The Duggars: In the Media and TLC

[Bella]

I hope this board will continue. I would miss our daily exchanges of snark.

 

 

Lots of canceled shows have boards.

 

Right. We'll be here as long as any of you are here.

[farmgal4]

It didn't take them that long to cancel Honey Boo Boo. I don't see why the Duggars would take 2 months to cancel when they cancelled HBB in 2 hours. I don't think that the delay was paperwork related.

IMO it was much easier to cancel HBB because TLC didn't have the long history with that family. TLC has invested lots of time with the Duggar family and I'm sure that there must be some feelings of friendship between the two.

Right. We'll be here as long as any of you are here.

I wondered what was going to happen to our little community; I'm glad it's not going anywhere!

[kokapetl]

June Shannon and 'Sugar Bear' had both served time, and it wasn't what June or anyone else did ten years ago, it was about who June was associating with currently.

[Oldernowiser]

It was easier to cancel HBB because that show didn't make up so much of the franchise AND it was the first. It's one thing to lose one program...but to cancel a second knocks a rather large hole in both Discovery's programming and their finances. I also suspect several executive level jobs were on the line.

It's business and saving their own asses. Friendship couldn't have less to do with it.

[amitville]

Right. We'll be here as long as any of you are here.

Thank you  

[Cherrio]

The Duggars weren't Honey Boo Boo. And if the contracts were from when the daughters courtships began...those could have been pretty good terms for the Duggars.

I'm only saying that in large organizations, where you are dealing with people who have political connections and wealth, especially, nothing happens quickly. No one gets "fired" swiftly - they might resign, but few people are fired. Jim Bob does have some powerful people to go to bat for him, and the money to chase them down. This is a man who once wasted a quarter of a million dollars, after all.

I think TLC made sure everything was in writing. But that's because I lived in a world where every other person (it seemed) was a lawyer. Of course, TLC has their HQ in that world too...

 

        TLC's legal representation is Williams & Connolly, perhaps the most powerful law firm in the country. Jim Bob is 1/8 of a small ant.

[Missy Vixen]

IMO it was much easier to cancel HBB because TLC didn't have the long history with that family. TLC has invested lots of time with the Duggar family and I'm sure that there must be some feelings of friendship between the two.

 

 

 

It wasn't as much "friendship" as it was ten years of footage that TLC did not have to pay royalties on to broadcast in perpetuity.

 

The network was not going to leave all that money on the table unless they knew there was no way to recover. The campaign to boycott any 19KAC advertisers would have been legendary.

[DollEyes]

  The gravy train has officially been derailed and it's about time. The Duggars' show being cancelled reminds me of the old saying, "God may not always be there when you want Him, but He's always right on time."   TLC probably realized that the Duggars were/are way more trouble than they're worth, so they finally decided to cut their losses and let them become another network's problem, for a change.

 

don't forget..." became hoarders, clipped coupons, and baked a cake"

 

...became hoarders, clipped coupons, and baked a cake, while wearing a wedding dress."

 

...with the other 600-lb., Amish, giant, sister-wives.

[dillpickles]

What they really need is to find out how the real world works, which is to actually work. I don't think a majority of America wants to support a bunch of hate mongers who have never worked a honest day in their lives.

Their con worked longer than most, but its in the toilet now where it should be, along with big mouth Tidy Bowl Bin.

It could be argued that reality TV is working. It's not a *honest* 9 to 5, but it is a job, that brings in money.

[GEML]

I'm pretty familiar with Williams and Connolly. And I can assure you that they would have wanted every t crossed and i dotted before anyone from TLC went out there and made any announcements.

[Marigny]

FINALLY TLC JESUS

 

Did anyone see that they are doing a documentary in august? It better not be some whitewashed 'its no big deal!" 

That is all

 

 

The likelihood that it won't be whitewashed is nearly zero. 

[Dianaofthehunt]

Halla freakin' lewya. Two months too late, but at least the freak show is DONE.

 

Duggars better find some honest paying work now, if they can. That means you too, girls!

[Oldernowiser]

That mush-mouthed, random word generator, sanctimonious festival of religious cliched crap that is their response makes me stabby.

