The Duggars have always given the appearance of a cult, so it does feel like a “no duh” moment when people start saying, “Well, I always knew there was something wrong with that family.” The overwhelming majority of us did know there was something wrong with them, but even the people with the best scandal-radars were hoping that it wouldn’t be something awful like “Josh Duggar molested his sisters.” That’s one of those scandals that will end many, many careers. We haven’t even seen half of the fallout from this. It is my hope that TLC will end the show completely and that TLC will finally look inwards and fire some of the people responsible for all of their sketchy programming AND for covering up the Josh Duggar situation in particular, because most of us believe that TLC knew something years ago.
In any case, there’s no coming back. It was my hope that the Duggars would realize that there’s no coming back and simply pull out of all of their public engagements and stop preaching the Gospel of the Duggar Cult. But once these people got a taste of fame, it’s difficult for them to let it go. So they’re going to Fox News to give their first public interview since the scandal broke.
Nearly nine days after the Duggar family responded to allegations that Josh Duggar has molested five underage girls when he was a teenager, the reality TV family announced they would be sitting down with Fox News reporter Megyn Kelly for an exclusive interview.
“Next week we will sit down with Megyn Kelly on Fox News to share our hearts with you about the pain that we walked through as a family twelve years ago, the tears we all shed and the forgiveness that was given,” Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar wrote in a statement. “We appreciate the outpouring of love and prayers for our family at this time.”
In a separate press release, Fox News announced that the interview would air during The Kelly File on Wednesday, June 3, at 9 p.m. ET. Additional portions will also air during a one-hour special on Friday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET. This will mark the family’s first interview since news of the molestation allegations broke earlier this month.
You might say, “Ha, Fox News, of course.” And if it was Steve Doocy, I would be with you. But Megyn Kelly might actually call them out of their BS. A little bit. I mean, she’s sort of the best of Fox News Blondes, which is sort of like having the least rancid fart in a group of nacho-eaters. Still, there’s a reason the Duggars are giving this exclusive to Fox News and not, say, 20/20 or Dateline or 60 Minutes. The Duggars are trying to reach their constituency. They’re holding out hope that they can get through this. Is that a pipe dream or is there a reason that TLC hasn’t officially canceled the show?
Interestingly, People Magazine also published this story about how people in the Duggars’ hometown feel about the family. The general consensus is that the Duggars are weird. Some people are like, “Eh, they seem nice and quiet,” but many are judging them and blaming their instance on “home-schooling” and closing their children off from the world.
Photos courtesy of Duggar family Facebook.
“forgiveness that was given” what did the girls get made to apologize to josh for then demon womanly ways. WTF. those girl got forced to believe they did something wrong then probably got made to say they forgive josh, then it got seeped under their rug and never talk again.
“share their hearts” what a load of BS.
I bet Jim-Bob and Josh will do most of the talking.
I think Jim Bob is a full on narcissist and I also believe this family has been living in their bubble for so long, they don’t “get” why everyone is in an uproar over this mess. The children have been raised in a brainwashing cult, much like the women in those Mormon cult colonies where they marry the young girls off to the older men as their 7th and 8th wives.
They don’t know any different.
That said, Michelle Duggar knows different. Michelle Duggar was not raised in that cult. Michelle Duggar was a cheerleader and led a normal life until she hooked up with Jim Bob. She has allowed this man to control every aspect of her life and their children’s lives since they got together. It’s appalling.
Megyn Kelly is an attorney. I hope she cross exams the heck out of these two!
I hope you are right. But Ms. Kelly wrote an article “the Christian Defense of Josh Duggar”, so it is definitely a wait and see on how she handles this. Ms. Duggar is a stepford wife who seems to do and say what she is told and they all seem to teach their girls they are not worth as much as the boys. Hopefully, this is not a TLC/Fox whitewash to try and save face for the parents and the network in an effort to keep their gravy train from going further off the rails. It is all about the money. I always come down on the side of the parents as failures to all of their children, even Josh, but especially the girls who were the victims. They have never been taught normal socialization and how to interact with others properly and that is all on the parents.
When they bring up the girls as victims, not the cause of Josh’s “mistake”, then it is a step forward. I just can’t with this family and the enabling defenders of theirs. It is just too, too much.
Jen2, that article is on a fake Megyn Kelly site not actually affiliated with her. See the fine print on http://www.megynkellly.org.
But once again, the parents make no mention of what the victims suffered. Unbelievable.
Actually she didn’t write that article. It was written by a Megyn Kelly fan who has a fake account under her name.
@poppyadair, thank you. I can’t tell the difference as I am not a FNC watcher and now I hold out a bit more hope as she has surprised us with some of her interviews. Hopefully she will be able to be the hard hitting attorney, not the Fox soft ball, let them off easy mouthpiece. Thanks again.
Angie: please visit a website called Media Matters (.org). There you will find oodles and oodles of evidence about Fox News demographics showing they are old, white, and Christian with a skew towards Evangelical Christians like the Duggars. Happy reading!!
