Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[laurakaye]

Can someone tell me more about the Gothard documentary?  

Also, what is up with Jill saying "We took a look at HunkaJunk's younger years!  Now we will do the same with Jill!"  It reads like she's got a publicist or something, when we all know it's Jill talking about herself in the third person like some kind of unhinged lunatic.....well, now that I think on it, it makes sense.  Carry on.

 

[GeeGolly]

I think Jill's snowy posts are to keep one step ahead of DCF. See we DO have WINTER COATS.

[Rootbeer]

19 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I'm kind of leaning toward a really big scandal and/or UP allowing the Bates to pull the brakes on the show.

I'm sure the Bates have a contract and have been paid for the filming that is already done; so I don't think they could put the brakes on the upcoming season by themselves.  UP has already purchased the product and I expect they would want to be reimbursed if the Bates wanted to pull it.  It's got to be UP's management that has decided that the Bates need to disappear from their airwaves ASAP which is why I think there is something out there that UP discovered that hasn't hit the media yet.

If the Bates were merely sick of filming or somehow got a more lucrative deal elsewhere, the network would want to show the season that is in the can.

I don't watch UP, does anyone know if they are currently showing reruns of the Bates' show or have those disappeared too?

19 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Can someone tell me more about the Gothard documentary?  

It's being produced by the same team that did the LulaRich expose and is purported to include an in-depth look at famous fundies who are Gothardites including the Bates and Duggars.

https://www.thelist.com/719485/this-new-amazon-documentary-could-be-the-lularich-of-the-duggar-family/

It is set to debut either late this year or early next year according to the press.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Rootbeer

[GeeGolly]

8 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

I'm sure the Bates have a contract and have been paid for the filming that is already done; so I don't think they could put the brakes on the upcoming season by themselves.  UP has already purchased the product and I expect they would want to be reimbursed if the Bates wanted to pull it.  It's got to be UP's management that has decided that the Bates need to disappear from their airwaves ASAP which is why I think there is something out there that UP discovered that hasn't hit the media yet.

If the Bates were merely sick of filming or somehow got a more lucrative deal elsewhere, the network would want to show the season that is in the can.

Right, in my post I said due to a scandal the Bates asked to stop the show. A possible scandal UP would be willing to tolerate but the Bates would have difficulty with.

It costs almost nothing to film these shows and I think UP would willingly end the show at the Bates request if UP anticipated a big public brouhaha surrounding the Bates.

[BitterApple]

Ooooh, a scandal?! As long as it's nothing to do with kids, sexual assault or CSA, I am gleeful with anticipation. 

[iwantcookies]

HUNK shoving that hamburger in his pie hole is all American all right. I’m still repulsed lol.

[galaxygirl76]

The timing of the cancelation of the Bates' show is so suspect. Right before the debut of a new season with promo work in full swing the whole thing gets pulled. There's something big there that has UP rattled and from previous experience not much rattles them. 

[Minivanessa]

I also think it has to be a corporate decision by UP. As noted, those reality shows are cheap to produce. And once the network buys the episodes, they own them, and can run them as repeats to generate ad revenue as long as they want.

Remember, the people who appear in those reality shows get a one-time fee, and are not paid residual fees when the episodes are shown (and repeated). Those shows can be cash cows for a network.

How many old shows in the Discovery Channel family, are still running in repeats? Lots of them. The Discovery Life channel is AFAIK pretty much all vintage stuff: Mystery Diagnosis, the ER shows, and I believe Discovery/TLC still hauls out old pregnancy/childbirth episodes to pad out their schedules. On other networks, "Forensic Files" is the show that will never die, lol. Not to mention "Cold Case Files," "City Confidential," and the rest of the lineup on the True Crime Network, just as examples.

AFAIK, the UP network isn't one of the major cable channels in terms of viewers (and thus I assume revenue). If they dump the Bates' show, they're leaving money on the table, and I doubt their C-suite has succumbed to insanity. Money talks and this is saying something.

[Cinnabon]

14 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Ooooh, a scandal?! As long as it's nothing to do with kids, sexual assault or CSA, I am gleeful with anticipation. 

Me too! 
 

[farmgal4]

19 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Right, in my post I said due to a scandal the Bates asked to stop the show. A possible scandal UP would be willing to tolerate but the Bates would have difficulty with.

