Bringing Up Bates Season 11 will not be airing “as planned,” according to the network, UPtv.
The network revealed on Tuesday that it would not be moving forward with the show, despite planning to premiere its 11th season in February.
“We will not be premiering Bringing Up Bates season 11 on UPtv as planned as we will be focusing our programming in 2022 on movies and a new scripted series to be announced soon,” UPtv said in a statement.
“When we premiered Bringing Up Bates, the series was focused on parents with 19 kids who were teenagers and young children. The cameras were there to capture the love, laughs and big life moments, as the family continued to grow. Thank you to Gil and Kelly Jo Bates for welcoming viewers into your family’s home over the past ten seasons,” the statement continued.
“Thank you to the fans who tuned in every Thursday night to be part of the journey. We’re looking forward to continuing to uplift you with our programming in the future,” the statement concluded.
The show centered on parents Gil, 57, and Kelly, 55, who raised their 19 children: Zach, Michaela, Katie, Erin, Lawson, Carlin, Nathan, Alyssa, Tori, Trace, Josie, Jackson, Warden, Isaiah, Addallee, Ellie, Callie-Anna, Judson and Jeb.
Before the family secured their own TLC show United Bates of America in 2012, the Bates family was featured on the Duggar family’s 19 Kids and Counting.
During a season 5 episode in 2011, the two families, who are both fundamental Baptist Christians, decided to make a plan to visit Missouri together. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are parents to nine girls and 10 boys, while the Bates have 10 girls and nine boys.
On Tuesday, the Bates family shared their own statement.
“As the next year begins, our family will be experiencing a lot of new changes. One of the biggest changes for us is that the network will be moving toward producing more scripted family shows and will not be renewing a contract to film new Bringing Up Bates episodes. We realize God’s timing is always perfect, and we are looking forward to what the future holds for our own family, as well as the network!” the family wrote in a statement.
“The last ten seasons of filming with Bringing Up Bates have been an amazing journey for our family. We never expected or aspired to be on TV, but we are forever grateful to UP for all of the friendships we have formed as a result. Filming and opening up our home has been both rewarding and challenging, but there are not enough words we could say to show appreciation for the amazing film crew and all of the staff who have invested so much time into making this show possible,” their statement continued. “They have become family and have impacted us forever. We are also grateful for all of the encouragement we have received over the years from those who have watched the show and have reached out to message us or pray for us.”
The Bates concluded their statement, writing: “Most of all, we are thankful to God for the experiences we’ve shared together as a family and for the lessons we’ve learned along the way. We feel very blessed to have these memories. We look forward to the next chapters of life unfolding before us with lots of new adventures. We promise to keep you updated on our lives in the days ahead and pray that God will richly bless each of you. Our greatest desire is that we would each strive to learn more about God and to grow in His grace.”