Red Snapper, why would I go to a liberal attack site whose founder, David Brock, is a close political ally of Hillary Clinton? Don’t believe me? Go to Politico.com, a center-left web site devoted exclusively to political matters, and see what they have to say about DB and MM. Start with the article posted on 5/28/2015. Media Matters is not exactly a dispassionate observer.
Megyn Kelly can be very good, but only about issues that affect Megyn Kelly. I once saw her take apart some guy who said maternity leave was a scam perpetrated by women.
But that was only after Megyn herself had had a baby. So this interview could go either way, theoretically. It’s possible Megyn could identify with the sisters/victims. However, I doubt the Duggars would submit to an interview if they weren’t sure in advance that it would be a tongue bath. There is a reason certain kinds of people ONLY appear on Fox News and not on other news shows, and it’s NOT because Fox is “Fair and Balanced”.
I’m seeing a lot of hating going on about Fox News in this thread, but in my opinion the biggest insult I’ve seen so far is the implied claim that TLC and Fox News have the same core audience. Where is your evidence for that, Fox-haters?
angie: I think the implication is that the big Duggar supporters/watchers are primarily fox news fans, not that fox & TLC have the same followers. The Christian right is the core constituency of Fox News and Christian right is the group tends to be supportive of forgiving anyone in the Christian right for any transgressions as sins to be forgiven/sinners to be supported (whereas they are steadfastly on their moral high horse passing judgment on other sinners they don’t view as “Christian”) which is why so many are making excuses for Josh Duggar and they way his parents handled this situation
It is not a secret that viewers of Fox News in a large part are far right Christian conservatives. That is exactly why the Duggars are going there for the interview. It is what it is.
I do not agree that Megyn is only good with issues that concern her. Megyn is the ONLY newscaster on Fox who can interview people and discuss issues that are not in line with Fox’s beliefs. I loved it when she called Mike Huckabee, “F***abee”.
I believe he was defending entitlement programs and Meggy was attacking him about them UNTIL he pointed out that pregnancy leave IS an entitlement program .
She turned on a dime because she WILL have it both ways.
Her audience is the usual fox viewer, an old white guy who watches her in hopes of a good up skirt shot of her.
Sad, she might be smart but turned out just another grifter!
Just as there is a reason people only go on msnbc..it goes both ways…i think theres a reason fox is the highest watched news show since every single other one is liberal. Kelly will do great..ive seen her ask hard hitting questions to conservatives AND liberals
+1 Bree. Anyone who thinks Megyn Kelly is either a pushover or a “sad” case (and boy has that word become a clichéd way of sneering at people who disagree with the speaker) hasn’t been paying attention.
except that Kelly herself has said (regarding this interview) that, while she appreciates being seen as “tough”, this will not be a “cross-examination” but an “interview” because she wants to let them “give their side” of the story.
doesn’t sound like she’s going to be very tough on them, but let’s see how she does…that is, if she asked tough follow ups to their canned, rehearsed responses of “forgiveness” and that crap. I’d like to see her challenge them a bit but from what she’s said, it sounds like (as people said) it’s pre-approved questions with rehearsed answers.
I’m sure the “forgiveness is given” is reference to forgiveness from God, not the girls. They don’t care about the girls. Except the ultimate irony is that if there is anything to save from the Duggar mess from TLC, it is the girls who are the most popular. Irony if ironies. My true hope is that one day, these girls will just totally rebel. I would love for it to be Jana.
eeewww
I can’t even look at a picture of these people, my blood pressure goes up.
Disgusting.
Me too! I have a visceral reaction to seeing photos of them now. As soon as People Magazine arrived in the mail, I had to rip the cover off so I wouldn’t have to see a photo of that moon faced child toucher.
Creepy as all get-out. I want to smash my screen whenever I see their photo. Too bad there are so many people out in the world like this. We will never be free of the woman hating insanity that these folks perpetuate. I weep for the women of the future, you will never see real progress.
Sad as they seem, they are just pathetic bunch of assholes that are the scum of the earth. Yes they are millions of peopl like that, but this time we the public are not going to take this lightly with this, disgusting, woman hating and pedophilic scumbags these people are and the Duggars and their pervert of a son should be needed as an example that we are not tolerant of this fundamental crap they so call themselves “Christians”.
ITA, those two seriously make my skin crawl. And their statement was disingenuous and utterly nauseating. And I think they’re effing cowards to choose Fox vs a mainstream outlet.
Scandals are good for ratings is likely why TLC hasn’t pulled the plug. Still considering their options for cashing In on this.
Well over 10 advertisers have/well pull their ads if they put the show back in the air and that’s a lot of money lose.
There are campaigns on fan/Christian evangelical blogs to write to those advertisers to PROTEST. They are all selling the “don’t you believe in forgiveness” line hard. It’s stomach-churning (not least because this is what they can forgive? Frowning is a sign of disobedience but sexually assaulting young girls in at least two families can be forgiven? I can’t even.)
Disgusting.
