The news that Joy-Anna Duggar is pregnant with her first child drew a surprising reaction from fans of her famous family. It seems not a month goes by without a Duggar pregnancy announcement, and usually the response from fans is universally congratulatory. But the timing of Joy-Anna’s statement resulted in confusion from some Duggar obsessives and outright condemnation from others. Here’s a recap: Joy married Austin Forsyth in May. Just three months later, she announced her pregnancy with an Instagram photo in which she appeared to be several months along. The Duggars offered an official conception timeline to put to rest any rumors of premarital sex, which is strictly forbidden by their arch-conservative religious beliefs. The family insisted that Joy got pregnant on one of the first nights of her honeymoon. Fans were unconvinced, and rumors of Joy-Anna’s “shotgun wedding” began to circulate on social media. The Duggars will likely never address the matter directly themselves, but a family friend spoke out about the rumors surrounding Joy-Anna during a recent “ask me anything” session on Reddit. The friend chose to remain anonymous, but she appeared to be knowledgeable about a number of topics that the Duggars have not yet spoken about publicly. Asked point blank if she believes Joy-Anna got pregnant before her wedding, the source responded simply that it’s “not likely.” It’s important to note that elsewhere in the thread, the insider offered information and opinions that were not entirely favorable to the Duggars. For instance, she confirmed that Jim Bob is a domineering force in his household and that women have few rights on the Duggar compound. For the most part, however, she spoke about Counting On clan in glowing terms. We supposed that’s not particularly surprising, considering she identified herself as a family friend. So will these remarks put to rest the rumors that Joy-Anna conceived prior to saying “I do”? Almost certainly not, particularly since fan theories regarding her date of conception are based on much more than Joy’s sizable baby bump and the timing of her announcement. For one thing, Joy-Anna and Austin admitted to breaking her family’s courtship rules in an interview with Counting On producers. Of course, given the draconian nature of those rules, that could mean many things. The Duggars require chaperones on all dates involving non-married couples, and they even place time limits on hand-holding. So while many consider Joy-Anna’s admission to be particularly damning, that’s not necessarily an indication of premarital sex. There is one incriminating clue, however, that’s proven difficult for the Duggars to explain away. Joy-Anna and Austin rescheduled their wedding from October of this year to May. Many believe the date was pushed up five months to conceal the fact that Joy-Anna is expecting. Thus far, her family has yet to offer a different explanation. In all likelihood, the matter will never be settled to the satisfaction of the family’s most nosy fans. But as long as Jim Bob and company openly engage in harsh moral judgement of others, fans will continue to look for signs of hypocrisy–and so far those signs have proven plentiful. Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family. View Slideshow: Joy-Anna Duggar Pregnancy Raises One Huge Question
The news that Joy-Anna Duggar is pregnant with her first child drew a surprising reaction from fans of her famous family. It seems not a month goes by without a Duggar pregnancy announcement, and usually the response from fans is universally congratulatory. But the timing of Joy-Anna’s statement resulted in confusion from some Duggar obsessives and outright condemnation from others. Here’s a recap: Joy married Austin Forsyth in May. Just three months later, she announced her pregnancy with an Instagram photo in which she appeared to be several months along. The Duggars offered an official conception timeline to put to rest any rumors of premarital sex, which is strictly forbidden by their arch-conservative religious beliefs. The family insisted that Joy got pregnant on one of the first nights of her honeymoon. Fans were unconvinced, and rumors of Joy-Anna’s “shotgun wedding” began to circulate on social media. The Duggars will likely never address the matter directly themselves, but a family friend spoke out about the rumors surrounding Joy-Anna during a recent “ask me anything” session on Reddit. The friend chose to remain anonymous, but she appeared to be knowledgeable about a number of topics that the Duggars have not yet spoken about publicly. Asked point blank if she believes Joy-Anna got pregnant before her wedding, the source responded simply that it’s “not likely.” It’s important to note that elsewhere in the thread, the insider offered information and opinions that were not entirely favorable to the Duggars. For instance, she confirmed that Jim Bob is a domineering force in his household and that women have few rights on the Duggar compound. For the most part, however, she spoke about Counting On clan in glowing terms. We supposed that’s not particularly surprising, considering she identified herself as a family friend. So will these remarks put to rest the rumors that Joy-Anna conceived prior to saying “I do”? Almost certainly not, particularly since fan theories regarding her date of conception are based on much more than Joy’s sizable baby bump and the timing of her announcement. For one thing, Joy-Anna and Austin admitted to breaking her family’s courtship rules in an interview with Counting On producers. Of course, given the draconian nature of those rules, that could mean many things. The Duggars require chaperones on all dates involving non-married couples, and they even place time limits on hand-holding. So while many consider Joy-Anna’s admission to be particularly damning, that’s not necessarily an indication of premarital sex. There is one incriminating clue, however, that’s proven difficult for the Duggars to explain away. Joy-Anna and Austin rescheduled their wedding from October of this year to May. Many believe the date was pushed up five months to conceal the fact that Joy-Anna is expecting. Thus far, her family has yet to offer a different explanation. In all likelihood, the matter will never be settled to the satisfaction of the family’s most nosy fans. But as long as Jim Bob and company openly engage in harsh moral judgement of others, fans will continue to look for signs of hypocrisy–and so far those signs have proven plentiful. Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family. View Slideshow: Joy-Anna Duggar Pregnancy Raises One Huge Question
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandals , numerous Hollywood power players have been taken to task for their deplorable behavior toward women, minors, and others who were in positions that left them vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Some were complicit in Weinstein’s behavior, while others engaged in abuse and harassment of their own that was brought to light thanks to the example set by the disgraced mogul’s courageous accusers. Ben Affleck falls into both categories. Along with his childhood friend Matt Damon, Affleck rose to prominence with his performance in Goodwill Hunting , a film he also co-wrote with Damon, earning the young collaborators a pair of Best Original Screenplay Oscars. As with so many other films produced by conglomerate-owned “indie” outlets in the early ’90s, Hunting was ushered into existence by Harvey Weinstein. So like Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and many others, Affleck and Damon were faced with some difficult questions following the revelations of Weinstein’s rampant abuse. Primarily, the public wanted to know if these men were aware of Weinstein’s behavior and if they took any steps to prevent it. Before he even had a chance to issue a response, however, Affleck was accused of groping an MTV host and harassing a Canadian entertainment journalist. The father of three laid low for a few weeks after that, and it’s been widely rumored that Affleck checked back into rehab recently. Of course, Ben long ago made the leap from indie darling to superhero franchise star, which means that when promotional obligations arise, he doesn’t have the option of keeping a low profile, even when riding out a scandal. As such, Affleck stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night for an interview with a host who’s been outspoken in his disgust with the recent round of appalling reports coming out of Hollywood. “I don’t remember it, but I absolutely apologized for it,” Affleck responded in response to Colbert’s question about allegations that he groped Hilarie Burton back in 2003. “I certainly don’t think she’s lying or making it up,” he added. “It’s just the kind of thing that we have to as men, I think, as we become more aware of this, be really, really mindful of our behavior and hold ourselves accountable and say, ‘If I was ever part of the problem, I want to change. I want to be part of the solution,’ and to not shy away from these uncomfortable or awkward or strange encounters that we might’ve had where we were sort of navigating and not knowing.” It’s a bit odd that Affleck suggested there might be any doubt as to whether or not the incident took place, considering it was caught on camera, but … at least he’s trying? Asked about his ties to Weinstein, Affleck had this to say: “It was awful to see the extent of these terrible crimes and it was hideous. I haven’t worked for Harvey in more than 15 years, but nonetheless, I felt this attachment. “I did movies like Good Will Hunting , Shakespeare in Love and Chasing Amy – early movies that I really loved doing, when I still was totally brand new. “And so it sort of rained that a little bit to realize while we were having these experiences and making these movies, there were people who ere suffering and dealing with awful experiences. I didn’t really know what to do with that, you know? It’s hard to know.” Again, it would have been better if Ben didn’t feel the need to preface his remarks with a lame attempt at self-absolution (“Sure Harvey basically kicked off my career, but we haven’t worked together … since I was in my thirties!”) but at least he’s taking part in this crucial conversation. The fact is, in the weeks and months that follow, more stars and power players–some of whom may be deeply beloved by large segments of the population–will be implicated in acts of sexual misconduct of varying severity. For some, there can be no redemption. Others may find themselves in positions where forgiveness might be possible, but it certainly won’t come easy. Ben’s right when he says men in all industries and of all orientations must be more mindful of his behavior. We just wish his comments didn’t come on the heels of a whole lot of back-pedaling and justification. View Slideshow: Weinstein Scandal: Which Powerful Men Are Accused of Sexual Misconduct?