It costs almost nothing to film these shows and I think UP would willingly end the show at the Bates request if UP anticipated a big public brouhaha surrounding the Bates.

Omg, I’m totally out of the loop!  The Bates are shutting down the show?  When did that transpire and why??

[Rootbeer]

2 minutes ago, farmgal4 said:

Omg, I’m totally out of the loop!  The Bates are shutting down the show?  When did that transpire and why??

UP announced it yesterday, no reason given except that they plan to move away from this kind of programming. They had been heavily advertising the new season which was supposed to begin February 10 and is already filmed; so this decision came very suddenly which seems to indicate some sort of catastrophic development in the Bates' world.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Rootbeer

[iwantcookies]

Haha haha snorts

Jill lost 3.2 pounds in 2 weeks. Guess she wasn’t dieting that SEVERELY hard. So much for PLEXUS being a miracle DRUG.

[iwantcookies]

Jill snagged a front row seat to tape her BIG HUNK preaching non sense. 
 

Dear Dog I hate these 2 so much. Jill has the creepiest voice in USA. 

[Tikichick]

15 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I think they got a lot of blowback from the George Floyd video. 

Sure hope so.   I left some comments for the network myself when I heard about it.

[farmgal4]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:25 PM, libgirl2 said:

Pris doesn't strike as being such a narcissist as Jill. 

I don’t think Priscilla has a self-centered bone in her body.  She most likely has a true “servants heart”, and the ladies in the church probably adore her, hence the baby shower.  Poor Pris has to be exhausted tho.  I wish they would shut down the baby train.  Enough is enough.

[sagittarius sue]

13 hours ago, LilJen said:

What the hell difference does it make whether he came from Portugal or from Portuguese-speaking Brazilians? I suppose for Jill GWE is thus technically not Latino. Nor is he Hispanic. He is ‘MURICAN.

Perhaps as pure Portuguese it means that he's pure European, none of that indigenous DNA that so many Hispanics have.

[sagittarius sue]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

I think Jill's snowy posts are to keep one step ahead of DCF. See we DO have WINTER COATS.

Along with hats and mittens.

[Zella]

Based on what we know of the Bates cancellation, whatever caused it is a) urgent enough to make them cancel a show that was completed and scheduled to air in a month, b) unknown enough for them to not feel like it needs to be acknowledged as the reason for the cancellation, and c) bad enough that both sides seemed to readily agree to this and the polite non-reason reason given. 

Unfortunately, I would bet it is almost certainly sexual in nature and/or involves something criminal. I can't think of what else would cause the mutually assured destruction that would make both parties willing to do this. 

[MargeGunderson]

Has it been confirmed that any of the Bates boys participated in the attack on the capitol? Wildly speculating here, but if any of them were there and are being charged, that would qualify as a scandal. 

[Tikichick]

21 minutes ago, Zella said:

Based on what we know of the Bates cancellation, whatever caused it is a) urgent enough to make them cancel a show that was completed and scheduled to air in a month, b) unknown enough for them to not feel like it needs to be acknowledged as the reason for the cancellation, and c) bad enough that both sides seemed to readily agree to this and the polite non-reason reason given. 

Unfortunately, I would bet it is almost certainly sexual in nature and/or involves something criminal. I can't think of what else would cause the mutually assured destruction that would make both parties willing to do this. 

It's entirely possible that sponsors weren't willing to bring any $$ to the table and therefore the network pulled the plug in favor of airing something else that brings sponsors in the door.   Maybe somebody(or several) were smarter than I am and thought to reach out to sponsors with their complaints about the repugnant behaviors of this family instead of just the network?

[Zella]

Just now, Tikichick said:

It's entirely possible that sponsors weren't willing to bring any $$ to the table and therefore the network pulled the plug in favor of airing something else that brings sponsors in the door.   Maybe somebody(or several) were smarter than I am and thought to reach out to sponsors with their complaints about the repugnant behaviors of this family instead of just the network?

I doubt it's sponsor-related. My understanding is that people have complained about the family for years, and the network has been very defensive about them. Also, I think if it were due to sponsor pressure, they would acknowledge that in the statements about the cancellation--the networks would want to mention it to get people off their backs and the family would want to talk about hw martyred they are with "cancel culture"--rather than just pretending like this is a cordial parting because of different network goals. 

