19 Kids and Counting was cancelled because of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s eldest son Josh Duggar and his sexual molestation scandal. On Sunday, former stars Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard–two of Josh Duggar’s sexual molestation victims–appeared on a TLC special called Breaking the Silence. While on the show, the Duggar sisters said they want to raise awareness about sexual abuse.
Josh Duggar was a teenager when he sexually molested four members of the 19 Kids and Counting family. In addition to Jill and Jessa Duggar, it is thought that sisters Jinger and Jana Duggar were victimized as well.
During the TLC special, Jessa Duggar addressed sexual abuse.
TLC didn't name Josh Duggar once during its sexual abuse special: http://t.co/bhDgEmXQgc pic.twitter.com/58hEVLjuGq
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) August 31, 2015
“I feel like this should be a discussion that people are having, even regularly,” she said. “I think that it shouldn’t be a taboo subject and that we should be bringing awareness to child sexual abuse and talking about it.”
Jill Duggar added, “It was amazing to understand that there are so many people that deal with the exact same thing in their own families, so just being educated is very good.”
Former 19 Kids and Counting matriarch Michelle Duggar appeared on the TLC special with her daughters.
.@KenTucker on TLC's "penance-by-proxy" sexual abuse special, #BreakingTheSilence http://t.co/lPr3uz3VC9 pic.twitter.com/SQFWIekXy8
— Yahoo TV (@YahooTV) August 31, 2015
“I was so glad that my girls and I were able to do this together,” she said on Sunday’s documentary. “And that we could just be a support and encouragement to each other to be able to gain more information about this important topic.”
Sadly, the 19 Kids and Counting family has been devastated by Josh Duggar yet again. During the recent Ashley Madison website hacking it was discovered that Josh had two accounts. He later admitted to having an addiction to pornography and to having cheated on his wife Anna Duggar.