Are TLC Children Being Exploited Without Getting A Dime?
Are children being exploited by the TLC network without receiving a dime for their participation? In the Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (2023) documentary, Jill Dillard reveals that she never received a dime from TLC despite continuing to be a cast member on their network for years after getting married and having children of her own. And, fans speculate the same may be true for many of the adult children of Sister Wives star Kody Brown as well.
Is this just a common thing among the families of TLC? Have Amber and Trent Johnston put money into trust funds for their children from their reality TV series? Is there money being put up for Zach and Tori Roloff’s children on Little People, Big World? Have Adam and Danielle Busby put up TLC money for their six daughters? Did Eric and Courtney Waldrop’s children benefit financially from their time on television?
Keep reading to see what fans have to say about all of this.
TLC, Sister Wives
Are TLC Children Being Exploited Without Getting A Dime?
In a thread that surfaced on a Reddit dedicated to the 7 Little Johnstons family, one fan of various TLC families admits one of the “greatest discoveries” from the documentary as a whole was the fact that Jill Duggar Dillard went eight years without seeing a dime of TLC money. In retrospect, this made so many people understand why her husband Derick Dillard often lashed out the way he did.
The TLC fan continued: “Big Daddy Jim Bob got it all & she never saw a dime & I’d imagine it was the same for all the other adult children. Since these folks are part of a union like SAG/AFTRA, they can get away with all sorts of garbage with these reality ‘stars.'”
The fan proceeded to admit they hope Trent and Amber Johnston do things differently. They hope the couple has put some of the money away for their children. Or, they at least allow their adult children the chance to work out their own contracts with the network.
In response to the thread, one fan pointed out that it wasn’t just a Duggar problem. The individual added that Kody Brown’s children don’t see a dime of their TLC money either.
Um, is it just me…or does TLC exploit small persons/little people?
— ebony (@hey_ebie) July 14, 2010
One of my fears is that I'll get pregnant with like 7 babies at once & have to exploit my family on TLC to survive.
— Jazmine (@_JayyElle) January 24, 2017
Another fan chimed in to clarify none of these TLC stars were part of a union. They were independent contractors and that is what made them easier for the network to exploit. Other fans chimed in to point out that reality TV stars don’t make as much money as people think they do for the amount of time they put into filming.
Do you think stipulations should be put into these contracts that require some of the money to be put up for the children the shows are exploiting? Were you surprised to learn Jill Dillard never saw any TLC money because her father took it all? Let us know what you think in the comments down below. And, keep coming back for more news on TLC.
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