So now because they're such experts at handling sexual abuse they think they're going to be some kind of consultants for this documentary????!!!!

Words fail. I'm so sputteringly pissed at their arrogance.

Dear Duggars: YOU GOT FIRED. FIRED. GET THAT?

Sincerely, Reality.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeit.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Oldernowiser

[Vermicious Knid]

People were speculating they were waiting on the new show ratings? I don't know what the historical ratings on 19K were but the debut of My Giant Life came in with .5, good enough for 20th across all cable platforms:

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2015/07/15/tuesday-cable-ratings-the-haves-and-the-have-nots-wins-night-deadliest-catch-pretty-little-liars-rizzoli-isles-wwe-tough-enough-more/431285/

[Cherrio]

Like I mentioned in another thread, the same sentiments, We?

 I will not be watching a show that Michelle and Dim Bob have anything to do with. I am also skeptical of Jill and Jessa. They made it perfectly clear already how they felt on Fox.

     There is sure to be some kind of money involved too.   It could be, you do this, then maybe you get your show back? The Duggars are a small potatoes con. Its TLC who I have absolutely no trust in.   They made 25 million off the Duggars last year and they want to continue making it.

 After all, this is a network who is world class in child exploitation.     They could care less about victims.

[amitville]

From the Duggar's statement today, the sentence which Oldernowiser has mentioned just now above^^^:

 

 

What the fuggedy fug???? 

 

TLC needs to clarify this nonsense, stat. Who exactly is "we" in that sentence? And what kind of "work" will they be doing?

 

Will any Duggar be PAID for "working with TLC" on the documentary? Lord, I hope not. Yes, not even Jessa and Jill. Unless every victim who appears on the show is paid.

 

I'm hoping this quote is just JB and Michelle's wishful thinking. It is, after all, part of that epic "sanctimonious festival of religious cliched crap" - as Oldernowiser has so brilliantly described it.

 

Oy.

The Duggar family is showboating as usual .  They are experts on everything, maybe they should shut up and leave it up to the experts.  This has really sickend me today  .  

[ariel]

The TLC release said something about the upcoming Special being commercial free.  If so, I wonder how much the participants will be paid.

[Adiba]

Glad they cancelled the show, but like others, I wonder if some "specials" featuring Jessa, Jill, and others are in the works. The cynical part of me can' t see TLC walking away if they can squeeze a little more out of the situation-- just the fact that they are doing a so- called documentary featuring Jill and Jessa makes me suspicious.

[Hana Chan]

As far as what rights the Duggars might have against TLC with the cancelation... a snowflake in Hell is going to have better standing. The show isn't being canceled due to the network's whim (which would give the Duggars better standing to right a non-competition clause), but due entirely to the actions of the family themselves. Not just the molestation, but the concerted effort by JimBob and Michelle in covering up Josh's actions. Maybe had this story come out early on, it could have been spun as a case of a pious family struggling with the unthinkable - after all, this does happen in even the most well-adjusted and balanced of families. But with every effort made to hide this from the media in general (and TLC in particular), the Duggars left themselves with no legal leg to stand on. If anything, TLC would be within their rights to sue the Duggars for a sizable portion of what they were paid since JimBob and Michelle knew about the molestation for not disclosing this kind of a bomb to the network. The whole raison d'etre for the Duggars having any kind of media platform at all was that they were this super-Christian family, and hiding the fact that their oldest son was diddling his sisters kind of kills that image. I doubt that TLC will try to sue them - they just want this mess to go away.

 

As for the Duggars.... there's a mean-spirited part of me that is looking forward to visiting their state and seeing Michelle (with her missing back muscle) as a Walmart cashier. Can't wait to see her and JimBob now having to deal with the real world.

[Missy Vixen]

Here's what I divine from the two statements, TLC's and the Duggars':

 

The Duggars were fired. TLC is being gracious and allowing it to appear as if it was a mutual decision, which many employers are doing now in order to stave off lawsuits. TLC's statement was most likely written by their public relations group in close communication with their law firm.

