Amy Duggar King has revealed the bizarre reason her famous cousins were barred from watching the Christian cartoon series “VeggieTales.”
King — whose cousins starred on TLC’s hit reality series “19 Kids and Counting” — took to TikTok this week to share the anecdote, which quickly went viral.
“I remember the time I brought over ‘VeggieTales’ so that my cousins could at least see a cartoon. A CHRISTIAN, wholesome cartoon,” the 36-year-old recalled. “I was told: ”VeggieTales’ are not welcoming at our house. I do not want my kids thinking vegetables talk.'”
The cartoon was presumably banned by King’s uncle, Jim-Bob Duggar, who is the patriarch of the famous “19 Kids and Counting” clan.
The reality series ran for seven seasons and followed the fundamentalist family who are members of the Institute in Basic Life Principles [IBLP].
That organization was established in 1961 by minister Bill Gothard, who has since been ousted from the sect amid abuse allegations, NBC News reports.
“VeggieTales,” meanwhile, first started as a video series in the mid-1990s. It revolves around a number of animated vegetables that sing about the Christian faith. One of the series’ best-selling DVDs is titled “God Made You Special.”
“I remember the time I brought over ‘VeggieTales’ so that my cousins could at least see a cartoon. A CHRISTIAN, wholesome cartoon,” the 36-year-old recalled.Tiktok / amyrachellekingAfter sharing her TikTok video, King posted the same clip to Instagram and added an emotional caption.
“Being bold this year and just not holding back!” she defiantly declared. “I was never a part of the IBLP officially but I was around family members who were very much involved and on the board of it.”
“I am just not going to be afraid anymore to speak the truth and expose the damaging cult that IBLP is,” she added.
However, her “VeggieTales” tale isn’t the first time that King has spoken out against her extended family.
Last year she commented on her cousin Josh Duggar’s 2021 child porn sentencing, saying that 12 years in jail just wasn’t “enough.”
“VeggieTales” first started as a video series in the mid-1990s. It revolves around a number of animated vegetables that sing about the Christian faith.©Netflix/Courtesy Everett ColleOther family members have since followed suit, speaking publicly about IBLP.
In an interview earlier this month, Jinger Duggar Vuolo said she was “terrified” of the outside world while she was growing up.
“Fear was a huge part of my childhood,” Vuolo, 29, told People. “I thought I had to wear only skirts and dresses to please God. Music with drums, places I went or the wrong friendships could all bring harm.”
The IBLP discouraged its members from dating, dancing and following pop culture, according to People. They also taught women to defer to their husbands.
Jinger Duggar Vuolo (center) is pictured with her family in the mid-2010s. Getty Images for Extra Vuolo has now penned a memoir titled, “Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear,” which chronicles her experience as a child growing up in the IBLP. It hits shelves today, Jan. 31.
