Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced in court this week with the patriarch of the Chrisley family landing a 12-year sentence and his wife getting 7 years for bank fraud, among other charges. In the wake of the conviction and sentencing, the couple’s show Chrisley Knows Best has been canceled, which makes sense, given its leads will be in prison. Some episodes that have already filmed will reportedly air, but it will soon be time to say goodbye to the over-the-top family.
The USA Network series would not be the first show to be canceled due to a controversy, and also not the first to be canceled in relation to legal troubles, even recently. A slew of reality shows have highlighted figures who have dealt with controversy in the public eye.
In many cases shows connected to our starring those individuals have found themselves on the chopping block. You may be very familiar with some of these, like the Duggar family’s Counting On that got canceled in the wake of son Josh’s child pornography arrest. However, there are quite a few more series that make the list. Without further ado, here are some reality shows canceled in the wake of legal troubles.
Counting On, TLC: Canceled After Josh Duggar Arrest
While Josh Duggar was not actually a part of Counting On, a couple of months after Josh Duggar was charged on one count of receiving and one count of possession. At the time family member Jinger Duggar said she and the family “wholeheartedly agree[d]” with the decision. Josh’s wife Anna had occasionally been featured on the TLC series though Josh had been cut out of the reality TV family after a separate molestation report had gone public in 2015, leading to the cancelation of 19 Kids and Counting. Several members of the Duggar family still share their lives on YouTube and through Instagram.
Paula’s Home Cooking, Food Network: Canceled After Testimony In Court
For a decade, Paula Deen had a show on Food Network in which she cooked a lot of Southern comforts. That successful series was cut, however, after Deen became embroiled in a $1.2 million lawsuit alleging she’d been inappropriate in the workplace. During the course of events, the longtime celebrity chef admitted to using the N-word and throwing a wedding in which Black servers were asked to behave as if they were in the Civil War era.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC: Canceled After Meet-Up With Recently Released Sex Offender
Another TLC series starring Mama June Shannon, Toddlers & Tiaras star Alana Thompson and other members of the family, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was also was ultimately axed after Mama June was seen out with legal sex offender Mark Anthony McDaniel, who had just been released from prison after forcing an 8-year-old girl to perform oral sex on him. He’d served 10 years and the story blew up after Mama June’s daughter Anna openly said she’d been the 8-year-old girl who was molested. Mama June would later recover from this scandal and went on to star in her own reality series Mama June: From Not To Hot and would appear on The Masked Singer in the same season as Honey Boo Boo.
Dog Unleashed, Unleashed Entertainment: Canceled After Alleged Misuse Of Assets
In a striking turn of events, Dog the Bounty Hunter’s return to television was canceled before it ever hit the airwaves. The show, Dog Unleashed, had been in production when Unleashed Entertainment claimed Duane Chapman had breached his contract. Production had been underway when an investigation was undergone into antics on set. Unleashed Entertainment ultimately sued over Chapman allegedly using promotional materials for personal gain. He reportedly worked in conjunction with CBD Global Sciences to push products using materials owned by Unleashed Entertainment. The end result? Well, the lawsuit, but also fans never got a show.
I’m sure we could come up with other examples of shows that have been canceled following a legal controversy, but these were the ones that have been burned into my brain over time.
Oh, and for those of you wondering why the Dance Moms spinoff didn’t make this least, that was actually canceled over controversy related to alleged racist statements Abby Lee Miller had made and not her actual legal troubles. The more you know…