My favorite theory--though I don't think it is true and just am amused by it--is that Jim Bob contacted UPN with new dirt on the Bates family because if his family can't have a show, then Gil's can't either. LOL 

[Tikichick]

13 minutes ago, Zella said:

I doubt it's sponsor-related. My understanding is that people have complained about the family for years, and the network has been very defensive about them. Also, I think if it were due to sponsor pressure, they would acknowledge that in the statements about the cancellation--the networks would want to mention it to get people off their backs and the family would want to talk about hw martyred they are with "cancel culture"--rather than just pretending like this is a cordial parting because of different network goals. 

My favorite theory--though I don't think it is true and just am amused by it--is that Jim Bob contacted UPN with new dirt on the Bates family because if his family can't have a show, then Gil's can't either. LOL 

You could be correct about the sponsors and the network.  I do wonder though if it makes sense for a network to pull a show to appease sponsors and then make any kind of statements suggesting their hands were tied because of sponsor demands?  Might not make the sponsors very happy, which would defeat the purposes of cancellation anyway. 

As far as the family, they might be keeping sweet publicly in order to not disrupt social media follower numbers -- or if by some chance they have (or think they have) a potential of landing elsewhere with yet another iteration of their show.

[GeeGolly]

Sponsors almost always announce when they're pulling out due to unsavory behaviors. They want the customers to know they listened and they responded.

[MargeGunderson]

29 minutes ago, Zella said:

My favorite theory--though I don't think it is true and just am amused by it--is that Jim Bob contacted UPN with new dirt on the Bates family because if his family can't have a show, then Gil's can't either. LOL 

Jim Bob as a petty bitch? I believe it!

[Rootbeer]

31 minutes ago, Zella said:

I doubt it's sponsor-related. My understanding is that people have complained about the family for years, and the network has been very defensive about them. Also, I think if it were due to sponsor pressure, they would acknowledge that in the statements about the cancellation--the networks would want to mention it to get people off their backs and the family would want to talk about hw martyred they are with "cancel culture"--rather than just pretending like this is a cordial parting because of different network goals. 

My favorite theory--though I don't think it is true and just am amused by it--is that Jim Bob contacted UPN with new dirt on the Bates family because if his family can't have a show, then Gil's can't either. LOL 

According to some folks on Reddit, UP was airing promos for the show as recently as yesterday morning.  This indicates a major catastrophic revelation, not the kind of thing where sponsors would've even had time to get involved.  If the decision was actually made in the course of a single workday, it is something massive.

[Zella]

7 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Jim Bob as a petty bitch? I believe it!

Hell hath no fury like a Jim Bob scorned!!!!! 

4 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

According to some folks on Reddit, UP was airing promos for the show as recently as yesterday morning.  This indicates a major catastrophic revelation, not the kind of thing where sponsors would've even had time to get involved.  If the decision was actually made in the course of a single workday, it is something massive.

Agreed. Whatever it was is something that made them act very fast and the family didn't fight it. I don't think for a minute anything sponsor-related would have generated that kind of a reaction from the network or the family. 

10 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Sponsors almost always announce when they're pulling out due to unsavory behaviors. They want the customers to know they listened and they responded.

Agreed! All sides want to reassure people they've been heard, and the one who got cancelled usually wants everyone to know they've been treated unfairly. It's nothing to be hush-hush about. 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Zella

[iwantcookies]

9 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Jim Bob as a petty bitch? I believe it!

Yeah he is!

[Albanyguy]

3 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

I don't watch UP, does anyone know if they are currently showing reruns of the Bates' show or have those disappeared too?

It looks like "Bringing Up Bates" has disappeared completely from their schedule. Their primetime line-up has been filled by re-runs of Reba and Gilmore Girls with the occasional Hallmark-style sappy made-for-TV movie.

As we've all speculated, there has to be a big behind-the-scenes scandal that led to this decision; nothing else makes sense. And if that's the case, we'll find out what it is soon enough. The tabloids must be on the job right now, busily digging for dirt.

The Bates family isn't nearly as famous as the Duggars, but they're well-known enough that a big juicy scandal would be worth media coverage. Headlines about Fundies involved in sexual shenanigans or criminal activities always sell. 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by Albanyguy

[iwantcookies]

Oh it’s a big juicy scandal ! 

