Josh Duggar Scandal News: Will Advertiser Pressure Force TLC To Desert Duggars?

Jill & Jessa: Counting On may have started off with robust viewership but reports suggest advertisers are not willing to be associated with Duggar family, raising questions over sustainability of the show by TLC.

InTouch recently reported reactions from several advertisers who claimed they would not have anything to do with the Duggar family. Brands that were quoted include Wrigley, RCN Corp, X Out, Cici's Pizza, The UPS Store and others. Representatives for the brands, who preferred anonymity, said they purchased a larger advertising package and realized only after the show that their product had appeared advertised.

The Duggar family's popular show 19 Kids & Counting aired for seven years until it was cancelled in 2015 when Josh Duggar confessed to molesting underage girls, including his sisters. TLC had taken the show off air after advertisers protested and walked out on the show. According to Forbes, the show's cancellation cost TLC's parent Discovery Communications $ 19 million.

Jill & Jessa: Counting On is seen as the Duggars' efforts to make a comeback after Josh's scandals. Around 1.9 million people reportedly watched the premier of the series on March 15. Though viewership and the Duggars' public appeal remains, the damage done over the past year notwithstanding, TLC cannot ignore advertiser concerns. It remains to be seen if it can persist with the show and prevent the fate that 19 Kids met.

Reports of advertiser unhappiness also puts paid to rumors that Josh Duggar could be featured in the series. After minor molestation scandal and fiasco over handling it by the Duggar family became public, Josh's Ashley Madison membership became public. This was followed by revelations by at least two porn stars that he paid for sex.