From Gypsy Sisters to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC is built to binge. But sometimes the real
life spectacle around these stars tips the scales beyond good ratings. Whether no one was watching,
or the drama got too hot, these are the shows that got kicked off the air.
After its premiere in 2003, What Not To Wear quickly became a TLC fan favorite. The
series starred fashion gurus Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, as they made-over unsuspecting,
fashion-challenged participants. And while Kelly and London had all the chemistry on-screen,
behind-the-scenes tension was brewing throughout the show's 12 seasons.
"You have a problem and you asked us to fix it and we're fixing it."
Despite the issues off-camera, What Not to Wear aired for ten years. But
the feud wasn't the real reason the series wrapped in 2013. According to The Hollywood
Reporter, TLC exec Amy Winter said the cancelation was due to timing. She said,
"After 10 incredible seasons, we felt that it was the right time to end the series."
Clinton Kelly even said he was surprised the show lasted as long as it did. He explained,
"When I got the job, I told everyone I knew that we'd probably do ten episodes,
get canceled, and I'd go crawling back to my old job in magazine publishing."
TLC spin-off LA Ink premiered in 2007 and followed famed tattoo artist Kat Von D. She had vacated her
spot on Miami Ink in order to open High Voltage in LA, where she catapulted herself into megastardom.
Although LA Ink soared in the ratings, Von D was linked to controversy that ultimately
plagued the series — including accusations of antisemitism,
spawning from her fallout with Israeli-American tattoo artist Ami James.
"I was like, pretty much hurting everything and everybody that I loved…including myself."
Eventually, Von D and the network had their own falling out, with both sides claiming they were
the ones to pull the plug in 2011. After the network released a statement about the
show being canceled after four seasons, Von D offered her side of the story, tweeting:
"I love how me deciding to not continue doing 'LA Ink' turns into being 'cancelled.'"
She followed up her claims in an interview with People, accusing TLC of "re-editing"
moments on the show in order to capitalize on Von D's breakup with Jesse James.
Gypsy Sisters was another successful spin-off for the network, hot on the
heels of their hit series, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.
"People think gypsies are fortune tellers, have crystal balls,
and that couldn't be farther from the truth."
Gypsy Sisters followed members of the Stanley family in West Virginia over three seasons,
starting in 2013. Viewers got a peek inside the lives of four women from the family,
headed by the outspoken matriarch Nettie Stanley. While the series
garnered criticism for its stereotypical portrayal of the Romani lifestyle,
the real reason TLC canceled the show in 2015 was low ratings, according to TMZ.
But Gypsy Sisters was not without additional controversy. Mellie Stanley's ex-husband was
arrested for allegedly killing her puppy. While the news of the cruelty charges broke right
before the cancelation, TMZ reported that the show was headed for the chopping block
long before the horrifying allegations ever broke.
"You can see Russia from here…almost." Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin landed
her very own reality show in 2010; Sarah Palin's Alaska — which ran for a single season on TLC.
The often-criticized series followed Palin's "real" life in her home state,
featuring her family, with the natural beauty of Alaska as a backdrop. Reviews
panned the show, with The New York Times noting,
"[It's] not quite a reality show. […] It’s a nature series for political voyeurs:
viewers get to observe Ms. Palin observing nature."
"How come we can't ever just be satisfied with tranquility and serenity?" [Gunshot]
The show aired eight episodes before it was canceled, with reports that Palin herself opted
out. The real reason? Palin feared that it would impact her 2012 political campaign, according to
Entertainment Weekly. The Republican candidate was concerned the show would give airtime to
her political opponents, which led to her family's decision to quit the show ahead of the campaign.
It appears that TLC can't get enough of that plural marriage. And that includes
the show My Five Wives, which first aired in 2013. Brady Williams, his five wives,
and 24 children were the stars of the series, which showcased their
self-proclaimed "progressive polygamy," which deviates from fundamentalist Mormon practices.
"I was part of a culture, I was part of a society that you were expected to live polygamy."
But My Five Wives wasn't the only network series to feature a polygamous family.
The wildly popular Sister Wives has been on the air for 14 seasons and counting. Still,
the Williams gang didn't find the same success as the Brown family, and were canceled after
two seasons in 2014. The real reason was reportedly low ratings and strong competition
from other, more popular sister wives. TLC has a thing for reality shows,
but it ventured outside of its comfort zone with its first scripted series in 2016,
Too Close To Home. The show was created by famed director Tyler Perry, and chronicled the life of
a low-income Alabama native who found her way into the elite world of D.C. politics.
"This must have been thrilling for you. Coming from where you come from."
While it was the network's first attempt to add a new genre to their lineup,
the show faced backlash from critics and viewers following its debut. According to Page Six, Perry
received criticism for packing the main cast with white actors, which deviates from the director's
usual casting of primarily black actors. At the time, Perry responded in a statement,
"That's totally reverse racism, because it was coming from African-American people."
Whether or not that backlash was the real reason the network canceled Too
Close to Home, TLC pulled the plug on the series after just two seasons.
TLC walks the line when it comes to questionable programming, and that was blatantly evident with
the critically-panned Toddlers & Tiaras. The series, which premiered in 2009, followed child
pageant contestants and their overbearing mothers, all competing for the top prize.
"Mommy, she's thinkin' I'm not beautiful…and I am always beautiful."
Not surprisingly, the show featured a slew of controversial moments — from the mother
who dressed her daughter Paisley up as Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman,
to young Destiny fake-smoking a candy cigarette as Sandy from Grease. These moments sparked
outrage amongst viewers and critics alike, with one review from The Daily Beast stating:
"[It's] a horrifying parade of freakishly made up, sometimes bratty children
being paraded around in hypersexualized outfits by their controlling mothers."
