Josh Duggar quits anti-LGBT religious group as demand grows for family’s TLC show cancellation

Reality star and conservative activist Josh Duggar has resigned from his position at the Family Research Council amid allegations that he molested underage girls as a teenager, People magazine reported.

"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Duggar said in a statement. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life."

The uproar against Duggar and his show developed after police documents obtained by In Touch Weekly revealed that Duggar had been investigated multiple times for allegedly fondling underage girls, including his own sisters.

According toHollywood Life, that prompted calls for his show, 19 Kids and Counting, to be cancelled.

TLC has canceled all airing of "19 Kids and Counting" as the network ponders the show's long0term future.

While the outcry is not a formal campaign, a search of Duggar's name on Twitter shows several users lobbying The Learning Channel, which broadcasts the program, including progressive blogger JoeMyGod:

Duggar's father reportedly told police that Duggar admitted to molesting the girls in 2002, but the TLC star was not charged at the time, and the three-year statute of limitations involved in such cases expired.

Late last year, Duggar's mother Michelle lobbied against a local ordinance in Fayetteville, Arkansas that barred discrimination against residents based on their gender or sexuality.

Michelle Duggar recorded "robocalls" that went out to residents urging them to overturn Ordinance 119, saying, "I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space." The statute was overturned, after 52 percent of voters chose to have it struck down.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified Duggar's former employer as an anti-LGBT hate group, saying "its real specialty is defaming gays and lesbians."