TLC on Thursday canceled its popular
reality show 19 Kids and Counting amid allegations Josh Duggar
sexually molested underage girls as a teenager.
“After thoughtful consideration, TLC
and the Duggar family have decided to not move forward with 19
Kids and Counting,” the network said in a written statement.
“The show will no longer appear on the air. The recent attention
around the Duggars has sparked a critical and important conversation
about child protection.”
The allegations against Josh Duggar,
the oldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, surfaced in May. In a
Facebok post written at the time, he apologized for acting
“inexcusably” as a minor.
The Duggars posted a statement Thursday
on their website saying that they've all moved on.
“With God’s grace and help, Josh,
our daughters and our entire family overcame a terrible situation,
found healing and a way forward. We are so pleased with the
wonderful adults they have all become. It is our prayer that the
painful situation our family went through many years ago can point
people toward faith in God and help others who also have lived
through similar dark situations to find help, hope and healing, as
well.”
According to a police report obtained
by In Touch Weekly, Duggar allegedly sexually molested 5
girls, some of whom are his sisters, when he was about 14 years old.
Jim Bob Duggar, the patriarch of the family, waited nearly a year
before reporting his son's actions to the authorities, according to
reports.
TLC said it will air later this summer
a documentary about sexual abuse which will feature Jill and Jessa
Duggar, who claim that they were molested by their brother.
The allegations forced Josh Duggar to
resign from his post as executive director of the Christian
conservative Family Research Council (FRC), a group vocally opposed
to LGBT rights.
Last year, Duggar and his mother led a
successful campaign to defeat an LGBT protections measure in
Fayetteville, Arkansas. Duggar claimed that such measures jeopardize
the safety of children.