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Advertisers Ditch '19 Kids And Counting' In Wake Of Molestation Scandal
Major advertisers are abandoning support of TLC's '19 Kids and Counting' following the admission that as a teen Josh Duggar molested five girls, including his sister. General Mills, Walgreens, Payless Shoes, and Choice Hotels, have all joined a growing list of advertisers who have announced that they are pulling advertising from future episodes of the reality show.
Many of the advertisers announced their departure on social media, including Payless Shoes:
@SweetBabbyJesus Our ads ran during this show as part of a larger buy w/ TLC. We are taking steps to have them removed from future episodes.
— Payless (@PaylessIsBack) May 26, 2015
Ace Hardware echoed the sentiments:
Sponsored message
@jacquigsmith Ace ads ran on this show as part of an overall ad buy with TLC. We are removing our ads from any future episodes of the show.
— Ace Hardware (@AceHardware) May 27, 2015
The litany of other advertisers who have distanced themselves from the show over the past couple days includes: CVS, H&R Block, Jimmy Dean, Pure Leaf Iced Tea, Walgreens ConAgra Foods, Party City, Behr, Ricola and Keurig.
Following the ongoing revelations of the Duggar story, TLC has also said they are removing upcoming episodes of the show—currently in its 15th season—from their schedule. And while the network hasn't revealed long term plans for the show, the sudden drop in confidence from advertisers likely does not bode well for its return.
Mike Huckabee, on the other hand, still shows no sign of withdrawing his support from the Duggars.
Related:
Here's Josh Duggar Making An Uncomfortable Crack About Incest In 2008
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