 

The Duggars' statement was written by someone who thinks they know anything about the veiled threat and failed miserably. The best way to bow out of any situation (especially when one has been told to take a hike) is to be gracious and brief. (AKA "Thank you so much for the opportunity you've offered our family. We loved being a part of your network family," bla bla bla.) TLC has already calculated how many actually hate-watched 19KAC as opposed to those who tuned in because they're leghumpers. It didn't pencil out. They also have probably heard from every advertiser currently buying time on their network that the advertiser will cease buying airtime from them if they or their product ended up on any attempt to revive 19KAC. The whole thing about "we look forward to working on the documentary"? Uh, NO. They're trying to strong-arm TLC into more content/additional paychecks.

 

If TLC was smart, they just made it clear to everyone working on the alleged documentary that there will be no Duggar involvement at all. They can obtain footage from FOX News of both parents and Jilly Muffin/Jessa Blessa's interviews if they want to include a clip. If they want to be taken seriously (and it remains to be seen if they really do, or they are so scared at the resulting advertiser issues and/or drop in ratings) they'll work exclusively with RAINN and Darkness Into Light for any content involved. Another sign they'll want to be taken seriously: They'll offer the content to all Discovery channels and the big five "free" networks for a simulcast.

[Hana Chan]

I don't think that TLC had any reason to be gentle with the Duggars over this in regards to how they worded the release (except that they didn't want to look like uncaring assholes). The Duggars lied to the network for years. They actively went out of their way to hide what Josh had done in order to protect their brand and keep up this image of the uber-Christians. The network doesn't owe Josh and Michelle and Josh any consideration at all here. The only rationale that I can come up with for being so soft with the announcement was for the victims (who are foolish for letting this go, but blameless for the mess) and the younger children who are going to have their cushy life disrupted.

 

And the Duggars should have no place in the documentary except as a warning example of what happens when you have more crotch fruit than you can supervise and how not to handle one child molesting others in the family.

[JoanArc]

I hope the babysitter gets her few minutes in the documentary.

[Julia]

Jim Bob has enough money after years of being paid to lie about his values to the american public that he can afford to give each of his many, many children a significant percentage of the average lifetime earnings for an american with a high school diploma as a wedding present. I think if there is a dickensian outcome here, it's not because TLC has snatched the bread from the childrens' mouths. 

[Marigny]

My prediction is that plenty more scandals are being uncovered about this family. TLC could have cancelled this months ago when the news broke about Josh. Why now? What else is about to come out about the Duggars?

I agree with every word of this. There is a reason why the chest beating ended not long after the Fox interview aired and they've been laying way low ever since. 

 

I believe TLC was waiting to see if the enamored fans and evangelicals could overtake the shocked and offended viewers or be enough of a presence to carry the show.  They basically waited to see if the outrage would die out enough to be able to continue the show. 

Exactly! TLC's holdout had nothing to do with the Duggars and everything to do with the network making sure there was absolutely no way of saving it. Unlike regular television contracts where you have unions involved, reality show contracts have all kinds of loopholes that allow the network to benefit while giving the "talent" peanuts in comparison. Drink the kool-aid if you please but this life after scandal/series finale docuepisode that they are planning is a way of squeezing the last bit of advertising water out of the rock, not to giving the family a chance to help others . 

[Missy Vixen]

The network doesn't owe Josh and Michelle and Josh any consideration at all here. The only rationale that I can come up with for being so soft with the announcement was for the victims (who are foolish for letting this go, but blameless for the mess) and the younger children who are going to have their cushy life disrupted.

 

 

I think the announcement was written the way it was because a) TLC comes out smelling like the proverbial rose ("See? We're not uncaring. We're making a documentary about abuse with NO COMMERCIALS. We're cleaning things up after we've gotten burned by three different reality show casts in less than two years!") and b) After dealing with the magic that's Jim Bob Duggar over the past ten years, they knew exactly what the Duggars would be responding with.

 

I loved Deadline's theory, too -- the announcement was supposed to be made during the Emmy Award nominee announcements and someone screwed up on the timeline.

[SpottedCoachDog]

Well....better late than never.

