I’m not sure who’s still watching or following them, but apparently (some of) the Duggars have a book coming out as mentioned in this interview about their lives and the abuse they suffered. about their lives. I pity them for having their lives thrown into the entertainment grinder.
Now that they are getting older and independent, more is coming out. We watched a documentary that included a couple of the siblings (one of the sisters that had been abused for sure), and a lot of childhood friends / etc.
It would be a good idea if reality shows were banned from having kids involved. There’s going to be too much pressure from parents and producers for the kids to play whatever role the show needs them to play whether or not the kids want to participate. If adults want to have cameras film every moment of their life, that’s fine. But kids are still growing up and and developing their personality. Growing up on camera is going to make them have an on-camera personality. Kids don’t have the experience to know how reality show fame will affect their life in the future. And even if they did understand it, they aren’t going to be able to just opt-out. If the show is called “19 Kids and Counting”, then the parents and producers are going to pressure all 19 kids to be part of the show whether they want to or not.
Also, the dad completely controlled the purse strings. So, some of those kids spent years since birth being made into performing monkies on TV with their dad raking in all the cash.
I can’t find the original text of this speech that Nathan Phelps, son of the infamous Fred Phelps of Westboro Baptist Church, gave some years back at an American Atheists convention, but this sums things up. It’s a long story but worth a read.
Anyway, when I saw the original story, I totally imagined the Duggar kids coming forward, one after another, as adults to say that THIS was more what their home life was really like. TL : DR - it sounds a lot like that recent, heavily publicized story about some Mormon “influencers” who have been arrested for abusing their children, by isolating and starving them, among other things.
I also believe that the oldest daughter, Jana, who is in her early 30s and has never married but has a female “best friend” with whom she spends a lot of time, on the air anyway, is a lesbian, and I’ve heard rumors of the same with one of the younger boys, and that floated to the surface when he announced that he was marrying a woman.
p.s. At least as of the '10s, Nate Phelps atheism was more the “I just don’t believe in any religion, but I respect those who do” variety.
Not just that, but when they reached adulthood they were tricked into signing contracts that basically didn’t let them receive a single dime of any money related to their time on any shows they did for TLC.
Here is an article with a bit of detail.
Even though Duggar was a major moneymaker for TLC — her televised 2014 wedding to Dillard brought in a record 4.4 million viewers — she alleges that she was not paid for starring in the programs until she waged a protracted, painful legal battle with her parents. She also claims she was tricked by Jim Bob into signing a five-year contract that, among other things, required her to notify the network if she found out she was pregnant.
I recall Jill saying that when she got married, her dad had a bunch of paperwork for her to sign that he said was related to her marriage. She was frantically trying to juggle things going along with the wedding, the show, and so on, and just signed all that her dad prepared. She didn’t realize until later that not all of the paperwork had to do with marriage licenses or wedding costs. He completely defrauded his own daughter like a common con artist.
Hell, a lot of adults don’t have the experience to know how reality show fame will affect their life. I was thinking the same thing you were when I opened this thread. Maybe we need to take steps to protect children from reality shows. Honestly, I think wanting your family to be on a reality show is an indication of some unhealthy dynamics.
I just did some checking and, if the info I found is current, the guy is only going to spend 12.5 years in prison for all the pain and trauma he has caused. Can they arrange for his cellmate to be some crazed, violent prison rapist? By accident, of course.
Let’s not wish that, please.
Blame Nanno. She radicalized me.
I just started Counting the Cost and Michelle Duggar would have statues dedicated to her all over the Republic of Gilead.
I read that in People magazine (don’t judge me!) also, and it raised an eyebrow. It’s been a long time since this business major learned contract law, but one thing I do remember is that any contract that required something of you while giving you absolutely nothing was not an enforceable contract. Not suggesting that Dad wasn’t a sleaze, but this bit seems off.
We already watched her live it on tv. LOL
There probably is a lot that wasn’t shown.
FWIW, I used to work for an award-winning business newspaper. One of the senior reporters, who later became the editor, toured People’s pressroom. He was impressed. Their reporters and editors and fact-checkers were scrupulous about dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s. Whatever you thought about their subject matter, he said, their journalism was first-rate.
I’ve heard good things about Teen Vogue, which might not be the first place you’d think to look for sharp journalism.
Oddly during the Trump years, Teen Vogue was a leading anti-authoritarian political voice.
Well, of course. They didn’t want to be sent to their room.