18 Kids and Counting

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18 Kids and Counting
Format Reality Television
Created by Figure 8 Films
Country of origin  United States
No. of episodes 27 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) Sean Overbeeke
Running time approx. 23 minutes; specials approx. 46 minutes.
Broadcast
Original channel TLC (2008-present)
Original run September 29, 2008 – Present
External links
Official website

18 Kids and Counting (also known as 18 Children and Counting and formerly 17 Kids and Counting) is a reality television show produced in the United States by Figure 8 Films about the Duggar family, which consists of parents Jim Bob and Michelle and their 18 children. The eight girls and ten boys[1][2][3][4] all have names starting with the letter "J".[1] The children's names are Joshua, Jana and John-David (twins), Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah and Jeremiah (twins), Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, and Jordyn-Grace. The show airs on TLC.

The show's second season premiered Sunday, January 25, 2009 and was followed by the hour-long special A Very Duggar Wedding, with two more new episodes aired back-to-back January 27. Starting February 24, 2009, the show's name was changed to 18 Kids and Counting.

The family (who lives in Tontitown, Arkansas) previously appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health Channel one-hour specials, most of which focused on Michelle's last four births.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Contents

[edit] Family history

Michelle Duggar (née Ruark) is the youngest of seven children (she has one brother and five sisters). Originally from Ohio, Michelle moved to Arkansas in her childhood. Jim Bob Duggar is one of two children. The couple met in the early 1980s, when Michelle had experienced a religious conversion and Jim Bob (along with other church members) was sent for follow-up visits. They were married on July 21, 1984.

The Duggars elected to wait before having children and practiced fertility awareness during that time. It would be four years before Joshua, their oldest child, was born. The Duggars then resumed using birth control; however, Michelle conceived again but suffered a miscarriage. Believing the miscarriage was due to the birth control, the Duggars quit using any birth control. Instead, 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 of two sets of twins, Jana and John-David. Thereafter, approximately once every year and a half, Michelle would again become pregnant and give birth.

The Duggars are conservative Baptists who endorse the Quiverfull movement.[11] The children watch very little television and their internet usage is strictly monitored. The children are home-schooled using a mix of materials, including those of Switched On Schoolhouse, IBLP (produced by Christian teacher Bill Gothard), and Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). The children do not date, but rather go through courtship, which requires the young man to seek permission from the girl's father to begin a relationship, even if both parties are adults. All meetings between a couple include a chaperone and they believe in abstaining from all physical interaction and intimacy (except hand holding), including kissing, until marriage.

The Duggars raise their children using a buddy system, in which an older sibling is assigned to a younger sibling and assists in their daily 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 they want to wear that day, and just all of those types of things."[12] In 2004, Michelle Duggar won the "Young Mother of the Year Award" in Arkansas, which is sponsored by American Mothers Incorporated.[13]

Jim Bob Duggar is a former state legislator who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. The Duggars say their income is derived from the commercial properties they own.[14][15] The Duggars claim they live debt-free,[16][17] which Jim Bob has said is "the fruit of Jim Simmons' Financial Freedom Seminar" he attended years ago. Their large house was completed on January 20, 2006 with aid from Discovery Networks and corporate sponsors, who also donated a full pantry and household appliances. [15]

In early April 2009, their oldest son, Joshua, and his wife, Anna, announced that Anna was pregnant. In an interview, Anna stated, "I am three months, and feeling great." Joshua married Anna Keller on September 26, 2008. The couple is expecting their first child, a baby girl, in October 2009. When asked about potential names, they hinted in the interview in keeping with the same one-letter tradition. Joshua stated they were thinking "M," after his mother. It will be the first grandchild for Jim Bob and Michelle.[18]

[edit] Family

[edit] Parents

Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar

Jim Bob born July 18, 1965 (43)
Michelle born September 13, 1966 (42)

[edit] Children

Names Date of Birth Notes[19]
1 Joshua James March 3, 1988 (1988-03-03) (age 21) Married Anna Keller on September 26, 2008, and expecting their first child (a Girl) on October 18, 2009.
2 Jana Marie January 12, 1990 (1990-01-12) (age 19) Twin to John-David.
3 John-David January 12, 1990 (1990-01-12) (age 19) Twin to Jana.
4 Jill Michelle May 17, 1991 (1991-05-17) (age 18)
5 Jessa Lauren November 4, 1992 (1992-11-04) (age 16)
6 Jinger Nicole December 21, 1993 (1993-12-21) (age 15) Pronounced "Ginger."
7 Joseph Garrett January 20, 1995 (1995-01-20) (age 14)
8 Josiah Matthew August 28, 1996 (1996-08-28) (age 12)
9 Joy-Anna October 28, 1997 (1997-10-28) (age 11)
10 Jedidiah Robert December 30, 1998 (1998-12-30) (age 10) Twin to Jeremiah.
11 Jeremiah Robert December 30, 1998 (1998-12-30) (age 10) Twin to Jedidiah.
12 Jason Michael April 21, 2000 (2000-04-21) (age 9)
13 James Andrew July 7, 2001 (2001-07-07) (age 8)
14 Justin Samuel November 15, 2002 (2002-11-15) (age 6)
15 Jackson Levi May 23, 2004 (2004-05-23) (age 5) Birth featured in a Discovery Health Channel special.
16 Johannah Faith October 11, 2005 (2005-10-11) (age 3) Birth featured in a Discovery Health Channel special.
17 Jennifer Danielle August 2, 2007(2007-08-02) (&&&&&&&&&&&&07101 year 11 months) Birth featured in a Discovery Health Channel special.
18 Jordyn-Grace Makiya December 18, 2008(2008-12-18) (&&&&&&&&&&&&02066 months 24 days) Birth (via C-section) featured in a TLC special.

