TLC has ordered new television specials centered around former “19 Kids and Counting” stars Jessa Seewald and Jill Dillard, TheWrap has learned.
The network is expected to produce two to three new specials, one of which will focus on Jill, her husband and their new child as they head to do missionary work in El Salvador.
The other will focus on Jessa and her husband as they prepare for the birth of their first child. Production is expected to begin soon, with the goal of airing at least one of the specials before the end of this year.
“19 Kids and Counting” was one of TLC’s most popular shows until the network abruptly cancelled it when series star Josh Duggar admitted to molesting several underage girls, including two of his own sisters.
Both Jessa and Jill admitted that they were victims of their brother Josh, but said in an interview with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly that they have forgiven him.
“Josh was a boy, a young boy in puberty, and a little too curious about girls,” Jessa said in the interview. “And that got him into some trouble. And he made some bad choices, but, really, the extent of it was mild — inappropriate touching on fully clothed victims, most of it while [the] girls were sleeping.”
Following the cancellation, both Jessa and Jill appeared in a TLC special called “Breaking the Silence,” which aimed to raise awareness on child abuse in America.