TLC Reality Star Toby Willis Arrested on Child Rape Charge

TBI

Toby Willis, the father formerly featured on TLC reality series “The Willis Family,” has been arrested and charged with child rape.

“During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information Willis had a sexual encounter approximately 12 years ago with an underage female,” the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said in a statement. “The investigation into Willis remains active and ongoing.”

The TBI also said that Willis has been under investigation since Aug. 29. He was arrested in Greenville, Kentucky, “where he travelled in an effort to avoid law enforcement,” the bureau said. He is currently being held in a Kentucky jail, but will face extradition back to Tennessee.

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“The Willis Family,” which aired for two seasons on TLC, followed parents Brenda and Toby as they shared the challenge of maintaining their large family while keeping up with the workload required to manage their touring family band, The Willis Clan.

The 14-member band, comprised mostly of the Willis children — whose names all start with J — previously made it to the quarterfinals of “America’s Got Talent.”

Following news of Willis’ arrest, TLC issued a statement noting, “TLC cancelled ‘The Willis Family’ well before learning of the charges brought against Toby Willis. TLC decided not renew ‘The Willis Family’ due to performance ratings and have not aired episodes since April 2016. The family was notified of the cancellation in May 2016. We were shocked in learning of the situation and deeply saddened for the family.”

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This is not the first time a TLC reality star has been accused of sexual contact with an underage girl. Most famously, Josh Duggar of “19 Kids and Counting” fame was revealed to have inappropriately touched his younger sisters as well as a family friend when he was a teenager. Following the revelation, TLC cancelled the show.

13 Reality Shows Killed by Scandal Before '19 Kids and Counting': 'Megan Wants a Millionaire' to 'Buckwild' (Photos)

These reality television shows made their exit from the small screen in unfavorable ways. Will "19 Kids and Counting" follow a similar path?
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MTV suspended production on "Buckwild," marketed as the "redneck version" of "Jersey Shore," following the death of cast member Shain Gandee. The 21-year-old was found dead of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
MTV
Never mind that Liza Minnelli and David Gest separated the following year, VH1 dropped "Liza and David" before its first episode aired because Gest was "impossible to work with."
Twitter/@LoveYouMoreMJ_
"Kid Nation," a show about 40 kids running their own town with minimal adult interference, was axed by CBS when it was accused of exploiting the children's welfare and being the "sweatshop of the entertainment industry."
CBS
CeeLo Green’s reality show "The Good Life" was canned by TBS days after the musician pleaded no contest to a felony charge of giving a woman the drug ecstasy. He then tweeted: “People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!”
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"Pretty Wild" was slated to become E!'s next reality family success story after the Kardashians. The show followed momager Andrea Arlington and her three wannabe model daughters Alexis Neiers, Tess Taylor and Gabby Neiers. Alexis was arrested after shooting the pilot as one of the members of the "Bling Ring," a group of teenage thieves who broke into celebrity homes like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. "Pretty Wild" included some of the trial in its first season and did not opt to renew.
Getty Images
TLC quickly canceled "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" after reports came out that June Shannon, mother to the young star of the series, was resuming her relationship with a man who was convicted of molesting another one of her daughters.
TLC
Ryan Jenkins, the Canadian man suspected of killing model Jasmine Fiore and then taking his own life, appeared first as a contestant on "Megan Wants A Millionaire" and then on "I Love Money 3." Though the incident happened months after he was on either show, VH1 pulled the plug on both. "Megan Wants A Millionaire" was yanked mid-season, while "I Love Money 3" was not set to air for another year.
VH1
"Ev and Ocho" was a VH1 series following newlyweds NFL receiver Chad Johnson (aka Ochocinco) and “Basketball Wives” star Evelyn Lozada. VH1 yanked the show after the new groom was arrested on a domestic violence charge for head-butting his new bride.
VH1
"Armed and Famous" followed five stars (La Toya Jackson, Erik Estrada, Jack Osbourne, Jason "Wee-Man" Acuna and Trish Stratus) who enrolled in the Police Academy in Muncie, Indiana, and served as part of its patrol. The show was canceled after four episodes due to ratings ... And perhaps because Estrada got into a public shouting match with a suspect. Also, a woman sued the show for wrongful entry and illegal search.
CBS
"Jon & Kate Plus 8" became "Kate Plus 8" when Jon and Kate Gosselin announced their split during the show's fifth season finale. Jon wasn't pleased to be kicked off the show and tried to stop TLC from filming his children altogether.
TLC
A&E yanked "The Two Coreys," which featured child stars Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, after Haim suffered a drug abuse relapse while shooting the second season. Feldman said he would no longer deal with his friend's substance addiction. Haim died in March 2010.
A&E
"Flip It Forward" features twin brothers Jason and David Benham in their own HGTV series. Or, it would, had the network not shut down those plans after learning about homophobic, anti-Muslim and anti-abortion statements they’d made in the past.
HGTV
Last month, it was revealed that Josh Duggar had inappropriately touched five underage girls – four of which are his sisters – when he was a teenager. TLC pulled all episodes of "19 Kids and Counting" off the air, but has stopped short of definitively canceling the show. Considering the backlash and how many of its sponsors have dropped out, it's a matter of "when" and not "if" the show will get axed.
TLC