Duggar Scandal Costs TLC '$19M and Counting'

Giving 19 Kids & Counting the ax is taking a big chunk out of TLC's bottom line, in what Entertainment Weekly calls "perfect numerical symmetry that suggests the universe is intelligently designed with a built-in sense of ironic humor." Parent company Discovery Communications reported a second-quarter deficit of $19 million yesterday, which CFO Andy Warren dumped at the doorstep of "higher restructuring and other charges this year... primarily due to content impairment charges from canceling 19 Kids & Counting" last month. More losses are expected as TLC adjusts for the show's projected revenue, EW notes; the Duggar family's hit show was TLC's highest-rated program.

TLC isn't the only one taking a financial hit: The Daily Beast reports that the Duggars, who are out the $25,000 to $40,000 per episode they made, appear to be soliciting donations from fans in at least four ways, ranging from appeals from Duggar daughter Jill Dillard's nonprofit ministry to Duggar Studios' YouTube channel. Meanwhile, more bad news for the Duggar clan: Son Josiah has ended his courtship of four months, and won't be headed to the altar with Marjorie Jackson, reports People. (More 19 Kids and Counting stories.)