As the premiere of Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets–- the scathing Prime Video docuseries on the former TLC family and their religious cult, the IBLP–- draws near, the creators of the docuseries are revealing how Josh Duggar‘s scandals will be discussed.
“We wanted to be sensitive to everybody involved and really focus on the survivors,” ‘Shiny Happy People’ co-director and executive producer Julia Willoughby Nason told In Touch.
“Josh has his own story to tell, but I think it’s also important for him to reflect on over his time away in prison right now,” she continued. “And everybody in this system seems like victims of abuse because the system itself is just damaging to people’s individual freedoms.”
As The Ashley previously told you, the trailer for the upcoming documentary includes news footage addressing Josh’s molestation of his sisters and another young girl, which came to light (publicly) in 2015. Several years later, Josh was charged with and convicted of receiving child sex abuse materials (CSAM). (That crime was unrelated to his previous molestation crimes.) He is currently serving a 151-month prison sentence at FCI Seagoville in Texas.
(Like his first scandal, Josh’s 2021 arrest led TLC to cancel the Duggar family’s reality series Counting On, which premiered on the network in 2015 on the heels of the “19 Kids and Counting” cancellation. Josh never appeared on ‘Counting On.’)
With the docuseries set to focus on both the Duggar family and the family’s Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) religion, Blye Faust, executive producer of ‘Shiny Happy People,’ noted the importance of relating Josh’s “unfortunate story” to “the abuses that were going on in IBLP.”
“He is clearly somebody that people are familiar with and his story is shocking. And it’s horrifying and it’s something that people may have heard about or can identify that story, but he is only the tip of the iceberg,” she said.
Describing Josh as “a symbol of the larger hole in the larger problem,” Blye said the disgraced Duggar is used “as an illustration” in the upcoming docuseries, though survivors will also get to tell their stories–- including those “who are not even part of the Duggar family.”
” … stories that are not dissimilar to what Josh perpetrated against his sisters and then the ultimate child p0rnography charges,” she continued.
‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ will be available to stream on Prime Video on Friday, June 2.
You can watch the trailer for the docuseries below.
RELATED STORY: It’s a Boy! Former ‘Counting On’ Couple Joy & Austin Forsyth Welcome Their Third Child: See the First Baby Photos
(Photos: TLC; Instagram; Prime Video)
How about we just cancel this show and move on? The parents covered up his criminal behavior so take them off the payroll. If we need to edit the show so that his scandals are addressed in a certain way then maybe it just shouldn’t be a show. It was cute back in the day to see how a large family functioned. Now it’s just gross and toxic and weird. Take them off the air and stop funding the dysfunction.
They have been off the air for years now. This article is about an upcoming documentary exposing problems caused by the cult they are members of.
I can’t help but think Josh’s issues stem from the strict and stifling upbringing. Not saying it makes what he did ok, but if he had been a more open environment would these issues have developed? Plus with so many kids close in age, did they really get quality individual time (asking not judging) with parents? My recall on this is wobbly, but didn’t the parents sweep his molestation of siblings under rug??
I agree, I think his upbringing is a huge factor in his behavior, plus I think he’s just not a good person. And yes if I remember correctly too his parents did sweep it under the rug. I’m pretty sure Josh was the one who told his parents what he had done to his sisters which suggests that he actually felt some remorse after. But I think the way it was handled really set him up for failure. They sent him to some type of church reform camp thing and did absolutely nothing for their daughters. I think that just really showed him he can do whatever he wants and fed his ego, so I feel his parents are just as guilty as him with that one. His recent behavior is all on him though. He is a full grown man and has had more than enough time to unlearn his disgusting behavior but instead used his adult freedom and internet access to further hurt people in one of the worst ways possible.
I doubt he had much one on one time with either of his parents. I only have 2 kids and struggle with that. I know people with more kids than me are very capable of making that happen but 19 is a lot and I don’t think his parents seem like the type to make that a priority.
They most likely started because of his upbringing but he’s an adult now and responsible for his own actions. He knew viewing child porn was wrong or he wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to try and hide it. Same with cheating on his wife. He’s a terribly entitled adult who has never faced real consequences until now.