revealed that eldest son Josh had molested five young girls -- including several sisters.
Dad Jim Bob Duggar kept it quiet, and when it leaked, he and his wife Michelle Duggar blamed the "liberal media" for besmirching their names. Josh admitted the incest but things got worse. He showed up in the Ashley Madison leak and was accused by a porn star mistress (Danica Dillon) of some nasty sexual perversions. The dad of four entered a faith-based rehab for sex addiction but checked out early and didn't complete the program.
Fans livid over 'Counting On'
Many fans were disgruntled that TLC brought the "19 Kids and Counting" family back in a new reality TV show, "Counting On." Mama June Shannon lost the show "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" for reportedly hooking up with a child molester. Angry fans couldn't believe that family-friendly TLC would feature parents who hid pedophilia while proclaiming to be Christian role models.
TLC promised that the new show would follow wholesome storylines: the families of Jill and Jessa, the wedding of Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo and the courtships of Jana Duggar and Joy-Anna Duggar. There would be no mention of Josh.
Josh Duggar back on reality TV for the money
But then Anna Duggar got pregnant and that was too much temptation for TLC.
Ratings skyrocketed over the pregnancies of Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald and rumors of Jinger Duggar Vuolo's pregnancy. Interestingly, Anna didn't want the kids on TV, but "19 Kids and Counting" patriarch Jim Bob may still be calling the shots. He allegedly used the pregnancy to set up a return for his son to "Counting On." Josh evidently can't make enough at a real job, and is not welcome at the anti-gay Christian advocacy group where he worked, either.
So, cash-strapped Josh needs the reality television earnings to care for his growing family.
Fans counting out of 'Counting On'
But none of that incensed "19 Kids and Counting" fans as much as the hypocrisy. When In Touch reported that TLC might feature the pedophile like nothing ever happened, many declared themselves done with "Counting On" and The Learning Channel. Even die-hard fans couldn't overlook the blatant cover-up of pedophilia, untreated sex addiction, cyber-cheating and adultery. From a family who got on reality TV simply for their Christian morality, it was too much. If folks were upset with Bristol Palin, the unwed teen mom and anti-LGBT abstinence advocate, they're furious over the Duggar family.