In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandals , numerous Hollywood power players have been taken to task for their deplorable behavior toward women, minors, and others who were in positions that left them vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Some were complicit in Weinstein’s behavior, while others engaged in abuse and harassment of their own that was brought to light thanks to the example set by the disgraced mogul’s courageous accusers. Ben Affleck falls into both categories. Along with his childhood friend Matt Damon, Affleck rose to prominence with his performance in Goodwill Hunting , a film he also co-wrote with Damon, earning the young collaborators a pair of Best Original Screenplay Oscars. As with so many other films produced by conglomerate-owned “indie” outlets in the early ’90s, Hunting was ushered into existence by Harvey Weinstein. So like Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and many others, Affleck and Damon were faced with some difficult questions following the revelations of Weinstein’s rampant abuse. Primarily, the public wanted to know if these men were aware of Weinstein’s behavior and if they took any steps to prevent it. Before he even had a chance to issue a response, however, Affleck was accused of groping an MTV host and harassing a Canadian entertainment journalist. The father of three laid low for a few weeks after that, and it’s been widely rumored that Affleck checked back into rehab recently. Of course, Ben long ago made the leap from indie darling to superhero franchise star, which means that when promotional obligations arise, he doesn’t have the option of keeping a low profile, even when riding out a scandal. As such, Affleck stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night for an interview with a host who’s been outspoken in his disgust with the recent round of appalling reports coming out of Hollywood. “I don’t remember it, but I absolutely apologized for it,” Affleck responded in response to Colbert’s question about allegations that he groped Hilarie Burton back in 2003. “I certainly don’t think she’s lying or making it up,” he added. “It’s just the kind of thing that we have to as men, I think, as we become more aware of this, be really, really mindful of our behavior and hold ourselves accountable and say, ‘If I was ever part of the problem, I want to change. I want to be part of the solution,’ and to not shy away from these uncomfortable or awkward or strange encounters that we might’ve had where we were sort of navigating and not knowing.” It’s a bit odd that Affleck suggested there might be any doubt as to whether or not the incident took place, considering it was caught on camera, but … at least he’s trying? Asked about his ties to Weinstein, Affleck had this to say: “It was awful to see the extent of these terrible crimes and it was hideous. I haven’t worked for Harvey in more than 15 years, but nonetheless, I felt this attachment. “I did movies like Good Will Hunting , Shakespeare in Love and Chasing Amy – early movies that I really loved doing, when I still was totally brand new. “And so it sort of rained that a little bit to realize while we were having these experiences and making these movies, there were people who ere suffering and dealing with awful experiences. I didn’t really know what to do with that, you know? It’s hard to know.” Again, it would have been better if Ben didn’t feel the need to preface his remarks with a lame attempt at self-absolution (“Sure Harvey basically kicked off my career, but we haven’t worked together … since I was in my thirties!”) but at least he’s taking part in this crucial conversation. The fact is, in the weeks and months that follow, more stars and power players–some of whom may be deeply beloved by large segments of the population–will be implicated in acts of sexual misconduct of varying severity. For some, there can be no redemption. Others may find themselves in positions where forgiveness might be possible, but it certainly won’t come easy. Ben’s right when he says men in all industries and of all orientations must be more mindful of his behavior. We just wish his comments didn’t come on the heels of a whole lot of back-pedaling and justification. View Slideshow: Weinstein Scandal: Which Powerful Men Are Accused of Sexual Misconduct?
Breaking Sports Video