[edit] Other family members

  • Grandpa (Jim "J.L.") Duggar (February 2, 1936 – February 9, 2009) - Jim Bob's father.[20]
  • Mary Duggar- Jim Bob's Mother.
  • Cousin Amy - Jim Bob's niece, whose legal surname is Jordan. Amy is one year older than Josh. Though she respects Jim Bob and Michelle's right to have and raise their large family, she openly admits that she has different views on life in several episodes. This includes her insisting that, if she marries, she will not have as many children as Michelle.
  • Anna Renee Duggar (née Keller) (b. June 23, 1988) - Josh's wife, who grew up in Florida. Anna is featured in the show's first season: in the third episodes, Josh proposes to her, and in fourth episode, she and Josh court with chaperones. It was revealed on the Today show on April 13, 2009, that Anna is pregnant. [21] On June 15, 2009, it was announced that she is pregnant with a girl.
  • Jazmine - the family dog (appears briefly in episodes, not credited). As with the children, the "J" trend is continued.

[edit] TV specials

All of the TV specials have aired on both TLC and its sister network Discovery Health Channel.

  • 14 Children and Pregnant Again (featured Jackson's birth)
  • Raising 16 Children (featured the move from their original house into a rental while they were building their current house, as well as Johannah's birth)
  • 16 Children and Moving In (featured the move to their current house; the first special where Michelle wasn't pregnant during taping)
  • On the Road with 16 Children (featured the family making a road trip across the Western United States; the second special that Michelle wasn't pregnant during taping)
  • Duggars Big Family Album (featured Jennifer's birth and recaps from previous specials)

[edit] Books

  • The Duggars released their first book, titled The Duggars: 20 and Counting, on December 2, 2008.[22]

[edit] Episodes

Further information: List of 18 Kids and Counting episodes

[edit] Special guest appearances

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "And baby makes ... 18?". Associated Press. 14 October 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9680098/. 
  2. ^ Duggar Family at the Internet Movie Database.
  3. ^ Jim Bob Duggar (October 2006). "Duggar Family Portrait Gallery" (SWF file). JimBob.info website. http://www.jimbob.info/Flash%20Files/portrait_gallery.swf. 
  4. ^ Associated Press (August 2, 2007). "Duggars welcome 17th child". WMC-TV. http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=6877154. 
  5. ^ The Learning Channel (6 September 2004). "14 Children and Pregnant Again!". http://www.advancedmedical.tv/shows/dug.htm. 
  6. ^ Home & Garden News (12 March 2006). "Dream Home for Family of 18 on Learning Channel.". http://www.prleap.com/pr/29152/. 
  7. ^ The Learning Channel (15 March 2006). "Raising 16 Children" (html). http://www.advancedmedical.tv/shows/r16.htm. 
  8. ^ The Learning Channel (11 June 2006). "On the Road With 16 Children". http://www.advancedmedical.tv/shows/otr.htm. 
  9. ^ "The Duggars: Countdown to Baby 18". Discovery Health Channel. http://health.discovery.com/convergence/duggars/duggarfamily.html. 
  10. ^ Associated Press (2 August 2007). "Couple welcomes 17th child — and wants more". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20097968/. "The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable television's Discovery Health Network. The next special, the Duggar Family Album, is scheduled to air next month, according to Jim Bob." 
  11. ^ Carrie Renegers. "13 Children Add Up to Asset for Challenger. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (September 9, 1999) reprinted in Quiverfull website. Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  12. ^ American MorningCNN October 15, 2005, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0510/14/ltm.02.html
  13. ^ Associated Press (May 25, 2004). "(The Duggar family with Governor Huckabee)". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5060048/. 
  14. ^ Carrie Rengers (September 9, 2001). "13 Children Add Up To Asset For Challenger". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. http://www.quiverfull.com/articles.php/id20/. 
  15. ^ a b Arnold Hamilton (December 192005). "For Arkansas family, 18's not a crowd". The Dallas Morning News. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/121805dntexbigfamily.2bb5559.html. "The Duggars are an anomaly, attracting worldwide media attention." 
  16. ^ Prill Boyle. "Eating an Elephant". National Association of Baby Boomer Women. http://www.nabbw.com/display_associate.php?associate_id=9&column_id=210&PHPSESSID=1eb81652699682. 
  17. ^ Michelle Duggar (September 2003). "Raising 14 Kids". Parents Magazine. http://www.parents.com/parents/printableStory.jsp?catref=prt40&storyid=/templatedata/parents/story/data/5432.xml. 
  18. ^ http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30156/#storyContinued
  19. ^ Discovery Health :: The Duggars
  20. ^ "Obituaries & Death Notices". Northwest Arkansas Times. 2009-02-12. http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat&section=obits&storyid=73929. Retrieved on 2009-02-13. 
  21. ^ "Josh & Anna Duggar | The Official Website". Josh and Anna Duggar Official Website. Archived from the original on 2009-05-03. http://www.webcitation.org/5gVUsf5eq. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. 
  22. ^ "How do the Duggars discipline 17 kids?. MSNBC (November 17, 2008) Retrieved January 31, 2009.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/18_Kids_and_Counting"
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