They are banking on the girls. Save part of the sinking ship through the sympathy for the older girls and give them a show. Shouldn’t happen (because it still rewards the parents and their twisted ways), but it probably will.
Just so. Bet you a million this was pitched as a redemption arc that still has legs.
It’s amazing they haven’t! Some really major sponsors have left. And this is all unfolding very peacefully which is odd.
Compare this to Duck Dynasty. That was covered in depth by nearly every news outlet. Even my local courant!
This gets covered, but in passing wtih a tone of disapproval.
And that TLC is keeping this going makes my mind wander. Do they have agendas with the Duggars? Do they really not take a stand opposing this abuse within families? Are they really hoping to just make more money and hope no one notices?
TLC needs to get more backlash or nothing will change. If they’re called out on a massive scale like A&E for DD maybe then they will be forced to action and grow some morals.
I think the difference is the Duck Dynasty controversy was completely planned. The timing was just too perfect. A&E knew what had been said in Roberts’ interview because they had someone there. The Roberts family knew what they were doing when that interview was conducted. They got tons of press and shortly thereafter released their own line of hunting rifles. I’m certain the interview was lead-up to that release.
In this case, my personal opinion is that TLC knew about the incident all along but hoped no one would find out because the Duggars were too lucrative to pass up. Now that the cat is out of the bag, I think they are hoping this will blow over and they will go back to business as usual. Unfortunately, they can’t keep the Duggars quiet. The Duggars are going to bury themselves in this interview and then TLC will have to make a choice which will most likely be a spin-off with the girls (who are currently controversy free and very popular) and drop 19 and counting.
I think they’ll wait to see the reaction to this interview and tgen decide.
I don’t see it going well though. They are set in their beliefs.
TLC will probably do the Jill and jessa spin off
I’m torn on my thoughts about the girls getting a spin off, they didn’t do anything wrong and are the only victims in it so why should they be punished and not get a show?
Jess:
Why should they get a show? why is it punishment for someone not to get a show especially if that show is given as a way around continuing the franchise as is? They may have been victims but, along with the rest of the family, this seems to enable the idea that covering up what happened is acceptable even when you’re inviting cameras into your personal life and using your celebrity to cast aspersions as others for being sinners/sexual deviants/child molesters
Sorry Jess, these people just need to go away. We perpetuate it by talking/watching/paying these weirdos. Sorry for the girls but why should they make money off their family dysfunction/criminality?? They can all get real jobs like the rest of us
I know they’re trying to redeem themselves. That’s less of a concern than the fact that TLC is still on the fence about this show. I think it should be cancelled and no spinoffs of anyone from that family. TLC is holding on to the Duggers for dear life.
I agree with you guys on why they shouldn’t get a show, guess I should’ve explained more on why I’m torn, lol. I’m just pulling for the duggar girls to make their own money and hope this scandal can end up helping them in some way.
Also because the people who actually watch the show still seem to support the Duggars, which is why TLC is slow to outright cancel. I mean, I never watched the show and had no plans to ever watch the show – so TLC probably doesn’t give two shakes what I think about the Duggars and this whole issue. But if the people who watched the show will still watch…….makes it harder for them to cancel. Which is sad all around.
Doing this after several weeks of silence just feels like a PR coached event in a pathetic attempt to hold onto their TV show and their 15 minutes of fame.
It still seems to be all about the parents and son and not at all about the daughters.
Notice how they place constant emphasis on “12 years ago” as if something like that doesn’t cause a LIFETIME of issues.
I think they are trying to push an image of this was all done before you met us. The people you see now ate the real us, everyone has a history and reasons for forgiveness in their past. Which would be fine of thru hasn’t been so hateful to people like LGBT community, and making horrible statements against them regarding them molesting kids. That is what screams hypocrisy. How can you be so understanding with a member of your family who did stich horrific things and yet hate on total strangers??
So disgusting. As if we’re (collectively) in the wrong to nerve to dredge up something from the past.
Yes.
Classic narcissist behavior–don’t look away! We can explain away this distorted image you must have of us. And then you will forgive us as we have forgiven ourselves, so we can maintain our self righteousness.
Exactly. They must be going nuts (more nuts) at the thought of losing the gaze.
I don’t plan to watch, but I do wonder if they will dig their hole deeper or just use so much forgiveness language to deflect people from the dreaded “M” word that is at the root of this?
There is no way they agreed to this interview unless it is very favorable to them, in terms of selected questions, etc. My understanding is it will be a two-part, taped interview.
If by the dreaded “M” word you mean “molestation,” you may as well go for the more accurate phrase, “sexual assault of a minor.” And quite possibly rape. (Which I realize should be in quotes given the rules of punctuation, but I don’t want to put quotes around it!)
They also believe that their cult is the one true way to God, and how they appear to the world is part of “God’s message.” They can’t lose our attention or they are failing God.
Of course, assaulting young girls just means that those girls’ blouses were too tight, and mom didn’t enforce modesty at a young enough age.
