TLC Releases First Statement on Josh Duggar Child Pornography Arrest

TLC finally responded to Josh Duggar's arrest with a short statement Friday afternoon. In a short statement, the network said it is "saddened" to learn about the situation and stressed that Duggar has not appeared in the network since 2015. U.S. Marshals arrested Duggar, 33, on Thursday and he is being held at Washington County, Arkansas jail without bond. He pleaded not guilty to two charges relating to possessing child pornography.

"TLC is saddened to learn about the continued troubles involving Josh Duggar," TLC said in a statement to Us Weekly. "19 Kids and Counting has not aired since 2015. TLC canceled the show on the heels of prior allegations against Josh Duggar and he has not appeared on air since then." While 19 Kids ended in 2015, TLC began airing Counting On, which follows Duggar's family but does not feature him.

Duggar made his first court appearance in the case on Friday morning, appearing before a federal judge via Zoom. His attorney Justin Gelfand entered a not guilty plea for the former reality TV star. The judge, Erin L. Wiedemann, scheduled Duggar's bond hearing for May 7 and the trial start date for July 6. If Duggar is granted bond, Wiedemann said he cannot be in a residence where there are minors. Duggar and his wife Anna Duggar are parents to six children. Anna announced last week she is pregnant with their seventh child.

Although the charges were not read during the hearing, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Arkansas later announced a federal grand just indicted Duggar. He is accused of "knowingly" receiving images of underage children in 2019. "Duggar allegedly possessed this material, some of which depicts the sexual abuse of children," the attorney's office said. If convicted, Duggar could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined $250,000 for each count.

Back in 2015, it was reported that Duggar molested multiple young girls in his teens, including some of his younger sisters. That same year, he also admitted to cheating on Anna after his name came up in the Ashley Madison data breach. Duggar then attended a faith-based rehab center.

Amid the scandal, TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting. After Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald admitted to Fox News that they were two of Josh's victims in 2015, TLC ordered Jill & Jessa: Counting On to focus on the two. Over time, the show evolved into Counting On and now covers the entire Duggar family, except Duggar. The shoe recently finished its 11th season.

Following Duggar's arrest, TLC was the target of criticism for continuing to feature the Duggars on their network. Former Little People, Big World star Jacob Roloff and his wife, Isabel Rock, criticized TLC by sharing tweets about Duggar's arrest on Instagram. "And of course their recent statement is as disappointing as their last," Isabel wrote in response to TLC's statement.