19 Kids and Counting

Did You Know?

• TLC paid the Duggar family an estimated $25,000–$45,000 per episode.
• A branding expert estimated the loss of endorsements could cost the Duggars $25 million a year.
• The spin-off Counting On was canceled in 2021 due to Josh Duggar's arrest for child pornography.

Background

The Duggars are based in Tontitown, Arkansas. Jim Bob has an older sister, Deanna; Michelle has six older siblings. They met in the early 1980s after Jim Bob and a church member visited Michelle following her religious conversion. Married on July 21, 1984, she was 17 and he was 19; neither went to college. They started a used-car business, later adding towing and real estate, and both hold real estate licenses. Early in their marriage, they used birth control pills, having their first child, Joshua, in 1988. After a miscarriage they linked to the pills, they stopped contraception, choosing to let God decide family size. Michelle gave birth 17 times over 21.5 years, roughly every 15 months.

Events during the series

Michelle Duggar gave birth via emergency C-section to the couple's 19th child, Josie Brooklyn Duggar, on December 10, 2009, six months into pregnancy; Josie weighed 1 lb, 6 oz. The Duggars took her home to Tontitown on June 23, 2010. Their first book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, was released December 2, 2008; a second, A Love That Multiplies, on June 7, 2011; and the eldest four girls authored Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships, released March 4, 2014. On November 8, 2011, Michelle announced she was expecting a 20th child, but miscarried on December 8, 2011; the stillborn girl was named Jubilee Shalom. Josh and Anna Duggar had a miscarriage before their second child, Michael James, born June 15, 2011. Their third child, Marcus Anthony, was delivered by a midwife on June 2, 2013. Josh became executive director of FRC Action on June 18, 2013, moving the family to Washington, D.C. Jessa Duggar began a courtship with Ben Seewald on September 18, 2013; they married November 1, 2014.

Reception

Arnold Hamilton of The Dallas Morning News described the show as 'part Little House on the Prairie, part Yours, Mine & Ours,' noting the Duggars acted against the trend of declining large families. Nina Burleigh, in The New York Observer, called the Duggars 'good TV. Good, sugarcoated rat poison, politically speaking,' referencing their political activity against abortion and transgender restroom access. Christy Mesaros-Winckles, in the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, described the Duggars as 'unofficial spokespeople for the Quiverfull movement,' saying the show legitimized the movement while downplaying patriarchal gender roles. Feminist Amanda Marcotte linked the Duggars to the 'Christian patriarchy movement,' interchangeable with Quiverfull. The Duggars have stated they are not part of the Quiverfull movement, saying they are simply Bible-believing Christians.

Sex offense cases of the Duggar children

On May 21, 2015, In Touch Weekly revealed a 2006 police report alleging that Josh Duggar, then 14–15, fondled five girls—including four of his sisters—on multiple occasions in 2002–2003. The case was never fully investigated, and the statute of limitations had expired. TLC removed reruns on May 22, 2015, stating they were 'deeply saddened and troubled.' Over twenty advertisers, including General Mills and Walgreens, pulled ads; Hulu removed the show's back catalog. Josh apologized, resigned from the Family Research Council, and said he had 'acted inexcusably.' Anna stated she knew of the actions before marriage. The Duggars appeared on The Kelly File on June 3, 2015. On April 29, 2021, Josh was arrested for possession of child pornography and later convicted.