The MSM have been giving these people a critical-thinking-free platform for years. Of course they’re going to try to keep that going.
They seem to have some very bizarre notions as to what Christianity actually entails. Forgiveness is only one part of Jesus’ teachings. They seem to forget the bits about atonement and genuine repentance and obeying the law.
I believe all religions treat women as less than men…which is just one of the reasons that I am an atheist. Religion brings more problems and violence to the world than anything else! Just look at history! Just look at the violence that is still going on in the world in the name of religion! Read Christopher Hitchens (RIP) or Richard Dawkins! Hell, even, George Carlin…”religion tells us, their is an invisible man in the sky” ,how can any intelligent person listen to that one sentence and believe that? Einstein was an atheist! I am sure that I will be skewered for my atheism, by the “forgiving” religious community.. but, the Duggars, and people like them, can do anything they like, by using the “God forgives us” excuse. It’s not right!
@MrsBPitt. Why would you be skewered for your beliefs on here? Dawkins is a fundamentalist as well – he’s a bit fanatical (for my tastes anyway). I loved his early books (The Selfish Gene is a must read) and while i agreed with his reasoning in The God Delusion – i could have done without the thinly vieled disdain for those who are religious. I am not religious but i would never look down on those who are – there will always be leaders and followers regardless of whether they are following a religion of school of thought.
Religion in its many forms (monothesim, polytheism etc..) has always been a tool for control and subjugation since recorded history began. Atheism just replaces religion.
You should watch his Root of all Evil documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1N1bGH1gb8
His Ted Haggard Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekPAYtjuP8k
Religion is an excuse, not the cause.
As a Wiccan, I can say on good authority that the Neo-Pagan belief systems out there certainly would not tolerate such treatment and abuse of anyone. #NotAllReligions
Clearly you don’t know much about pagan and heathen religions. Women and men were seen as equal in the pre-Christian Northern European religions. Women fought side by side on the battle field, could own property, and held spiritual leadership over men.
Religion can be used as an excuse but is hardly the source of misogyny. One only has to look at Elevatorgate in the atheist community to see hatred of women runs far deeper than social community.
Birdix — exactly. Now they’re going to throw their nonsense excuses in front of the world in this interview and probably feel narcissist-certain everyone will believe them and think as they wish. Control, me-ism, delusional. “Just — everything we say or think” counts. With the sales techniques of practiced grifters thrown in.
Main thing though — I cannot believe their crap-fest show hasn’t been cancelled yet.
If Jim Bob or Michelle say something that comes across wrong or do a bad joke( like Josh did) that sound bite will be played over and over again. The only way this could somehow be a good thing is if they mention how the daughters that were molested are getting help for what Josh did to them.
But that would be a lie, just to add to their many. I have no doubt that they have used these weeks to hire a PR person and to practice the best spin money could buy. These are sick people, and they should not be given a platform to expound the hatred that they espouse.
I hope Megyn Kelly will be hard-hitting with the questions; however, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if they are pulling a Sarah Palin who will not go on a show without having her questions sent to her in advance and approved by her.
Also, I think Megyn Kelly’s show may be the highest rated on Fox right now. I don’t watch Fox, but it seems like I read that somewhere. If it’s as I suspect and they are appearing on that particular show because it has a wide audience of their demographic and the questions have been submitted beforehand and approved for rehearsal of the best possible answer, then all this interview can be seen as is a “Hail Mary” to save that show and their money-making machine.
A molester, never just suddenly stops, even with help, and that pious family has more skeletons in the closet.
A baby machine, popping out children and passing then off to daughters to be raised, all forms of child abuse.
Children should be allowed to have childhoods instead of being forced to act as parents.
Jim Bob worships the Almighty alright, the dollar that is.
I can’t wait until she gets her twentieth child, then Jim Bob will get a new wife and start the process all over again.
I’ve often thought about that, too – when Michelle can no longer have children, I can’t envision Jim Bob saying, “well, it’s God’s will, no more babies for us”. He’s (among other things) a megalomaniac.
That won’t stop them from trying. Last i’ve heard they will try just in case god decides they should have another that michelle can carry full term.
They do seem to value their wealth greatly.
They have already been to a fertility clinic, I am not kidding. Also, recent studies show most men his age are not very fertile and there is no guarantee he could get a young woman pregnant.
I see your point, but I don’t think any of us have reason to doubt the Duggars’ fertility. God knows if that’s one thing they can do its make babies (to neglect and abuse).
Does anybody else worry about JimBob (who is a TRULY stupid man – among his other flaws) having all those daughters who are essentially clones of his wife?
We already know what they are going to say. They dealt with the situation (by going to a pedophile policeman), Josh received counseling (from a sex offender), God forgives all, and they are so much better off now. The REALITY of this “reality” show is quite different but their supporters don’t care. They think Josh is a hero for forsaking his childish ways (which I doubt).
Don’t forget they pay no taxes on their estate because it is a”house of worship,” and every medical bill is paid by US.
