"Counting On" may end up like its parent show "19 Kids and Counting." The spin-off show focusing on the children of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar is reportedly on the verge of an untimely cancellation amidst controversy surrounding the couple's son-in-law, Derick Dillard.
Dillard, who is married to Jill Duggar, came under fire last week for posting a series of tweets disapproving of 17-year-old transgender Jazz Jennings. He criticized Jennings and her family, saying she was being used as propaganda by her parents and TLC.
"I pity Jazz, 4 those who take advantage of him in order 2 promote their agenda, including the parents who allow these kinds of decisions 2 be made by a child," he wrote.
He explained in a follow-up tweet that the "I am Jazz" reality star was not mentally-developed enough to come out as transgender. Dillard insisted he has nothing against the teen, debunking accusations of bullying; he was merely expressing his view on what is being propagated on TV.
On the heels of the scandal, TLC has set the record straight it has not employed Dillard for months now, and that they have no plans on him ever returning to "Counting On." That is, if there is even another season coming up.
Prior to Dillard's controversial social media postings, the Duggar's reality show has already been facing cancellation news. TLC has yet to give "Counting On" season 7 the green light, but its plummeting ratings has fans convinced that the family's time on television would finally come to a close. Now that they are in hot waters, cancellation just got more likely.
This already happened in 2015 with "19 Kids and Counting." After Josh Duggar's molestation scandal broke, TLC officially pulled the plug on the reality show. Fans are worried it may happen again, this time because of Dillard.
The Hollywood Gossip notes that apart from the transphobic tweets, there was also a rumor of him cheating on Jill. Although that is not necessarily true, the publication says the fact that he has become a magnet for gossips could be slowly sinking the show.
Then again, TLC has not announced anything yet about the show's fate, so fans should take these rumors with a grain of salt. The Duggars have endured this kind of heat before. Despite the Josh Duggar bombshell two years ago, the network has also not parted ways with the family, so maybe that may still be the case now.
