The Duggar household is dropping grim hints of a potential TV return.
First, there was Jana’s abrupt return to social media. Then, Jessa heaped undeserved reward on Michelle Duggar, of all folks.
To some longtime Duggar-watchers, this might simply be regular social media comebacks. It occurs.
However others see these as a part of a collection of purple flags that might herald the household’s return to tv.
Why do followers speculate that the Duggar household may return to TV?
As we famous, Jana Duggar took to Instagram. Why? To want a Completely satisfied Mom’s Day to Michelle Duggar.
That looks like acceptable timing. It’s laborious to think about somebody who’s extra wholly deserving but undeserving of Mom’s Day honors. By amount? She’s such a mom. By high quality? That’s one other story.
But it surely’s greater than Mom’s day. Not solely did Jana return after a two-year hiatus, however Jessa reemerged after months of silence to spam posts on a number of platforms, vlogging about her youngsters.
Clearly, it’s potential {that a} resurgence in two Duggar daughters’ social media accounts could possibly be a coincidence.
However, usually, there are two principal causes for actuality TV personalities to strategically publish.
The primary is as a result of they wish to do product endorsements and comparable adverts, for cash. And the opposite is as a result of they’ve a undertaking — like a TV comeback — arising.
Why did the Duggars have to go away TV within the first place?
In 2015, the world discovered about Josh Duggar’s scandals.
This went past his “pornography scandal,” which was an argument inside their cult, and him dishonest on his spouse, which was a merciless factor to do.
When Josh was a teen, he molested 5 younger ladies — together with a number of of his personal sisters. His mother and father coated it up, placing him into their cult’s concept of counseling with out reporting the crime or really addressing the issue.
On the time, TLC merely pulled a bait & change. The community canceled 19 Children & Counting and changed it with Counting On … bringing again virtually your complete Duggar household and persevering with to complement Jim Bob, however with out Josh or his mother and father showing on display.
It quickly grew to become obvious that TLC was boiling the frog with viewers. Little by little, Jill & Jessa’s disgraceful mother and father started inching their means again onto the present. Followers feared that i used to be solely a matter of time earlier than Josh reappeared.
Happily, that didn’t materialize. In 2021, Homeland Safety officers arrested Josh Duggar for receiving and possessing youngster sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Later that 12 months, he acquired his conviction. He’s at the moment behind bars, the place he belongs. And the Duggars have, since then, been off of TLC.
How may the Duggar household return to TV?
After such a grisly scandal — particularly one the place so many victims and equipment (not less than, individuals who coated up Josh’s crimes) had been Josh’s castmates — how may the household return to TV?
We might like to consider that it’s unimaginable.
However networks seldom cancel reveals over private ethical horror. These are enterprise selections. Fleeing viewers, protesting viewers, and particularly strain from advertisers adjustments extra TV exec minds than any quantity of proper and incorrect.
So what would it not take to make a Duggar TV comeback occur?
Sadly, it’s only for folks to “neglect” and “transfer on.” There are parts of our tradition which can be virtually pathologically obsessive about “letting go” of wrongdoings.
It may occur. If folks shrug off wrongdoings, they’ll watch the Duggar cult on TV once more and brush off ethical outrage over it. Worse — lots of them will fake that it’s advantageous to observe Jim Bob and Michelle and their brood, as a result of Josh is behind bars.
Was it actually nearly Josh?
In a way, certain, that is all about Josh. Josh’s scandals led to the Duggar household actuality TV careers tanking not as soon as, however twice.
However Josh didn’t cowl up his crimes as a teen. His mother and father did.
And the abusive ideology of IBLP and the Duggar household made an ideal looking floor for predators like Josh. He benefited from that, but it surely didn’t begin with him. Josh was simply the tip of the iceberg.
There are additionally very completely different points with the Duggar household. Issues that actually don’t connect with Josh’s crimes in opposition to youngsters.
Jill and Derick have raised the alarm about Jim Bob pocketing checks from TLC after which doling out restricted payouts to his grownup youngsters.
For years, he has used cash and presents — like homes — to manage his grownup youngsters, even after they marry. To tune in to observe the Duggars stage a comeback means serving to Jim Bob to do this once more.
Have another actuality TV stars come again from one thing this unhealthy?
It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we notice that different actuality stars have returned to tv after terrible scandals and grim revelations.
Clearly, the primary folks to come back to thoughts are a number of the extra vile Actual Housewives of 90 Day Fiance solid members. It’s not like that they had their very own reveals, and producers clearly felt that together with poisonous scumbags would do extra good than hurt to rankings.
However one actuality TV determine appears particularly related. Her household had their very own present on TLC. And after her scandal, involving a sexual predator who targets youngsters, led to the present’s cancelation.
Regardless of that, Mama June Shannon has a actuality present once more. It’s not on TLC — it airs on WEtv, the place apparently cuddling in mattress with the person who abused your daughter is water beneath the bridge.
As we famous, executives solely not often make ethical, ideological selections on goal. Strain from viewers, particularly on advertisers, is what suggestions the scales extra instances than not.
Might the Duggars stage a return, on some fringe streaming community or on WEtv or one thing like that? Completely. However we might like to consider that there are sufficient respectable folks on the earth that it wouldn’t work out.