I have thought that too – that the daughters are basically clones of the wife, but I’ve hesitated to even infer it up to this point. Are people blind as to how controlling and perverse Jim Bob is to the females in his life? Is anyone else creeped out that he delivered most of his children? Note: I’m not criticizing home births – I’m just saying this man is a total control freak.
It doesn’t surprise me that someone so dumb went towards evangelical religion like he did. Out in the real world he’d be relegated to the nothing status he actually deserves – in his cult he’s like his own little god. What a promotion!
Well, of course, Fox News. Shoring up the Duggars while diverting attention from other misconduct in the party. When will Megyn Kelly be exclusively interviewing former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert about his indictment for mishandling funds to pay off a blackmailer not to reveal his sexual abuse of a minor student? The website has barely a mention of Hastert’s scandal while multiple mentions of Kelly interviewing the Duggars and Reese Witherspoon being asked to portray Hillary Clinton. And oh yes, John Kerry broke his leg.
Oh don’t even get me started…I haven’t looked on the Fox website but can you imagine if it was a Democrat in Hastert’s place?
It would be splashed all over the Fox headlines with updates every five minutes with every member of Congress past and present consulted for comments and a news helicopter circling the school. They are currently showing clips of the helicopter taking John Kerry from the hospital to the airport so he can come home to treat his broken leg while accusing him of “skipping” meetings, and accepting comments about how he should have broken his neck and how he was bicycling on the tax payers dime.
That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.
The fact that theif show is still not canceled, and they are getting all these interviews, is appalling.
AHA. I always thought there was something very strange going on with that hair.
Their fan base seems overwhelming unshaken by this whole thing. From everything I’ve read online on message boards etc, the fans still want the show. For those of us who didn’t watch it anyway, I doubt TLC gives a sh!t what we think. I’ll tell you this, since this whole thing broke I have not once watched anything on TLC. Not once.
It is unreal to me that molesting a child (or 5) is A ok with this fan base. It speaks volumes.
Trust me I know me and my cousin are not talking right know because she one of those fans . Herc thinking is he was away from his parents at 14 for 3 month building houses so he did his time. His sisters said they were safe with him in the house so all is right with the world in her mind.
Yeah I’m done with that network. I never watched this or Honey Boo Boo but I used to like Four Weddings and some of their makeover programming. Never again.
I don’t think either family should have a show, but at the same time, I sort of get why Mama June (or whatever BooBoo’s mother is named) became angered. Their show was axed almost instantly, yet we have crickets on this one. Even showing a marathon when the story broke?
It seems clear the network knew about this all along and were part of the cover up. (That’s the reason I won’t watch them anymore).
On the other hand Mama June’s issue seemed to have blindsided them.
Yup, read comments on other websites as well. People are defending the Duggars, calling them role models with good old fashioned values. Some are outraged that media would even dare to dig up any dirt about the Duggars.
Well, molesting children is far more than dirt. It’s also not an old fashioned value to molest children or women – it’s a crime.
People pointing out that God has forgiven Josh. That’s awfully nice of God, since Josh didn’t do anything to him. The only ones who can forgive Josh are his victims and no one else. But the victims shouldn’t be guilt tripped into their forgiveness, they should get proper held and decide on their own how to deal with Josh.
I’m also wondering why TLC hasn’t cancelled the show yet. They pulled the plug (rightfully) on Honey BooBoo – why is this situation so different? Because they claim to be Christian? Because they have a huge fanbase?
There is lots and lots and lots of money to be made off of that demographic. People with a conscious don’t want to feed crazy but the money that can be made (books, movies, t-shirts, music, home-schooling products) causes all kinds of twisted rationales to surface.
In my mind, the 2-part interview with Fox is mutually self-serving. Fox broadens its audience & is seen as a champion to that audience. Where else can they get “fair & balanced” treatment. MK gives Fox @ the Duggars credance (for some) by doing the interview. Her show gets the ratings @ the Duggars get to ply their trade, gain sympathy as misunderstood Christians and as champions for persecuted Christians everywhere (particularly here in America) and, finally, they get to retard and bastardized the messages of religion/spiritually and family values–as in, we dealt with this as a family and through prayer–just like you.
Google no longer quivering
Even if the show is canceled the Duggar pack will all be just fine. Like Kirk Cameron and all the other professional Christians they will make a killing selling books, videos, home schooling crap and making appearances at churches and christian conventions. The flock loves to get fleeced.
There is a ton of money to be made in sin and forgiveness. Pastors and preachers all over America will be more than happy to have these monsters at their churches to talk about sin and forgiveness.
What makes me the most sad is that because they have no ability to think or see past their own faith they have prayed about this and they really, deep in their hearts think they are doing what God wants them to do, Modern Christian Fundamentalism is based only on feeling and not thinking.
The Duggars are what happens when you stop thinking and live only on feeling.
If only I had read down a bit more I wouldn’t have posted my mesaage. You’ve said it all!!
Look at their body language in that first picture. It speaks volumes about living as a female in that family.
ETA: this is shallow, but she has had the same road kill hairdo forever.