I personally think the delay was due to Boob and his ginormous ego. I'm guessing TLC wanted a "spin off" focusing on Jill, Jessa, Josiah and some of the older kids. Minimal to no Boob and Mechelle and Josh joins Richie Cunningham's brother Chuck upstairs; never seen or spoken of again. Boob wouldn't have it. All is forgiven in the eyes of the Lord and they shouldn't have to hide. Then Derrick spirited Jill away for an undetermined timeframe and TLC said screw it.

They have Jazz and her wonderful family and transgender is "in". The Little Couple must have done okay in the Duggars slot. And TLC had to see that the disgust toward the Duggars was higher than the humper support. Add in the possible civil suit from the fifth victim and here we are.

[Rane]

They have Jazz and her wonderful family and transgender is "in". 

 

I find that to be one of the crowning ironies, given all the rage & hate the Duggars have spewed forth against such families in the past.

[NextIteration]

Honestly?  If the Duggars had the courage of their convictions?  They'd have been seeking an out before they were in a line-up with the Jazz show (or a few recent TLC shows).

 

That sort of proves it was all about the cash.

[graefin]

Drink the kool-aid if you please but this life after scandal/series finale docuepisode that they are planning is a way of squeezing the last bit of advertising water out of the rock, not to giving the family a chance to help others . 

Is that possible when the episode itself will be airing (according to them) without commercials?

[Churchhoney]

I can't say I'm happy about this. Lots of innocent people will suffer as a result, but I guess it's more important that Josh and Jimchelle DO suffer.

 

Well, staying on the air or going off the air -- both would cause the kids to suffer in some ways.

 

But, by the same token, both have upsides for the kids and, in my opinion, going off the air has the bigger upside, although it may also cause the most short-term pain. Living your child/teenage/young-adult life on camera isn't good for anybody, as far as I'm concerned. It teaches those kids that life is all false, that behaving falsely is a virtue, that they're way more important in the world than they actually are, that they bear responsibility for supporting the family and have to portray the right family image if they're to fulfill that responsibility, that their father's and mother's morals and ethics are very important and widely admired, that they must never ever try to escape because it'll ruin the family brand. Etc. All untrue and damaging crap that kids shouldn't be taught to believe.

 

Going off the air means losing money and watching Jim Bob and Michelle have some tantrums. That's not great. But I'm sure they've seen plenty of parental tantrums before -- including while the show's been on the air. And if they have to live the financial life of an average working family in America, well, welcome to how the other 90 percent live, Duggars.

[sometimesy]

Not sure if this is the END of the Duggars or just the end of the 19 kids and counting show. They were making good bank by having lengthy boring 'specials'. They can still easily keep up with the weddings and births etc. The good news is that those kids featured would probably keep the money.

 

So they can have their 'specials', the boys could develop their youtube channel, maybe a Netflix series, there are endless possibilities that can still provoke great snark here.

 

The Duggars didn't really lose anything. They gained so much from this show; money that can be put to work to provide for them (which I would be surprised if it isn't already invested), a platform for their lifestyle, adventures and travels that the kids can look back on forever. I don't believe there are victims of a 'show cancellation'.

 

I will be PISSED if Jana and Derrick Duggar are being filmed on their secret hideaway, vacay, mission. To think they set up the tax free grifting account and then were paid to film..ooooo bad people. But hey, I didn't donate so meh. No interest in Jessa, Jill due to their allegiance to all the crazy shit.

 

I WOULD give money to a youtube channel set up by an escapee though. I just wouldn't be able to help myself. Jinger on the loose in Manhattan, working as an assistant to a famous photographer or just going to school. Jana getting her brain drilled open to remove the hard drive so that she can take over her body again.

 

So yeah, this is not the end of the buggers, just the end of '19 kids and counting'.

[Churchhoney]

I hope you're right. Jill and Jessa (and the other non Josh kids) need that money.

 

Well, what they really need is to get training, education and jobs. Like everybody else. Because the show was not going to last forever, even if all this hadn't happened. At some point, it was going to be canceled -- seemingly out of the blue, probably, since that's the way almost all cancellations happen -- because ratings were slipping, and that would have put the exact same requirement on this mega family: Take the needed steps to support yourselves and live life as something other than "celebrities," famous for being famous.

[JoanArc]

 

So they can have their 'specials', the boys could develop their youtube channel, maybe a Netflix series, there are endless possibilities that can still provoke great snark here.