[quarks]

UPTV generates most of its revenue from cable subscriptions, not ads. So although complaints from sponsors probably didn't help, I don't think that was the primary consideration here. Same with overall content concerns - UP has been steadily moving away from original content and towards family-friendly post-view content, but that would have impacted a renewal decision, not a cancellation after filming.

I tend to agree that something big is brewing. UP doesn't have - or at least claims it and the equity investment firm that owns it doesn't have - deep pockets.  So to cancel content that they've already filmed/paid for and probably edited/captioned, is a big step for them. Though --

Quote

I'm sure the Bates have a contract and have been paid for the filming that is already done; so I don't think they could put the brakes on the upcoming season by themselves.  

I obviously haven't seen their contracts, but reality TV stars aren't always paid the full amount upfront or pre-broadcast. Bravo, for instance, usually options, then pays the "one time" film fee in installments. So it's possible that the Bates have not been fully paid for this season's filming.

But if they have - well, they certainly have a contract, a contract that almost as certainly has some sort of morality clause in it. If the speculation here is correct, it's quite possible that UP will be able to demand a return of any fees already paid, which will help offset some of the network's losses here.

[Future Cat Lady]

I wonder who tipped them off. It seems like TLC found out about Josh through the media or at least waited until it went public.

If the Bates did something illegal and are about to be charged, I don't think the cops will tell a TV network. If the people doing the documentary found something shady, I don't think they would give their findings to UP. They don't want to spoil their documentary.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Future Cat Lady

[lascuba]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

 

My favorite theory--though I don't think it is true and just am amused by it--is that Jim Bob contacted UPN with new dirt on the Bates family because if his family can't have a show, then Gil's can't either. LOL 

Head cannon accepted! This is the reason. Any other theory shall henceforth be considered blasphemy. 

 

[lascuba]

3 minutes ago, Future Cat Lady said:

I wonder who tipped them off. It seems like TLC found out about Josh through the media.

If the Bates did something illegal and are about to be charged, I don't think the cops will tell a TV network. If the people doing the documentary found something shady, I don't think they would give their findings to UP. They don't want to spoil their documentary.

I've always thought that Kelly and Gil have learned a lot from watching the Duggars and have made concerted efforts to not repeat their mistakes with regards to their public personae. With that in mind, it wouldn't surprise me if they were the ones to inform UP themselves of whatever is going on. No use in prolonging the inevitable, after all; plus, they know the public vitriol will be worse the more available targets there are. With the Bates no longer having a show, there's nowhere for people to direct the bulk of their outrage. They can go after individual social media accounts and sponsors, but I think outrage is directly proportional to the perceived level of fame and influence. The Bates have never had as high a public profile as the Duggars...they can mitigate the bulk of the response to whatever the scandal will be by simply not having the show anymore. 

[crazy8s]

whatever is behind the cancellation, it seems a mutual agreement. UP was polite in their statement and the Bates Fam statement was thanks for the years of the show, friends met etc.

The Bates' did not pull a JB - screaming cancel culture and persecution. so they most likely know the situation is bad and there was no other option but to agree to the end of the show.

[sheshark]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

Has it been confirmed that any of the Bates boys participated in the attack on the capitol? Wildly speculating here, but if any of them were there and are being charged, that would qualify as a scandal. 

Lawson and another brother, either Nathan or Trace I believe, were there.  Lawson posted it and a picture of them on the ellipse on his Facebook early in that day.  He deleted it later that afternoon.

1 minute ago, sheshark said:

 

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by sheshark

[lianau]

3 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

The timing of the cancelation of the Bates' show is so suspect. Right before the debut of a new season with promo work in full swing the whole thing gets pulled. There's something big there that has UP rattled and from previous experience not much rattles them. 

Maybe somebody (the documentary mentioned ??) looked into the fact that Erin's father in law married off his daughter to the anal rapist . There weren't many headlines about that  and the few that happened were all about Tabitha's role as a Duggar tutor which let the Bates off the hook in a way . 

[FizzyPuff]

2 hours ago, farmgal4 said:

I don’t think Priscilla has a self-centered bone in her body.  She most likely has a true “servants heart”, and the ladies in the church probably adore her, hence the baby shower.  Poor Pris has to be exhausted tho.  I wish they would shut down the baby train.  Enough is enough.

But how is David supposed to prove he is a real man if his wife doesn’t get knocked up every two years. 

