Toby Willis, the patriarch of another TLC reality show about a conservative Christian couple with lots and lots of kids, was arrested over the weekend on charges of child rape.

Willis starred in The Willis Family, a show about him, his wife Brenda, and their twelve children, all of whom formed a traveling music/dance act that entertained audiences while spreading the Gospel. The show aired for two six-episode seasons, but according to TMZ, the family was told in May that a third season would not be happening.

The charges have to do with a crime that allegedly took place more than a decade ago:

Toby Nathaniel Willis, 46, was arrested in Greenville, Kentucky, by agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the bureau said in a statement. The TBI said Willis traveled to Kentucky “in an effort to avoid law enforcement.” The law enforcement agency said authorities began investigating Willis on Aug. 29, and agents “developed information Willis had a sexual encounter approximately 12 years ago with an underage female.” More details were not released. The TBI said the investigation remains ongoing.

To be sure, this story won’t be news for very long. The Willis family, try as they might, weren’t the Duggars. They didn’t have the political connections or the notoriety that comes with being the textbook definition of a “Quiverfull” family.

But it is a bit strange to hear a TLC spokesperson saying of Willis’ crime that the network is “shocked to hear the news.”

Really? This isn’t shocking to me at all.

The Willis family promotes conservative views about religion and sex: Abstinence is a must, premarital sex is a sin, etc.

Is that realistic? Not really. And treating (normal, legal) sex like a sin makes it more likely, I would argue, for pedophilia to flourish.

We don’t know the details of what Toby Willis did, but if he is convicted of this crime, I’m just saying my jaw wouldn’t drop.

Now tell me again why we should be worried about transgender people using certain bathrooms…?



