TLC is a far cry from what it was when it was first created in the early ’70s. Back then it was advertised as a Learning Channel for American audiences. In the 1990s, it began losing viewership so they revamped the network to focus more on reality based shows like Trading Spaces, Junkyard Wars and things like A Wedding Story. It was eventually bought by Discovery Communications and is now notorious for airing reality shows riddled with controversy. These controversial shows are a breeding ground for scandal and TLC is no stranger to that as of late! Here’s a look at TLC’s 10 biggest scandals:
10. Derick Dillard Dropped from Counting On
The most recent scandal on this list revolves around Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, who appeared on the reality series, Counting On. In November 2017, TLC announced they would no longer work with Derick after he made controversial tweets about fellow reality star, Jazz Jennings. Dillard tweeted: “I pity Jazz 4 those who take advantage of him in order 2 promote their agenda, including the parents who allow these kinds of decisions 2 be made by a child. It’s sad that ppl would use a juvenile this way. Again, nothing about him, just unfortunate what’s on tv these days.” Not surprisingly, this didn’t sit well with fans or the network. Dillard was slammed for purposely using the wrong pronoun when referring to Jennings, who’s documented her journey transitioning from male to female on TLC since she was 5, as a “he.” It didn’t take long for TLC to release a statement in support of Jennings, and to reassure fans the network will no longer be working with Dillard in any capacity.
© TLC/Discovery Communications / Courtesy: Everett | Photo by Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock