The Duggar family from 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On no longer appear on the TLC network. They canceled their shows after Josh Duggar faced charges of heinous crimes related to child porn. This year, Amazon Prime exposed the family further with the docu-series, “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.” The documentary revealed a lot of things about the infamous family and practices of IBLP. For instance, Gothard wanted to see ministers in positions of power and encouraged the followers to explore a career in politics. Well, the Duggars also tried their hand at the same.
Counting On: Jim Bob & His Sons Explored Political Careers Until Josh Duggar’s Imprisonment!
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar first came into the limelight in 2008. After their supersized family’s big debut on TLC, they became a household name. Well, no one saw it coming when many years later, their eldest son, Josh Duggar’s charges caused a huge shift in all their political careers. Long before his TV debut, patriarch Jim Bob Duggar was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1998. In the year 2000, he got elected again. Two years later, he tried running for US Senate but lost at the primary level. Shockingly, Jim Bob tried running for Arkansas State Senate in 2021 after Josh’s charges but lost. He hasn’t announced anything since then.
That’s not all. Jedidiah Duggar was also interested in a career in politics before. In 2017, Arkansas State Representative Charlene Fite mentioned he was interning for her as a “Legislative Assistant.” At the same time, in 2018, he again interned for Bob Ballinger’s Arkansas State Senate campaign. After these experiences, the Counting On star’s time to shine came in 2019. Jedidiah announced his campaign via Twitter to run for Arkansas State House District 89. Alas, he lost the race to Megan Godfrey, a Democrat.
Another Duggar sibling who has had a political past is John-David Duggar. He is Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s third child. In 2014, the Counting On castmate became a constable. Well, the duties within this designation vary in various jurisdictions. But last year, i.e., 2022, John David got ousted. It happened in a runoff election.
Counting On: Did Josh Duggar Get Into Politics Too To Hide His Problematic Behavior?
Josh Duggar was also interested in exploring a future in the political world. Hence, in 2013, he traveled to Washington, DC. That’s because the former TV celebrity wanted to work with the Family Research Council. But he made this move after facing the accusations of molesting his own sisters. Hence, he and his family lost a lot of things. For instance, TLC pulled them out of their show, 19 Kids And Counting, and later on also canceled Counting On after Josh’s child pornography charges.
Hence, many viewers believe that Josh and the rest of the Duggar family were desperately trying to push him into politics to cover for these crimes. But things didn’t work out. As of last year, Josh Duggar has been doing time in prison. He will serve his sentence worth 12 years. After another controversy over his smuggling of an illegal phone, the FCI extended his sentencing by two months again. Keep track of all the latest Counting On updates through TV Season & Spoilers.