| 19 Kids and Counting | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Family reality Documentary |
| Created by | Figure 8 Films |
| Composer(s) | Scott Pearson, David Imhof |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 134 (and 6 specials) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Sean Overbeeke |
| Running time | approx. 23 minutes; specials approx. 46 minutes. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | TLC |
| Original run | September 29, 2008 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | 17 Kids and Counting (2008), 18 Kids and Counting (2009) |
| External links | |
| The Duggar Family | |
| Production website | |
19 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting) is an American reality television show that airs on TLC. The show is about the Duggar family, which consists of parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children—nine girls and ten boys (including two sets of fraternal twins), who all have names beginning with the letter "J". The series began on September 29, 2008.[1]
Contents |
The family lives in Tontitown, Arkansas, and originally appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health one-hour specials, most of which focused on four of Michelle's last five deliveries.[2][3][4][5]
Jim Bob has one older sister, Deanna, who (along with her daughter Amy) occasionally appears on the show. Michelle has six siblings. Jim Bob and Michelle met in the early 1980s when Jim Bob, along with another church member, were sent for a follow-up visit after Michelle had experienced a religious conversion.[6] Jim Bob and Michelle were married on July 21, 1984.
The Duggars elected to delay having children and practiced birth control.[7] It was three years before Josh, their eldest child, was born. They then resumed using birth control; despite precautions, Michelle conceived again but suffered a miscarriage. On December 9, 2011, Michelle revealed that though they did not know whether the baby was a boy or a girl, they named the miscarried child Caleb.[8] Believing the miscarriage was due to the contraceptive, the Duggars quit birth control. As they explain, they "decided to allow God to determine the number of children" they would have. Shortly thereafter, Michelle became pregnant again, this time with her first set of twins, Jana and John-David. Thereafter, approximately every year and a half, Michelle gave birth.
The Duggars are conservative Christians, and due to their fundamentalist biblical beliefs, they practice the following: only watching wholesome family television on DVD, and various historical events; restricted Internet use; wearing modest clothing—which includes modest-wear swimsuits; male family members keeping their hair cut short, and the females keeping their hair long. Instead of dating, they practice chaperoned courtship, which includes the couple abstaining from physical contact. In the event of engagement, the suitor seeks permission from his girlfriend's father before asking her to be his wife. The children are home-schooled using a mix of materials, including those of Switched On Schoolhouse, Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), and Accelerated Christian Education (ACE).[9] For college studies, several of the older kids use the CollegePlus! program.[10]
The Duggars raise their children using a buddy system, wherein an older sibling is assigned to a younger sibling and assists in their primary care. According to Michelle, "they help them with their little phonics lessons and games during the day and help them practice their music lessons. They will play with them or help them pick out the color of their outfit that day and just all of those types of things."[11] In 2004, Michelle Duggar won the "Young Mother of the Year Award" in Arkansas, which is sponsored by American Mothers Incorporated.[12]
Jim Bob served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. Currently, he is a real estate agent and investor. The Duggars' income is derived from the rental proceeds of the commercial properties they own.[13][14] They live debt-free,[15][16] which Jim Bob has said is "the fruit of Jim Sammons' Financial Freedom Seminar" he attended years ago (Sammons' Seminar is endorsed by IBLP). The construction of their 7,000 square foot (650 square meter) house was started by the family in 2000 when they bought the land and ordered the frame. Discovery Networks completed it, by finding local Arkansas construction workers to donate their skills and time. The home was completed on January 20, 2006. The painting, decorating, furnishings, appliances, and other finishing touches—such as a stocked pantry—were provided by Discovery Networks and corporate sponsors as part of the one-hour television special[14] entitled 16 Children and Moving In.
Shortly after the series first aired, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's book The Duggars: 20 and Counting! was released (December 2, 2008).
