Jinger Duggar Says Filming a Reality Show Now Would Be ‘Drastically Different’ After ‘Counting On’

Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar) admitted that filming a reality show today would be very different than when she and her family starred on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On.

During the Wednesday, January 22, episode of “The Jinger and Jeremy Podcast,” Jinger, 31, and husband Jeremy Vuolo reflected on whether or not they would do another reality TV show following Counting On’s cancellation in June 2021.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so,” Jinger said. “Not right now. Not in this season of life.”

While she was not sold on the idea of starring on another reality show, she and Jeremy, 37, said that any show they would star on in the future wouldn’t follow “every aspect of life.”

Jinger went on to admit that she does miss “some aspects” of reality TV.

“For all those years you have the sweet memories of traveling and stuff, but it’s not all the same,” she said. “Because you wouldn’t have your same film crew, you wouldn’t have your same people you’re working with. And you’re not filming as a larger family unit so there’s lots of things that would feel so drastically different if you did a show again.”

Jeremy agreed that starring on a new show would not be “the same,” and he said that it was good to have a “healthy break” from the different chapters of their lives.

“Otherwise, you’re constantly living in the past,” the former soccer player said. “And if there’s too much nostalgia, it can lead to this depression because you’re thinking, ‘Man, I’ll never get that back,’ or ‘I’ll never have this opportunity again.’”

Counting On was canceled after Jinger’s older brother Josh Duggar was arrested in April 2021. He was eventually sentenced to serve 12.5 years in prison after he was found guilty of child pornography charges.

“TLC will not be producing additional seasons of Counting On. TLC feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately,” the network said in a statement about the show’s future following Josh’s arrest.

Jinger reflected on the show being canceled in her 2023 memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, and she recalled getting the call that they wouldn’t be returning for another season.

“When the call ended, I wrapped my arms around Jeremy and cried. Hard,” she wrote at the time. “So many emotions poured out of me that day. I felt sad.”

After noting that “filming had been a constant in my life since I was around 10 years old,” she continued, “When the show was on break, and the crews didn’t come around for a few months, I missed the energy and excitement of interacting with all the creative people. The producers worked with my family to come up with ideas for episodes. It was fun to think of creative ways to give audiences a glimpse into our day-to-day lives.”

While the Duggars’ shows were among the most popular on TLC, Jinger admitted she was “surprised” they remained on the network as long as they did.

“In the early years, my family assumed the show would last no more than a season or two. It didn’t seem possible that that many Americans would be interested in a family with our conservative values,” she said. “Yet each year, TLC renewed the show. For most of my life, that wasn’t a burden.”