Rumors are swirling, saying that Counting On has been canceled, with even the Duggars hinting that TLC is ghosting them and refusing to give the family any direct answers.
Derick Dillard’s anti-trans attacks against Jazz Jennings got so bad that he’s been fired, but did he drag the rest of his extended family down with him?
Maybe … or maybe not. One report suggests that Duggar fans who want a seventh season might have great news on the horizon.
When 19 Kids and Counting became too controversial to stay on the air, the Duggars — for the most part — moved over to Counting On, a companion series about the young, adult daughters of the Duggar family and their marriages, lives, and children.
But Counting On has, well, never really gotten the sort of ratings that 19 Kids and Counting once enjoyed.
Maybe the novelty of a fundamentalist fertility cult existing on society’s fringes and condemning their children to share their values and their extreme lifestyle had worn off.
Or maybe, just maybe, Josh Duggar molesting five young girls, including four of his own sisters left a lot of viewers too disgusted to continue watching.
Josh might not have shown up on camera, but you can’t talk about the Duggars without talking about Jim Bob and Michelle, and they’re the ones who hid Josh’s evil crimes from the world.
So, has TLC finally decided to pull the plug or give the series the axe or whichever analogy you prefer?
Maybe … and maybe not.
So, John Rotan is Counting On‘s director of photography.
(Yes, reality shows have directors — there’s more to it than just a couple of cameras and some very creative editors)
The Christian Post reports that Rotan was at Thanksgiving with the Duggars, and you wouldn’t think that he’d be there for the food.
(Because what would you call the parts of a turkey in that kind of company? Refer to “turkey breast” in that crowd and Jim Bob might get mad and Josh might excuse himself to the bathroom)
It’s said that John Rotan even captured some footage for the series, which really spikes people’s hopes for Season 7.
(Or Season 2, as some people consider it to be a separate series with its shorter title)
However, that doesn’t mean that diehard Duggar viewers are out of the woods.
First of all, we cannot even describe the number of internet “hoops” that we jumped through to try to find a source for the news that John Rotan visited the Duggars and filmed with them.
What we found wasn’t an interview, but instead a statement that John Rotan reportedly said on social media:
“Yeah…those Duggar Thanksgiving dinners! #foodbaby #kiddingnotkidding.”
That quote was cited by Blasting News, who said that the comment “gave the feeling” that Rotan was perhaps there to film the Duggars.
In the long game of telephone that is the internet, that comment has transformed into confirmation that the Duggars filmed for a seventh season
Let’s not put the cart before the horse, folks.
The fact of the matter is that we just don’t know. The Duggars may have invited their cinematography director as a courtesy. There is no guarantee that he filmed anything at all.
Besides, filming does not always guarantee a new season. Not when TLC might be canceling them over more than just ratings.
They fired Derick Dillard for his repeated, angry attacks against Jazz Jennings and the transgender community.
Jazz, in particular, is a teenage girl and a fellow TLC star. if you’re gonna pick a fight with a minority group online, maybe don’t target a high school student when you’re a grown-ass adult.
And definitely don’t insult someone else who stars on your network. Executives don’t like to hear that.
As we said, Derick’s been fired, but since the “Dillard family” continues to attack the very existence of the transgender community in a very public manner … we can’t help but wonder if TLC is ready to say goodbye to the Duggars.
