Counting On has aired on TLC for a whopping 11 seasons and 96 episodes since its sister show 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled back in 2015. However, in recent months news regarding the upcoming season has been at a standstill as the famous Duggar family has dealt with Josh Duggar’s arrest on child pornography charges, subsequent bail, and shift to a third party residence. As that storyline is dominating the news, will Counting On actually return for Season 12?
Counting On has not always aired during the same part of the TV season. In fact, last year we got new episodes starting in July while in Season 10 new episodes kicked off in October. In fact, in 2019 we actually got two seasons of Counting On--the aforementioned in October and Season 9 in February of that same year. Now we’re approaching the year mark since the last set of new episodes and no new TLC content has yet been announced.
Of course, this means the Internet has been scouring around for clues and one outlet believes they’ve found one in John David and Abbie’s social media feed. The two Counting On stars had previously relied on reality TV for income, but recently Abbie has started a side venture: selling clothing on Poshmark.
Now, it’s worth noting that plenty of other reality stars have side hustles. In fact, the various women on Sister Wives all seem to thrive off of them and Abbie could easily have her side income and her reality show at the same time. However, given Abbie had avoided this type of work in the past and given the lengthy time between season announcements, Without A Crystal Ball is speculating the decision may have been made because the series will not be moving forward, also noting that many cast members were missing during the Easter special on the show.
Adding fuel to the cancellation fire, it is worth pointing out that TLC recently started airing new episodes Little People, Big World and some of its other staple shows, but nothing was said about Counting On at that time those renewals were made. When you are factoring in all of the press that Josh Duggar is generating right now and also factor in that the Duggar clan has been reluctant to say anything about what’s going on with Josh Duggar outside of official statements, now may not be a great time to make a renewal announcement or to start filming a new series (if filming has not commenced).
So at minimum, I would not be shocked if Counting On was paused, even though Josh Duggar is not a part of that particular TLC show. (Previously Josh Duggar had been the catalyst that got advertisers to drop 19 Kids and Counting directly leading to that show’s cancellation following earlier molestation charges.)
As noted prior, TLC is often late to announcements when it comes to when Counting On is returning and the show doesn't consistently air on the same schedule. For example, when Season 11 was already in the cards, we had to wait a few months while rumors rolled around that the show would return after some cameramen were spotted on social. It, in fact, did return to the schedule in 2020, with early episodes focusing on Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo’s move to Los Angeles.
The episodes then did touch on the pandemic but a lot has happened between now and the events of the Season 11 finale. Since Anna, Josh Duggar’s wife, does appear on the series, that could potentially complicate matters as well. We’ll obviously keep you updated regarding whatever TLC’s decision ends up being, but if Counting On does return to TLC’s schedule, I wouldn’t be surprised if some cast shuffling goes down ahead of its release and we may have a little longer to wait as well.
