Jim Bob Duggar fires back at critics who want show canceled

The patriarch on TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" is firing back at critics who have called for the cancellation of his family's television show.

Jim Bob Duggar responded to a Change.org petition that accused his family of being anti-gay, saying the controversy and 180,000 plus signatures only brought the family more exposure.

While speaking at Hannibal-LaGrange University, the 49-year-old reality star said, "They won't succeed. Our show is the No. 1 show on TLC. It's a small group creating this fuss. All it has done is give us more exposure. God is expanding our borders through the national media."

God's impact on reality TV aside, people certainly have taken to social media in support of the Duggar clan, and their family Facebook page appears to have gained more than 50,000 "likes" in the week after the petition's launch.

The Change.org petition also inspired a counter iPetition asking for TLC to keep the show on the air.

"The Duggar family is under attack from anti-marriage advocates for standing for traditional marriage," the petition read. "We commend the Duggar family for their brave stand in defending marriage as ordained by God between one man and one woman."

That petition only received a third of the signatures compared to the original.

TLC has yet to comment on either petition.

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