TLC and Hulu Remove Streaming Episodes of '19 Kids and Counting' as More Sponsors Pull Ads

Advertisers including Ace Hardware and David's Bridal joined other retailers who are removing any association with the TLC reality show

Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty

The famously conservative Duggars seemed to be models of wholesome family life, but son Josh was hiding a dark past: He allegedly molested five young girls as a teen. Subscribe now for an inside look at the Duggars’ dark family secrets, only in PEOPLE.

The ripple effect of the shocking molestation scandal embroiling 19 Kids and Counting continues this week as more high-profile advertisers have stated their intention to distance themselves from TLC’s once dominant reality show.

Companies including Ace Hardware, David’s Bridal and Pure Leaf Iced Tea announced on social media that they would no longer advertise on the show in the wake of the news that eldest son Josh Duggar had been investigated for child molestation as a teen.

As the fate of the series remains in question, TLC has temporarily pulled all episodes of the show from the air and online; streaming service Hulu has also removed 19 Kids from its website. If the series returns, numerous advertisers made it clear they are actively working to pull all ads from the show that has been a tentpole for the cable channel.

“We share your concerns and should TLC reinstate the show, we will take steps to have our ads removed from future episodes,” David’s Bridal Tweeted Wednesday to several people who reached out to the company urging it to pull its ads.

Ace Hardware shared a similar statement on its Twitter feed this week, repeatedly telling people who asked about its connection to the show, “Ace ads ran on this show as part of an overall ad buy with TLC. We are removing our ads from any future episodes of the show.”

General Mills Inc., Payless Shoesource Inc. and Choice Hotels International Inc. have also announced they are removing ads from the series. They join companies including CVS, H&R Block, Jimmy Dean, Walgreens, ConAgra Foods, Party City, Behr, Ricola and Keurig, per multiple reports.

RELATED VIDEO: Josh Duggar Fallout Continues in Wake of Molestation Accusations

The grim news for the family continued this week, as it was revealed that family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar once said he believed incest should be treated as a crime punishable by death (see video above).

According to a cached version of Jim Bob’s campaign website from when he ran for Congress in 2002 – first unearthed by Defamer – he states his position on abortion: “If a woman is raped, the rapist should be executed instead of the innocent unborn baby.”

In the case of their son Josh, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar chose to send him to a controversial treatment center in their home state of Arkansas before reporting their concerns to police 16 months after their eldest son admitted his “wrongdoing.”