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

Jim Bob as a petty bitch? I believe it!

Lol I want to believe this but I don’t think JB gives a damn about the Bates, never mind I’f they have a tv show or not, for all the “we’re good friends” on 19 kids and counting, they sure didn’t seem like they knew each other that well. 

[Heathen]

18 hours ago, ginger90 said:

An article about the cancellation, with comments by the family:

https://www.intouchweekly.com/posts/is-bringing-up-bates-canceled-why-its-not-returning/

 

 

 

"One of the biggest changes for us is that the network will be moving toward producing more scripted family shows..." What pure mendacity to pretend that THEIR show wasn't scripted, and edited. 

[Heathen]

Princess Erin had her latest "miracle" child. I give it eighteen months before she announces another "miracle" pregnancy, in an attempt to have another boy. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/bringing-up-bates-erin-bates-welcomes-baby-no-5-with-chad-paine/

[Future Cat Lady]

1 hour ago, lianau said:

Maybe somebody (the documentary mentioned ??) looked into the fact that Erin's father in law married off his daughter to the anal rapist . There weren't many headlines about that  and the few that happened were all about Tabitha's role as a Duggar tutor which let the Bates off the hook in a way . 

That happened years ago and the rapist is not a Bates. Whatever it is, it has to be something about a Bates family member who is part of the show.

[BradandJanet]

17 hours ago, LilJen said:

I’ll just agree with everyone else that this looks more like 1985 than 1997.

Jill has serious shoulder pads going on with her graduation robe. 1985 it is.

Who was the audience for Jill's graduation speech? Did the people in her church have to sit there and listen to Jill talk about how much she has already accomplished in life? Yuck. 

17 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

I vote that Kaykay and BME will have a double wedding/vow renewal paid 100% by Jonathan. 

Jill would love nothing more than to make And Kaylee's wedding all about herself. 

BEST MOMMA is not only a grifter, she's one mean critter. 

[Cinnabon]

5 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

Haha haha snorts

Jill lost 3.2 pounds in 2 weeks. Guess she wasn’t dieting that SEVERELY hard. So much for PLEXUS being a miracle DRUG.

They all “did amazing.” How is this woman “teaching” anyone else?

[heckkitty]

19 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Jill’s look was dated when I graduated high school in 1990. 

Yup, looks much like how people styled themselves when I graduated high school in 1983.

[GeeGolly]

I feel like this potential Bates scandal is a big snarker tease. Lets get on with it already!

[Nysha]

7 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

It's being produced by the same team that did the LulaRich expose and is purported to include an in-depth look at famous fundies who are Gothardites including the Bates and Duggars.

https://www.thelist.com/719485/this-new-amazon-documentary-could-be-the-lularich-of-the-duggar-family/

It is set to debut either late this year or early next year according to the press.

If the documentary is set to debut almost a year from now, I don't see how that would affect the Bates' new season that was supposed to start next month. I agree that it sounds like a scandal or something is brewing, but I think it's something that is going to come to light before the documentary aires.

[farmgal4]

22 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Why were Jill’s eyes blue then but green now?  I have to say, her eyes were beautiful w/o the caked on eyeliner.

[GeeGolly]

JillR's picture looks like a poorly done Glamour Shots knock-off.

[farmgal4]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I'm kind of leaning toward a really big scandal and/or UP allowing the Bates to pull the brakes on the show. I don't think UP would cancel due to a potential documentary that may come out in a year or two. A documentary that would only include the Bates, not about the Bates, and likely won't include anything that's not already public knowledge.

Plus UP kept airing 7th Heaven reruns after Collins admitted to in person CSA. Which brings me back to thinking its a big (to the Bates anyway) scandal and a very recent scandal.

I wonder if Jim Boob knew some dirt on the Bates and decided to destroy their reputation too.

[Mindthinkr]

1 minute ago, farmgal4 said:

I wonder if Jim Boob knew some dirt on the Bates and decided to destroy their reputation too.

I’m beginning to wonder if that even had something to do with Josh asking more time to get his appeal filed. Could Josh be trying to lay some blame on the Bates? 

[Iguessnot]

5 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I’m beginning to wonder if that even had something to do with Josh asking more time to get his appeal filed. Could Josh be trying to lay some blame on the Bates? 

They would've brought that up at trial.