Seriously, she looks petrified. And I read somewhere that all the Quiverful women get their hair permed because Bill Gothard thinks curly hair brings out “natural beauty.” Just one more way to control the female species. Ugh.
I am so sick of looking at that women’s hunched shoulders and glazed eyes. And look at how he holds her like she’s trying to run away.
These people are truly awful – I hope that TLC takes these vicious, woman-hating nutcases off the air and pays for all those poor molested children to get (at least) ten years of therapy each.
I never watched the show so I knew who these people were but not much about them. Since this story broke the more I read the more I am amazed at this sick environment that they live in.
yeah, that first pic is so telling. especially when you compare it to the older pic (the portrait with her in the top with the gold stripes and buttons). she looks genuinely happy in that one as opposed to the “get me outta here!” look she has in the top one. she looks beat down and trapped. fake smile and dead eyes.
I’m sure they have PR people telling them what to say so I doubt it will make them look bad, probably the opposite unfortunately. Have you guys checked out the official Duggar FB page? I can not believe how many people are supporting them “he was just a kid”, “The girls have moved on why can’t the media”, “The girls turned out fine and married well”, “this type of thing happens in families all the time, if we locked them all up we would have the population in prison” Seriously, I couldn’t believe it!
Shame on Fox fpr giving these people a chance to spin their lies and spread their hate. Nope. Off to Twitter my objections…(I know it won’t matter)
Fox has no shame.
These people should be off the air completely. It’s the greatest punishment they could get. Narcissistic, fame-whores. Josh admitted to it.
I know she has more pressing concerns at the moment, but get rid of that 80’s hair, already! I grew up in the 80’s and loved the hair, but she just seems stuck in the past.
I’m with you if only it were that easy! Jim-Bob likes her hair in the 80s style and she keeps it that way specifically for him. To please him. She had a makeover on an episode once where they straightened her hair, fixed the bangs and really just updated her look. She liked it but was clearly petrified about going home because she knew her wouldn’t like it. Its horrifying the control that must go on in that house!
Nah, it’s still fox. Don’t kid yourself, Megyn Kelly isn’t going to ask them shit. They have a list of pre approved questions in advance in sure, and none of them are going to answer anything other than how God ‘saved’ Josh.
Kelly only ever confronts her guests when she has a personal interest in what they’re advocating against (maternity leave, women in the workplace, etc.). I’m not sure she’ll be a lot of help here.
Hopefully as a mother, she’ll tear a strip off them for not protecting their other children.
FOX News is the Christian/Republican home base. The Duggars are going to be portrayed as victims vilified by the left wing media. It’s possible that since the Duggars think nothing bad happened, the interview will be such a trainwreck their supporters and TLC will have no choice but to leave them.
No they won’t. Megyn is going to rip these people apart limb by limb, just watch. I don’t know when the idea that Fox news supports rape and incest got out there, but that’s just beyond ridiculous. Being conservative in your politics doesn’t make you a pervert. How utterly untrue and defamatory.
I will believe it when I see it, basically. Fox News IS a conservative news base, and the Duggars definitely appeal to the most extreme of that demographic. They are probably only doing the interview after having approved the questions, so unless Megyn Kelly can find away around it I see it being very soft-ball on them. If this was Nancy Grace or Anderson Cooper, I’d expect harder questions but no way those two could stand up to any real criticism.
But why aren’t they giving equal coverage to the Dennis Hastert scandal? It is practically buried on their website and the man was Speaker of the House. This is much bigger news than the Duggars.
From what I’ve heard about the Duggars, they never allow interviews without the questions being pre-approved. I think it will be pre-taped too.
They’re dumb if they think Megyn Kelly will go easy on them — she’s known for doing just the opposite. She isn’t Sean Hannity.
Why are the Duggar parents at the lead of this story? Why is CPS not speaking directly to all the Duggar children?. And are the other victims of Josh’s abuse being manipulated by their parents as well? This is a total coverup, and for profit. Not only by the Duggars but TLC.
Damage control. They will spin it for their fans who want it spun. Where’s Josh in the interview?
Ask them about their whole aim to always show the perfect family, when it’s a family all ruled by the rod as they reported in the police reports. Daddy uses the rod on all of them. Ask them why they left their son alone with the kids after he had molested the first sister four to five times at night before she came to them? A year later they leave him with the kids and he molests his five-year-old sister. And it turns out two others had been molested during that time, plus a sitter. Explain how they left their son alone with daughters to continue the abuse.
I hope this isn’t like that CNN Co$ interview that was done with the women who outright lied for damage control. These women were let out of work/seclusion/atonement to do the interview. They were coached and nothing was revealed or confessed. I hope this interview will be epic, but I doubt it.
These people!!!!!
Simply put, I think they were in far more danger to say something damning before they knew they were being really watched. I don’t believe this is anything more than a PR/coached damage control so they can keep their show.