I wonder who has the rights to the old footage (TLC?). They need that for the constant flashbacks. Being limited to new footage already messes up their narrative. Those kids are getting old. Hell, could Jill use any of the childbirth footage that was shot? I somehow doubt it. I'd love to see the Netflix PR nightmare of picking up the show. Hulu tossed it pretty quickly.

 

 

I WOULD give money to a youtube channel set up by an escapee though. I just wouldn't be able to help myself. Jinger on the loose in Manhattan, working as an assistant to a famous photographer or just going to school. Jana getting her brain drilled open to remove the hard drive so that she can take over her body again.

THIS. They don't need to write a book, just sit in front of a webcam and talk about what life was like as a tv star/slave. They'd get tons of views and subscribers. The YouTube ad revenue alone would be enough to modestly live on.

[Churchhoney]

I haven't heard great things about being uneducated yokels in America.

 

This is exactly what they need to learn, though. As long as they have TLC money building their house, buying their Uggs and American Girl dolls and financing their trips abroad, the Duggar kids have no way to know that a) they are uneducated yokels and b) that uneducated yokels tend not to do well. And yet -- at some point the show was going to go off the air. And they were going to have to make it on their own, because Jim Bob could not and probably would not support the multitude that his hey-hey-heying is unleashing on the planet. The sooner the kids find out that their status actually is a problem when it comes to paying the bills, the sooner they can do something about it, in my opinion.

[CofCinci]

Fuck Jim Bob and Michelle. They never got their son and daughters the help they needed. They'll survive though, just like the cockroaches they are.

[truthtalk2014]

Well, what they really need is to get training, education and jobs. Like everybody else. Because the show was not going to last forever, even if all this hadn't happened. At some point, it was going to be canceled -- seemingly out of the blue, probably, since that's the way almost all cancellations happen -- because ratings were slipping, and that would have put the exact same requirement on this mega family: Take the needed steps to support yourselves and live life as something other than "celebrities," famous for being famous.

Many of us thought that one of the last episodes - with the crew praising the family- seemed like a goodbye show.

 

There is no way I feel sorry for any of them for losing the show.  The longer it kept going and the more TLC money they made, the longer they would all live as if no one has to have a real job, education or much less a career. 

 

As far as I can see, John David is the only one to put up any effort into doing anything.  Maybe that is because he is the oldest and knew what it was like before the TLC dollars came rolling in. 

 

Boob is not going to pay for vacations abroad and such for that many people.  This will be a great lesson to the children that they need to figure out what they want to do outside of the TTH.  It cracks me up on their forum when the leghumpers talk about how they did fine before and will do fine after.  LOL  How many people were crammed into that tiny house eating colored rice out of a jar?  

 

ETA:  Sorry I meant that JD is one of the oldest.

Edited July 16, 2015 by truthtalk2014

[barbedwire]

Didn't they do "fine" before because there was a lot of donations of used clothes?  When they used to attend an actual church?

[Bella]

They've made a lot of money over the years, and despite the seemingly profligate spending, they probably still have a lot. (As stupid as I think JimBoob is, I can't believe he's not saved some of it.)

 

They will be fine. People survive on a lot less money than they have. I worry more about the evident disengagement of the parents, the wildly substandard education, the intense indoctrination, the stifling of the kids' individuality and curiosity, and the lack of perspective about the real world. This was going to happen with or without the show. 

 

Losing the show will wake up those kids capable of understanding what happened, if not now, then eventually. Maybe more of them will break away.

 

I am of two minds about what TLC might do, so I'm going to wait and see because, quite frankly, I don't know. But keeping the show was tantamount to an endorsement of the Duggars' lifestyle, beliefs, bigotry, and cover-up of misdeeds. I'm glad it's over, and I hope "over" means "never again, not even specials."

[truthtalk2014]

I recently started watching Jon and Kate on TLC's youtube.  I had no idea that Jim the boom guy also worked on that show.  All I have to say, is that man has the patience of Job. I'm glad both shows are off the air now and I hope Jim gets a nice calm show - such as the transgender teen show.  You just know he was put through the ringer with all those children.  I hope he got hazard pay.