Thanks to the controversy, the show was pulled from the network in 2013. After a brief return
in 2016, three years later, TLC finally canceled the show after its seventh season.
"A dolla' makes me holla' Honey Boo Boo."
With Toddlers & Tiaras came its breakout star, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Shannon,
who ultimately landed her spin-off show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The hugely successful series
followed 6-year-old Alana and her quirky family — including her controversial mother, Mama June.
The series premiered in 2012, but lasted only two seasons before a
scandalous headline rocked the Georgia family. TMZ reported that TLC canceled
the show after they broke the story that Mama June was dating Mark McDaniel — who
was reportedly charged with aggravated assault against a minor within Mama June's own family.
While multiple members of the family, including June herself, have denied that
there was any contact with McDaniel since his release from a 10-year prison sentence,
TLC still gave the show the ax, with a network spokesperson stating,
"Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority."
Jon & Kate Plus 8 showcased a very unique family,
with Jon and Kate Gosselin's eight children — including sextuplets. The
series debuted in 2007 and documented the frequent bickering between the parents.
Jon was later accused of having an affair, prompting Kate to file for divorce in 2009.
Unfortunately, the split led to a custody battle when the patriarch of the Gosselin clan attempted
to bar TLC from filming his children. Eventually, the network cut ties with Jon,
and renamed the show Kate Plus 8, in 2010. While the new series focused on Kate as a single mother,
it wasn't long before controversy found its way back into the headlines.
"This show could be called 'Kate Plus Kate' because Mommy does everything."
In 2019, Jon filed a petition against Kate for an episode that featured several of the minor
children, alleging that they were filmed without him first being notified, according to The Sun.
And as Radar Online reported, Kate was fined $1,500 for the mishap. Shortly after, Kate claimed
the real reason why Kate Plus 8 was canceled was due to the chaos of the court proceedings.
Leah Remini may be best-known for her role on hit sitcom The King of Queens,
where fans fell in love with her no-nonsense persona.
"I love you however you are; drunk, sober, mean, nice…"
"Oh, that's sweet, honey, and I love you however you are; fat,
really fat, lose five pounds but still fat.…"
But fans really got to know Remini when she landed on reality TV with Leah Remini:
It's All Relative. The series featured the actor and her
likable family as they navigated their quirky, day-to-day lives in Los Angeles.
The show premiered in 2014, but only lasted two seasons before it was canceled in 2015.
While TLC never revealed the true reason it axed the show,
Inquisitr speculated it was due to both low ratings and the fact that many of Remini's fans
were unaware she even had a show. Remini then released a statement on Facebook, explaining:
"We will not be returning for season 3; it just didn't work out; we had 2 great seasons though."
The Willis Family first came to the small screen on Season 9 of America's Got Talent,
where they impressed both judges and viewers with their musical talents.
The large family consisted of 12 kids, as well as parents Toby and Brenda.
"Are you guys a family? You are? All of you are brother and sisters?"
"Any twins in there?"
"Nope. No twins."
While the gang only made it to the quarter-finals on the show, it wasn't long before TLC scooped
them up, adding another large family to their catalog. The Willis Family followed
the Christian clan in Nashville from 2015 to 2016 — but when disturbing news about dad Toby broke,
the seemingly picture-perfect family fell apart. According to the Daily Beast, in 2016,
Toby was arrested and charged with assaulting four of his daughters. A year later, he was sentenced
to 40 years in prison. The network canceled the show in 2016, releasing a statement that read:
"TLC canceled 'The Willis Family' well
before learning of the charges brought against Toby Willis."
Apparently the real reason the show got the boot was low ratings.
In 2012, TLC debuted Cheer Perfection, which followed members of Cheer Time Revolution,
a competitive, all-kids cheerleading squad helmed by abrasive coach Alisha Dunlap. The
show lasted just one season, but it was riddled with scandal during its short time on the air.
Within a week of each other, two former stars of the show were arrested on various charges.
Andrea Clevenger, mother to Kylie on the squad, was arrested after turning herself
in to authorities. Police had reportedly issued felony warrants, on suspicion that
Andrea had assaulted a minor. Clevenger was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The show faced even more controversy when co-owner of Cheer Time Revolution,
Ronald Dunlap, was arrested for possession of marijuana. Still,
these incidents aren't the real reason TLC canceled the show. Instead, the
network claims that Cheer Perfection was already canceled before the allegations came to light.
The TLC hit show 19 Kids and Counting premiered in 2008,
following Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their unusually large family in Arkansas. That is,
until scandal hit the tight-knit evangelical Christian family.
"You have to wonder, like…how did this happen?"
InTouch published a police report in 2015, revealing that oldest son Josh Duggar had
been accused of abuse of several minors in 2002 and 2003. After he admitted his wrongdoings,
the Duggar family didn't report him to authorities for over a year. Once the news broke years later,
TLC faced pressure from viewers and sponsors alike, and canceled the show, stating:
"After thoughtful consideration, TLC and the Duggar family have decided to not move
forward with '19 Kids and Counting.' […] The recent attention around the Duggars
has sparked a critical and important conversation about child protection."
"There's been the good, there's been the hard times, you name it, we've probably had it."
Despite the devastating scandal within their family,
most of the Duggar gang managed to find their way back onto the network. Eleven
seasons strong and by all means a runaway success, the 19 Kids spinoff, Counting On,
got the chop in June 2021. The network confirmed in a statement to People,
"TLC will not be producing additional seasons. TLC feels it is important to
give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately."
The situation in question involves the trial against Josh Duggar. In April 2021,
he pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him. If convicted, Josh could receive a prison
sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000. His trial is set for November 2021.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).