On December 10, 2009, Michelle gave birth via emergency C-section to Josie Brooklyn Duggar, three months prematurely. Michelle was rushed to the hospital for gallstones and it was there that doctors discovered she had pre-eclampsia and performed an emergency delivery. Josie weighed 1 lb, 6oz at birth. A week after the birth, Michelle reported that Josie was "doing as well as can be expected for a baby at her age. We are taking each hour as it comes." On April 6, 2010, after nearly four months in the hospital, Michelle and Jim Bob were able to take Josie to their rental in Little Rock, while they awaited the okay to take her home to Tontitown.[17][18] However, on April 8, 2010, Josie Duggar was readmitted to the hospital after her vital signs dropped. Fortifiers that had been added to breast milk to help her gain weight appeared to be the cause.[19]
The family was able to take Josie home to Tontitown on June 23, 2010. Michelle Duggar reported that Josie is doing very well, and weighs about 9 pounds. "She has a double chin now," Michelle said, "It is so precious." Josie reportedly weighed in at a healthy 15 lbs. 12 ounces just over 5 months later in December 2010.[20]
The family had discussed the possibility of having more children in an exclusive May 2010 interview with Radar Online.[21] Michelle was quoted as saying:
"We would love more! I'm 43, almost 44 this September. I know that my mommy years are probably numbered, and I don't know how many more children God will see fit to give me. "It is something we've been praying about because we do love children. Each child really is a gift and that doesn't mean just our children. We asked the Lord to give us a love of children the way He loves children. That is something that we've prayed about, and we'll just see what the Lord has in store for our family in the future."
On November 8, 2011, Michelle Duggar and family appeared on the Today Show to announce that she was expecting their 20th child. [22] On December 8, 2011, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar revealed that she had miscarried the baby. [23] On December 11, the Duggars announced that they named the unborn girl Jubilee Shalom.[24][25]
| Name | Date of Birth | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua "Josh" James | March 3, 1988 | Married to Anna Keller on September 26, 2008 |
| 2 | Jana Marie | January 12, 1990 | Birth via C-section |
| 3 | John-David | ||
| 4 | Jill Michelle | May 17, 1991 | |
| 5 | Jessa Lauren | November 4, 1992 | |
| 6 | Jinger Nicole | December 21, 1993 | Homebirth |
| 7 | Joseph Garrett | January 20, 1995 | Homebirth |
| 8 | Josiah Matthew | August 28, 1996 | |
| 9 | Joy-Anna | October 28, 1997 | |
| 10 | Jedidiah Robert | December 30, 1998 | |
| 11 | Jeremiah Robert | ||
| 12 | Jason Michael | April 21, 2000 | |
| 13 | James Andrew | July 7, 2001 | |
| 14 | Justin Samuel | November 15, 2002 | |
| 15 | Jackson Levi | May 23, 2004 | Birth via C-section; featured in Discovery Health special |
| 16 | Johannah Faith | October 11, 2005 | Birth featured in a Discovery Health special |
| 17 | Jennifer Danielle | August 2, 2007 | Birth featured in a Discovery Health special |
| 18 | Jordyn-Grace Makiya | December 18, 2008 | Birth via C-section |
| 19 | Josie Brooklyn | December 10, 2009 | Birth via emergency C-section; featured in a TLC special |
| Name | Date of Birth | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Duggar (née Keller) | June 23, 1988 | From Putnam County, Florida; the fifth of eight children; made her first appearance in season 1, episode 3 | |
| 1 | Mackynzie Renée | October 8, 2009 | Homebirth |
| 2 | Michael James | June 15, 2011 (8 months 24 days) | Homebirth |
| Name | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Lee Duggar | Jim Bob’s father | February 3, 1936–February 9, 2009 (aged 73) |
| Mary Duggar | Jim Bob’s mother | Born May 26, 1941 ; known as Grandma Duggar on the show |
| Deanna Jordan (née Duggar) | Jim Bob’s sister | Married to Terry Jordan; Amy’s mother |
| Amy Duggar[27] | Jim Bob’s niece | Born September 30, 1986 ; a country singer[28] (she sang "Amazing Grace" in the closing credits of the episode about her grandfather's funeral) |
| Garrett Floyde Ruark | Michelle's father | December 7, 1924–June 18, 2010 (aged 85); appeared in one episode (his wife, Ethel, passed away on August 11, 1991) |
The most often recurring guests (other than relatives) are the Bates family from Tennessee. Because they are so similar to the Duggars (having 18 kids of their own), they have become close friends.
Other notable guests have been:
| Title | Region 1 | Discs |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 2009[29] | 2 |
| Season 2 | February 23, 2010[30] | 3 |
| Season 3 | April 27, 2010[31] | 3 |
| Season 4 | April 5, 2011[32] | 4 |
| Season 5 | TBD | TBD |
Episodes of the series are available for download from the iTunes Store, Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, and Microsoft's Zune Marketplace.
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