Brand of the Day: 19 Kids and Counting
Welcome to Brand of the Day, where we pick the company making headlines for the day and explain five elements you need to know about what has happened for them to be in the news.
Today we feature the popular TLC show, ’19 Kids and Counting.’ which has angered many, including advertisers, after reports surfaced accusing one of its stars of child molestation.
1) The show
19 Kids and Counting has been on TLC for seven years. The show has a fairly simple plot; the very large and conservative Duggar Family goes about its days on camera, sharing beliefs on things like kissing before marriage (bad), birth control (bad), and Jesus (good).
2) The scandal
It is alleged that one of the 19 kids on the show, Josh Duggar, molested five young girls when he was 14. Some of those girls were his sisters. At the time, Duggar’s parents are reported tro have found out and “sought help from the church.” Still, the public is outraged that formal charges were only brought once Duggar turned 18, and the statute of limitations had passed.
3) The fallout
Aside from the public outrage, brands also seem to want to distance themselves from the Duggars whose once wholesome image has been permanently tarnished. Last week, General Mills announced that it would pull ads from the show. Payless Shoes and Choice Hotels followed suit, announcing their decisions via Twitter.
4) The end?
TLC is under immense pressure both from the public and advertisers. There are multiple petitions circling Change.org that call for the show’s end. More importantly, brands seem uneasy about aligning themselves with the family moving forward. Lack of brand support means lack of advertisers, which means lack of revenue for TLC.
5) Looking forward
Duggar publically apologized for his actions, and TLC responded by airing a marathon of the show. They received much criticism for this decision and swiftly announced that they would no longer be airing reruns of ’19 Kids,’ With nobody in support of The Duggars (except, perhaps Republican politician, Mike Huckabee), it seems likely that TLC will cancel the show permanently.