TLC fires Derick Dillard over transphobic comments about Jazz Jennings

TLC has cut ties with Jill Duggar’s husband Derick Dillard over transphobic tweets he made against fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings.

On Thursday, Dillard, 28, referred to Jennings using male pronouns in a tweet that claims her parents are using her “in order 2 (sic) promote their agenda.”

“I pity Jazz, 4 those who take advantage of him in order 2 promote their agenda, including the parents who allow these kinds of decisions 2 be made by a child,” Dillard tweets. “It’s sad that ppl would use a juvenile this way. Again, nothing against him, just unfortunate what’s on tv these days.”

Dillard also questioned whether transgender children can understand their identity.

“Also, has anyone looked into whether a child is capable of making that kind of decision. We can’t vote til we’re 18; our brains aren’t fully developed til around 25,” Dillard tweeted.

In August, Dillard retweeted a promotional tweet for Jennings’ show “I Am Jazz” calling being transgender a “myth.”

“What an oxymoron… a ‘reality’ show which follows a non-reality.’Transgender’ is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God,” Dillard tweeted.

Dillard has appeared on “19 Kids and Counting” and its spinoff “Counting On.” TLC has released a statement informing viewers that Dillard will no longer appear on “Counting On.”

“We want to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard has not participated in Counting On for months and the network has no plans to feature him in the future,” TLC wrote in a statement. “We want to reiterate that Derick’s personal statements do not reflect the views of the network. TLC is proud to share the story of Jazz Jennings and her family and will continue to do so.”

Jennings has not addressed the controversy directly only tweeting, “In the face of constant ignorance and hatred I prefer to disregard negative opinions and continue moving forward with love.”

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