The husband of “Counting On” star Jill (née Duggar) Dillard has come under fire for a pointed tweet directed at fellow TLC personality Jazz Jennings.
On Wednesday, Derick Dillard, 28, posted a controversial message in response to a promotional tweet for Jennings’ show, “I Am Jazz,” which follows the transgender 16-year-old, who has identified as female since kindergarten.
“What an oxymoron… a ‘reality’ show which follows a non-reality. ‘Transgender’ is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God,” Derick tweeted to his 121,000 followers.
While Derick did not delete his original post, he later expounded on its meaning amid social media backlash.
“I want to be clear. I have nothing against him. I only have issue with the words and definitions being propagated here,” Dillard tweeted, sparking more criticism for the pronoun he used when referring to Jennings.
TLC responded with a statement on Thursday, saying, “Derick Dillard’s personal statement does not represent the views of TLC.”
Early Thursday evening, Jennings addressed Dillard’s remarks by speaking out against cyber-bullying. “Every day I experience cyber-bullying, but I keep sharing my story,” she tweeted. “Today was no different.” Jennings also retweeted some followers’ messages of support.