If their PR coach/TLC reps were smart, they’d be checking all media outlets seeing that people are the most outraged that even now there’s no thought of the true victims – the girls. Watch them mention then now, and it’ll be a set up for a new show.
I normally don’t believe in pile ons but I hope the media and the public keep the pressure on TLC and the Duggars
It seem to me neither TLC or the family think that they really did anything wrong and are just biding the time till it blows over to resume the show again
Josh and his parents are disgusting. I’m so sick of hearing how he is sorry and it was a childish indiscretion and that everyone sins. Sins my ass! I kind of think my stealing $5 out of my moms purse at 12 to buy candy is not in the same category of sin as touching young girls. I’m outraged these victims are being forgotten in all of this by the family and their supporters. As someone who experienced a brief traumatic incident at 7 years old with an older male cousin, I know these girls may have been forced to forgive, but they haven’t forgotten.
Heh heh $5 bucks is a helluva lot of candy
What surprises me is the people who say one of the best case scenarios would be if TLC cancelled The Duggars but did a spin-off with the two girls…as if TLC hadn’t known these girls were molested as young as the age of 5 for years and did nothing.
A prostitute (an analogy only about this family’s dependence on the show) doesn’t suddenly become empowered and independent when her abusive pimp tells her he’ll stop hitting her and she can choose what corners she walks on now.
This company used this family for ratings and money. It doesn’t give a damn about them, it didn’t give a damn about Honey Boo Boo either it was just easier to cancel the ‘dirty’ Redneck family. It knew that that man was around children and kept rolling cameras and counting its money.
No spin-offs. No nothing. PLEASE let’s stop using these women. Let TLC be swallowed into a black hole and stop watching their programming. If you think, “Well I’ll watch the girls spin-off.” Then congratulations you’re part of the cycle of abuse these girls have faced their entire life.
This ^^ Fantastic comment, Amy!!
The Duggar sisters don’t deserve a new show, instead they need long-term therapy so can they finally understand what their disgusting brother did to them was not and never their fault.
This entire family enterprise needs to go away forever to stop spreading their fake and hateful “family values” BS. Hate is not a family value.
I totally agree. those girls are just as much entrenched in/perpetuating that gawd-awful cult and all of their stupid rules as the parents.
why should they be rewarded? because they were victims? I feel horrible for them, but they still choose to live in that horrible cult so, NO, they DO NOT deserve a show. let them and their controlling, animal-abusing, misogynistic husbands get jobs like regular people.
This is just more pandering to Fox’s biggest audience segment-evangelicals. They get to pretend that it will be a more hard hitting interview because it is Megyn Kelly and that it will be more fair somehow because she is a woman, but the bottom line is that they’re going to low ball the whole issue so these molester apologists can blab their God talk for an hour. I’m sure they will hammer home that his sisters “forgave” him.
I can only imagine how many times we’re going to hear the words ” forgive and forgiveness”. I mean, how do they know that God forgave Josh? Was it a tap on the shoulder, a thumbs up, or did he send a letter? TLC needs to be examined under a microscope, by some leading news outlets… otherwise, it’s going to be business as usual.
Sex offenders (particularly pedo’s) almost always reoffend, even after rehabilitation therapies. Its a sickness of the mind that can’t be ‘cured’ only controlled. Who’s to say he didn’t do it again when he left the parental home. He was clearly grooming his victims until one of them stood up for herself.
I said this on another thread – Josh learned his behaviour from somewhere (at night when his victims were asleep, when their parents weren’t there etc..) and the finger points to Jim-Bob. If not his father then some other male in their ‘Christian’ community. Josh himself may have been a victim of abuse – as many abusers are themselves victims.
I won’t be watching this interview (i’ll read about it on here) purely because those 2 make me want to punch my computer screen. He has a ‘religious, controlling nutbar’ in his eyes and hers have a dead and medicated look. I know she had a breakdown – the pressure of having 7 kids (no help or support) and a controlling husband probably took its toll and is why she relies on the older girls for help – she can’t cope.
Check out Jim Bob’s masturbation punishment…..
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/05/jim-bob-duggars-masturbation-punishment-story-explains-a-lot/
I’m disgusted that TLC hasn’t cancelled their show yet. I never watched any of the freak show programming, but some of the wedding shows were decent. But I could never watch anything on the network again, the network knew something but aired the show anyway.
Please contact them and tell them so. I have posted contact info at the bottom of this thread. You can write to TLC, call their VPs, or send an email to Discovery Communications, the parent company.
Thanks. I will contact them. One more voice ways helps.
These people are insane. Plain and simple. I truly feel for their kids (only the underage ones, clearly).
Fox seems about right. I mean, they’re not gonna go to a REAL news outlet, now are they?
TLC itself should go off the air, or fire everyone who has been programming their deeply misogynist, ignorant garbage. It isn’t accidental that the same network has run the Duggars, Honey Boo Boo, and Sister Wives.
