We all want to see Christians in media, but there’s a real danger when faith, family and celebrity culture intersect.
First it was the Duggar family that became embroiled in scandal, now it’s the Willis Clan.
At the center of all this is cable channel TLC, which was home to “19 Kids and Counting,” the series that focused on the large Duggar family, affiliated with the fundamentalist Christian “Quiverfull” movement. That show was canceled after formerly sealed juvenile records of a sexual-abuse incident involving now-adult son Josh Duggar and two of his sisters hit the news.
Unwilling to dump the huge Duggar audience, TLC has continued with “Jill & Jessica: Counting On,” following two of the adult, married Duggar sisters and their growing families, but has encountered resistance from advertisers.
Now, after two seasons in 2015 and 2016, TLC has axed “The Willis Family,” its show focusing on the Willis Clan, a Christian/country/Celtic singing group composed of 12 siblings, eight girls and four boys, whose names all begin with “J.” Although the Willises are of Irish descent and from Chicago — and use a traditionally Catholic Celtic cross in their logo — they aren’t Catholic.
Over the weekend, news broke that Toby Willis, patriarch of the family, was accused of the rape of a child.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation charged the 46-year-old Willis with one count of child rape, following an investigation, begun on Aug. 29, into an alleged sexual encounter he had with an underage girl — perhaps someone related to Willis — in 2002. In Tennessee, the charge of child rape refers to someone between the ages of 4 and 12.
Nashville’s Newschannel5 reported Wednesday night that Willis had allegedly been charged with raping a family member. It said the family member had been “removed by Willis from her bed and raped.” It also reported that “authorities confirmed Willis was not allowed to go around his biological children or his wife.
Willis was arrested in Kentucky, where the family was preparing to hold a concert, and is being extradited to Tennessee.
Also from The Daily Beast:
TBI investigators, who accused Willis of trying to escape justice by leaving Tennessee for Kentucky, said in a statement Monday that Willis apparently hitchhiked about 115 miles from Shepherdsville, just south of Louisville, to Greenville on or about Sept. 5 and 6. The TBI is seeking information about two people who may have given Willis rides during that period. “No one can figure out why he was hitchhiking,” a police source told The Daily Beast.
Willis wife, Brenda Willis, released a statement through her attorney. From FoxNews.com:
“I was shocked and devastated by the revelation of events leading to Toby Willis’ arrest,” Brenda Willis’ attorney said in a statement on her behalf. “As these are very trying times for the Willis family, I kindly ask all to respect our family’s privacy. As a mother of twelve, my first priority remains with my children and helping them through this traumatic event.
“We are cancelling all appearances for the foreseeable future to focus on the children and their well-being. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We have, and will continue, to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials and ask that you direct all inquires regarding Toby Willis’ case to the District Attorney’s office who have our complete support.”
Toby and Brenda Willis were high-school sweethearts, and Toby’s family had already sustained a tragedy. In Nov. 1994, a fiery van crash killed six of Willis’ siblings and injured his parents. At the time, Toby was already an adult, married to Brenda and had two children and a third on the way.
Upon hearing the news, TLC promptly axed plans for a third season of ‘The Willis Family.”
From TheWrap.com:
“TLC did not renew ‘The Willis Family’ and new episodes have not aired since April 2016,” the network told TheWrap in a statement. “We are shocked to hear this news.” In addition, the show’s official page no longer appears on the TLC website.
Like the Duggars, the Willises’ public image was of a faith-filled, squeaky-clean Christian family. Fairly or otherwise, this revelation, like that of the Duggars, reinforces the notion in the minds of many that Christians are hypocrites — and that the louder you proclaim Christ and Christian morality, the more skeletons are in your closet.
All families have problems, but as I argued at the time regarding the Duggars, it was the choice of both of these sets of parents to put themselves and their minor children on TV. It’s certain that the elder Duggars knew what Josh had done as a teen before they went on TV, and after several seasons of the show, it’s impossible to believe they were still naive about whether the story would ever come out.
In the case of the Willis family, we don’t know yet whether Toby Willis is guilty of the charges against him. But if they are true, it would again be a case of a man with a serious issue in his past choosing to hold himself and his family up as examples of Christianity on TV.
Looking to public figures — who are ultimately just flawed human beings like the rest of us — as shining exemplars of faith is always a risky proposition. No one save Christ is perfect, and just because someone is famous, a performer or has a TV show is zero guarantee that they’re any holier than anyone else.
One of my jobs as Social Media Manager for Catholic production company Family Theater Productions is to create photo memes for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with faith-centered quotes from celebrities. On more than one occasion, even though folks have said the right things, a look into the their backgrounds reveals that their actions are quite at odds with their words. I’m in no position to judge their souls or their sincerity, but if I have serious doubts, I don’t hold them up as an example.
Time and time again, athletes, actors, TV preachers, musicians and so on have been held up as Christian inspirations, only to prove to have feet of clay.
Catholics certainly aren’t exempt from this — God knows. How many of our fellow Catholics, lay and clergy, have said or done things in opposition to the Faith that caused public scandal? Far too many.
But, Catholics do have two things that Protestants, Evangelicals and nondenominational folks don’t — Mary and the saints. The Gospels vouch for the purity and unique graces of Our Lady. And by the time someone is declared a saint, he or she hasn’t been pronounced perfect, but there’s been a long investigation, and the person’s faithfulness and personal holiness are assured.
So, don’t look to TV, the movies or music for true Christian inspiration. You may find it, in certain people and at certain times, but prepare to be disappointed. Instead, keep your eyes fixed on Christ, the Blessed Mother and the saints. They’re the only celebrities Catholics truly need.
Image: Courtesy TLC
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