Mama June Shannon is taking on the TLC network, because, you know, June Shannon. She is allegedly ‘furious’ over the fact that TLC cancelled “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, yet refuses to cancel “19 Kids and Counting”. The now infamous termination of Honey Boo Boo was brought on by Mama June’s intimate shenanigans with Mark McDaniel – the man convicted of molesting June’s daughter, Anna ‘Chickadee’ Shannon. The latter show, which features a conglomerate of 19 Duggar family children, has also come under fire recently for molestation allegations.
What the heck is wrong with TLC? The network is like a Venus flytrap for criminality. Our ears bled with the Osbournes, our eyes burned with the Kardashians, yet despite all the cursing and the nudity, none of these ‘reality shows’ dipped their toes into a TLC-esque horror swamp. TLC crossed the dysfunctional event horizon with Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Mama June is planning to sue TLC for a whopping $1 million if they refuse to put the Shannon family back on the air. According to June’s lawyer, “The family is willing to work for the same terms as before and they are all on board.” Meanwhile, TLC canned ’19 Kids and Counting’ after Josh Duggar admitted that he “acted inexcusably with several young girls as a teenager”. TIME magazine writes, “In May 2007, an online commenter, known simply as Alice, published a detailed account on a blog at ibiblio.org alleging that Josh Duggar had a history of molesting young girls.”
Neither June Shannon nor Josh Duggar should be allowed back on the air, especially in the wake of TLC’s embarrassing casting failure. Which is worse? June Shannon cavorting with her daughter’s molester? Or Josh Duggar’s “inexcusable” history of molestation?
This, the second scandal to rock TLC’s reality television boat, could spell disaster for the network’s upcoming reality shows. A subsidiary of Discovery Communications, “[TLC] Initially focused on educational & learning content, by 2001, the network began to primarily focus towards reality-style series involving lifestyles, family life and personal stories.” No stranger to controversy, TLC faced public criticism for exploiting children (Toddlers & Tiaras), politics (Sarah Palin’s Alaska), polygamy (Sister Wives), culture (My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding), and familial relationships (Kate Plus 8, 19 Kids and Counting, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo).
There’s a very fine line between entertainment and venality. We love reality television as much as the next person, but exploitation? Not so much. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
June Shannon: FameFlynet