You said it! +100000
are we going backwards or was our society always so patriarchal and hostile to women?
i cant believe i am in a country where people cant even agree that a teen molesting multiple girls, mostly his sisters, over an extended period of time is wrong
yes lots of people here agree, but the facebook posts defending him and even feeling sorry for him are just killing me
Both. I was would say in the last five years we have gone backwards in most aspects of society but society has always been hostile to women.
It is very shocking to me, lisa.
I’ve noticed in the media no one besides the gossip sites says “daughters/sisters” it is always “victims”. I find that odd.
Did he molest just girls or were any of his brothers victims as well?
as hard it was for the girls to tell, i think it would be even harder for a brother to tell in that household
since josh was treated nicely by the parents instead of being sent off to one of those “homosexual deprogramming camps” i say no boy ever told. which doesnt mean it didnt happen.
I wonder what the prevailing thought would be for a boy who is molested. Would it be the boy’s fault for dressing provocatively and not practicing modesty around other boys.
@Lady Keller- I think they will go with the angle “oh, the boys were just exploring” bs.
I posted this on the thread about these cretins a couple of nights ago, but it was too late for anyone to see it.
Apparently emailing all of these asshole channels is not that easy, but I will post whatever contact info I can find. Please feel free to pass it on:
TLC Phone Contact Numbers:
New York Senior VP: 1-212-548-5555
Atlanta VP: 1-404-364-5839
Chicago VP: 1-312-946-0909
Detroit VP: 1-248-764-4400
Mailing Address (goes to Discovery, the parent company:
Discovery Communications
Attn: TLC Customer Service
1 Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
I could not find an email address for TLC on their website.
Discovery Communications Phone #s:
Senior VP NY: 1-212-548-5555 VP
Chicago: 1-312-946-0909
VP Atlanta: 1-404-364-5839
VP Detroit: 1-248-764-4400
Senior VP Los Angeles: 1-310-551-1611
Mailing Address:
Discovery Communications, LLC
1 Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
To contact Discovery Communications by email, you have to go here: http://corporate.discovery.com/contact/viewer-relations/
Here is a list of all the channels owned by Discovery Communications. I told them I will boycott them all if they put this monstrosity back on the air:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Animal Planet
Investigation Discovery
Oprah Winfrey Network
Science
Discovery Family
American Heroes Channel
Velocity
Destination America
Discovery Life
Discovery en Espanol
Discovery Familia
Discovery Digital Networks
We should probably target the sponsors also…
So, Josh Duggar spoke to God and now says God has forgiven him.
Fine.
I, too, have spoken to God about Josh and his sins. You know what God’s response was?
She said, “Hold his feet to the fire.”
Love this post!
Ha – love this comment!
Fox news sees this interview as a ratings bonanza. However, it’s really nothing more than ongoing sickening garbage from Duggar.
Duggar gives new meaning to the word hypocrisy.
Duggar, super- right wing Republicans, apparently believe forgiveness is reserved for only a chosen few in the world, inclusive of their son Josh of course because he’s in a certain R network. How else do you think he got that DC Lobbyist job?
Duggar and Fox news, why don’t you invite Bruce Jenner to the interview and get his opinion on transgendered individuals posing a higher risk as child molesters as is the big Duggar fear re- transgendered using public washrooms, made official by Michelle Duggar.
Duggar, go back to your home in Arkansas, stay out of politics, stay out of the limelight for your own selfish money grubbing ways, cherish who and what you have left and shut up.
“… The pain we walked through as a family TWELVE YEARS AGO….”
If these morons think their daughters’ pain ended 12 years ago, I think something on par with throat punches are the only things that could possibly wake them up. Regardless of forgiveness, genuine or otherwise, particularly Jill and Jessa as they’re learning to navigate their own sex lives and motherhood (something that all the victims will presumably have to do eventually, in their culture), that pain comes back a hundred different ways. Even with *good* therapy, which you know they didn’t get.
They’re all about people reaping what they sow, so I’m shamelessly looking forward to watching their creepy, lie-based empire crumble. Having been thru both what the girls suffered at the hands of their brother and what they suffered at the hands of their parents, I hold out more hope than before that at least one of them will rage against the machine they’ve been raised in, as I did, and show her siblings the way out.
Kelly will probably ask one hard hitting question with no follow up. The rest will be fluff and tearful redemption.
Ding, ding, ding. we have a winner. Maybe two. But there will be no follow-up. It is the redemption tour.
I would love to see them interviewed by Chris Hansen.
In a kitchen.
And offered Sweet tea.
‘The least rancid fart’ ..I’m keeping that one..thanks.
If there is any doubt that the interview will be nothing more than the first stop on the Duggar Family Redemption Tour 2015 , check out this tidbit about how Fox has covered the Duggar scandal so far.
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/05/27/fox-news-devoted-less-than-two-minutes-to-the-d/203778
Ugh, Meshelle looks so old and beat down in the new picture. You can definitely see it when you scroll down and look at the picture of her younger self. Jim Boob sucks.
This is not surprising. In TV news parlance they’ve become a ‘get’. I’m surprised it wasn’t Meredith Viera for the Today Show. She’s interviewed them enough.