[Marigny]

Is that possible when the episode itself will be airing (according to them) without commercials?

Whenever something is aired without commercials, it is because one advertiser in particular has paid an enormous amount of money to be the sole sponsor. They usually have a 2 minute long commerical that will run before the thing airs and another right after. We've seen this most recently with the mid-season premier of Fox's Empire. 

[JoanArc]

 

How many people were crammed into that tiny house eating colored rice out of a jar?

Hey now, that was Jim Bob's childhood poverty. This generation had Michelle pouring honey over white rice and calling it nutritious.

[GEML]

People really think they are "cockroaches"? To me, that's as ugly as anything you can accuse the Duggars as ever doing or thinking about someone else. Sure, I'm ok with the show being taken away - but they ARE human beings like any of us. I enjoy snark, but I'll admit, I find dehumanizing comments from anyone disturbing.

[Cherrio]

I recently started watching Jon and Kate on TLC's youtube.  I had no idea that Jim the boom guy also worked on that show.  All I have to say, is that man has the patience of Job. I'm glad both shows are off the air now and I hope Jim gets a nice calm show - such as the transgender teen show.  You just know he was put through the ringer with all those children.  I hope he got hazard pay.

I would normally agree, but Jim has been witness to a lot of horrible things in both of these homes and just went along with it.  Sure, people have to make a living, but it doesn't say much about his character to stand by and never speak out, report them or something.    I could never do that.    I would rather be broke and know I did the right thing.     Of course he is legally bound to silence, but  nobody forced him to stay.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Cherrio

[galax-arena]

To me, that's as ugly as anything you can accuse the Duggars as ever doing or thinking about someone else.

Anything? I don't know, to me calling someone a "cockroach" isn't on par with trying to take away someone else's civil rights or molesting little kids.

 

ETA: Maybe I parsed your comment wrong. I initially read it as "accuse the Duggars OF ever doing or thinking" which made me do a double take, assuming the "as" was a typo. Now I think you might have just meant it to mean that it's about as ugly a name as you could ever call someone. In which case, *waves hand jedi-like* this comment never happened. 

 

ETA 2: Although I still disagree on how bad it is to call someone a "cockroach"! Then again, I have no issues calling them scum. 

Edited July 16, 2015 by galax-arena

[Cherrio]

Hey now, that was Jim Bob's childhood poverty. This generation had Michelle pouring honey over white rice and calling it nutritious.

I will never forget the canned peas either.   Too dumb to even mash them up.

People really think they are "cockroaches"? To me, that's as ugly as anything you can accuse the Duggars as ever doing or thinking about someone else. Sure, I'm ok with the show being taken away - but they ARE human beings like any of us. I enjoy snark, but I'll admit, I find dehumanizing comments from anyone disturbing.

To me, the Duggars are disturbing, extremely disturbing.  

[Julia]

I'd also be astonished if they weren't forced to set up trust funds for the kids under child labor laws.

[barbedwire]

Wonder if any of the kids let out a squeal of delight when JimBoob said "We aren't going to be filmed any more."?

[JoanArc]

Cockroaches: Animals capable of living after their heads have been removed. Sounds about right.

 

 

I will never forget the canned peas either.   Too dumb to even mash them up.

Protein rich Top Ramen, too.

[sometimesy]

People really think they are "cockroaches"? To me, that's as ugly as anything you can accuse the Duggars as ever doing or thinking about someone else. Sure, I'm ok with the show being taken away - but they ARE human beings like any of us. I enjoy snark, but I'll admit, I find dehumanizing comments from anyone disturbing.

 

I think it is a reference to the ability of cockroaches rumoured abililty to survive anything. So smart as a fox, survive like a cockroach, swims like a fish.

Fuck Jim Bob and Michelle. They never got their son and daughters the help they needed. They'll survive though, just like the cockroaches they are.

[Julia]

I thought it was a glancing reference to the old joke that the only things to survive nuclear winter would be cockroaches and Cher. 

 

I do think, though, that the whole vermin thing has shown up in the dehumanizing rhetoric of too many eliminationists for me to be completely comfortable with it.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Julia