‘Counting On’: Will Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar Be Back For Season 9?
Everyone remembers the craziness surrounding the final days of 19 Kids and Counting. First, news of the sexual molestation scandal involving the Duggar family’s oldest son, Josh, made headlines. Advertisers dropped the show in quick succession. Even though it was their most watched series, TLC’s parent network was forced to cancel 19 Kids and Counting at the height of its popularity.
But of course, the Duggar family’s rise to fame doesn’t end there. Desperate to recapture some of their former viewership, TLC decided to create a spinoff show based on the lives of the married Duggar children. One person who wouldn’t feature? Josh Duggar, the man who started the whole mess in the first place. Counting On became popular almost instantly.
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‘Counting On’ keeps fans connected with the Duggar family
Perhaps Counting On came at a good time anyway. Fans of 19 Kids and Counting who had watched the children grow up were very interested in seeing their favorite Duggars become parents themselves. One of the main stars of the show, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard, were involved in charity work and showcased this part of their lives on the series. The couple has two sons together.
A scandal almost destroyed ‘Counting On’
You’d think that after all the drama with Josh Duggar, the stars of Counting On would be on their best behavior to avoid a similar fate. But you’d be wrong. Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, has plenty of strong opinions about certain social issues and isn’t afraid to share them. His outspoken nature even got him kicked off the series.
What happened? Well, like Jim Bob Duggar, Jill and Derick Dillard follow the Fundamental Christian faith. Their religion does not allow gay marriage and has faced criticism from the LGBTQ community for being discriminatory.
Derick Dillard shocked fans of the show in August of 2017. In response to a tweet from TLC announcing their new series featuring Jazz Jennings, Derick said, “What an oxymoron … a ‘reality’ show which follows a non-reality. ‘Transgender’ is a myth.” Later in June 2018, he responded to Jazz’s gender confirmation surgery and said: “A system that allows this kind of child abuse is clearly broken.”
Dillard has also faced criticism for his comments regarding Nate Berkus. “What a travesty of a family,” he wrote. “It’s sad how blatant the liberal agenda is, such that it both highlights and celebrates a lifestyle so degrading to children on public television as if it should be normal.”
Did Derick Dillard get fired?
After his statements, TLC wasted no time distancing themselves from Dillard. In a statement, they wrote: “We want to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard has not participated in Counting On for months and the network has no plans to feature him in the future. We want to reiterate that Derick’s personal statements do not reflect the views of the network. TLC is proud to share the story of Jazz Jennings and her family and will continue to do so.”
Despite how that makes it sound, Derick Dillard still claims that he left the show voluntarily and wasn’t fired. He told one fan, “They won’t tell you that I was ever fired because I wasn’t. We wanted to leave and they didn’t want us to. That’s the truth.”
The world may never know what really happened.
Will Jill and Derick be back for Season 9?
It seems unlikely that Derick Dillard will get to appear on the new season of Counting On, especially since he never apologized for his controversial tweets. While the network never claimed that Jill had to leave too, she will undoubtedly stick by her husband just like she was raised to do.
Some perceptive fans have speculated that the pair is headed for divorce. If they do split, they won’t be the first members of the Duggar family to do so, but it will still come as a shock. Even Anna Duggar stuck by her husband Josh’s side despite the many good reasons she had to leave him.
There is a small chance that Jill Dillard will make a few appearances on Season 9 of Counting On, especially since she’s so close with her sisters. Even Anna Duggar had a few cameos last season. But until Derick Dillard makes some serious apologies, there’s really no chance you’ll see him anywhere near the TLC show.
