What is “OutDaughtered”?
Starring Adam and Danielle Busby, “OutDaughtered” is a TLC reality series that first aired in May 2016, and shows the hectic lives of the parents of the only recorded American all-girl quintuplets. The numerous Busby brood began when Adam and Danielle married in 2006 and had Blayke Louise, their eldest daughter, who was followed by the quintuplets Ava Lane, Hazel Grace, Parker Kate, Olivia Marie and Riley Paige.
Adam and Danielle’s infertility struggles have been well-documented; both of Danielle’s pregnancies were possible thanks to intrauterine insemination. At 28 weeks pregnant with her quintuplets, Danielle delivered via C-section and soon discovered that all five of her newborns had heart murmurs which needed to be treated with medication. The quintuplets spent up to two months each in the neonatal intensive care unit, eventually going home between June and July 2015.
Hazel also has an eye condition named congenital nystagmus; uncontrolled eye movements and lack of clear vision means that she must hold her head at odd angles. In 2016, she attempted to improve her condition by undergoing eye surgery. A year later, an astigmatism in her left eye was diagnosed, and she was prescribed glasses.
Adam has also been very open about his postpartum journey of depression, which will be further discussed later on.
Adam & Danielle
The Busby family has been through its fair share of ups and downs, and there’s more to Adam and Danielle than meets the eye. The couple met in 2003 while working at Target; it took Adam months to work up the courage to speak to her, and ask her out to his sister’s birthday dinner. Most people would be intimidated by the prospect of meeting someone’s family on a first date, but Danielle accepted, and readily agreed when Adam asked her to be his girlfriend that same night.
After two and a half years of dating, Adam proposed to Danielle on Christmas Eve, and they tied the knot in July 2006. They then moved from Louisiana to Texas, and tried to start a family, but were hit with the first of many obstacles: fertility issues. After trying to get pregnant for a year, the couple followed their doctor’s suggestion and underwent intrauterine insemination, which was successful after five months, and the result was Blayke Louise.
Danielle loved being pregnant and soon wanted to try for baby number two, but knew she’d have difficulty conceiving a second time. The Busby matriarch began taking Femara, a drug sometimes used to treat infertility, and the couple set out to conceive again. Just a couple of months later, Danielle discovered that she was pregnant – and, during the third ultrasound, that there were four sacs in her uterus, with one of them containing identical twins Ava and Olivia.
However, Adam began battling postpartum depression as soon as the quintuplets were born, and it soon affected his marriage. In 2017, he revealed in a heart-to-heart conversation with his father: “I think Danielle and I are great, being able to manage and take care of the kids and stuff like that. But then you get through half the week and you realize you’ve barely told your wife ‘hi’ because you’re just so busy… You’re just exhausted and done.”
Adam’s father offered words of encouragement, but the beleaguered reality star confessed to wanting to “check out”. Prior to the on-air conversation, he also issued an exclusive statement and said: “I want to help end the stigma surrounding mental health. The worst thing that you can do is stay silent and try fix things on your own.” Eventually, things got so bad that he attended therapy to work through his issues, which were an integral part of the show’s third season.
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Hurricane Harvey was another trying time for the Busby clan, given that Danielle’s mother Mimi lost everything and they had to help her get back on her feet. In an altruistic gesture, Danielle and Adam partnered up with an organization to help those who’d been impacted by the storm. Collaborating with the educational toy company Learning Resources, the now famous couple paid for $75,000 worth of toys for victims of the hurricane.
Danielle is also a health and fitness fanatic who posts detailed workout routines online, and tries to include them in her daily schedule. Combining cardio and strength training, the mother of six has become something of a fitness influencer, who has inspired thousands of fans to adopt a more active lifestyle.
Adam and Danielle are nothing if not entrepreneurial: despite earning five figures each per episode, the couple don’t depend on the show as their only source of income. Adam works as an account manager at Intrinsic Solutions, while his wife is a beauty consultant who sells Rodan & Fields products. In 2017, she also launched a workout gear and apparel line, with her sisters Crystal and Ashley.
In the same year, fans were pleased to discover that the couple would be running a Rush Cycle studio with their friends. For months, they worked on the studio design and materials, put in long hours marketing and promoting their newest venture, and hiring instructors and ancillary staff. However, eagle-eyed viewers noticed in 2019 that Danielle and Adam had been suspiciously quiet regarding their cycle studio; it was later revealed that the couple were no longer owners of the franchise, perhaps due to their busy filming schedules.
Danielle’s Dad
Many fans wonder who Danielle’s mysterious dad is, as he has never been mentioned on, or appeared in “OutDaughtered” – unlike her mother Mimi, who even moved in with the numerous family after Hurricane Harvey left her homeless.
Some netizens speculate that Danielle’s dad is a man named Fred Theriot, who served in the US Army and passed away. Their reasoning is that in November 2018, Mimi uploaded a photo of two men in army uniform and captioned it: “Celebrating Veterans Day in heaven! Great friends! Johnny Forsyth and Fred Theriot!! We were blessed beyond words.”
Controversy
From advertising inappropriate children’s toys to being involved in pyramid schemes, Danielle and Adam’s squeaky-clean image has taken a few hits over the years, as tends to happen with wholesome families who spend a lot of time in the public eye.
In November 2021, Danielle promoted the LOL Surprise Movie Magic toy set, which retails for around $100, on her Instagram Stories. Discussing the playset’s feature and showing off the items that came with it, Danielle added that the post was an advertisement, but didn’t reveal if she had been paid for the post – although, with over two million Instagram followers, it’s more than likely that she was.
Adam and Danielle are religious and family-orientated, whereas the LOL Dolls have sparked controversy several times, especially on social media. Clad in provocative clothing and full of hidden details including tattoos, signs of bondage, and sexualized undergarments that are only revealed when they’re soaked in water, the toys have been dubbed wildly inappropriate for their hidden messaging, and the influence they can have on children.
Danielle received backlash for her advertisement, given that the LOL Dolls controversy occurred in August 2020 and was common knowledge at the time of her post. Dozens of disappointed fans flooded her comments section, and criticized her for promoting the notorious products, but the mother of six refused to comment on the incident, which was soon forgotten.
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The season six finale of “OutDaughtered” also made news for the wrong reasons, when Adam and Danielle were embroiled in a heated argument after Adam accepted a new job that meant he’d be spending more time away from home. The tense situation was discussed at length by fans; some slammed Danielle for not supporting her husband and letting him provide for his family, while others wildly accused TLC of trying to end their marriage. Of course, some opined that Adam was shirking his fatherly responsibilities by accepting the job, and argued that he didn’t really need the money.
Rodan & Fields, the shady skincare company for which Danielle is a representative, was hit with a lawsuit in 2018 for engaging in fraudulent and unfair marketing, and violating state consumer protection laws. According to the lawsuit, Rodan & Fields failed to disclose the use of an additive that can cause vision impairment and other severe side effects in one of their products.
Message me to purchase your Rodan+Fields Lash Boost. #lash #lashes #lashextensions #eyelashes #skincareroutine #skincare #beautyblogger #beautyblog #onlinejob #workparttime Money 💰 back guaranteed results!!! pic.twitter.com/ckZctA6N8g
— Joanie Barr (@Joanie_Barr) May 4, 2018
Side effects that consumers of the product experienced included eyelid drooping, thinning and loss of eyelashes, eye infections, eye sensitivity, itchy eyes, and eye or eyelid discoloration. The product contained isopropyl cloprostenate, a chemical that is a prostaglandin analog, which are used to treat glaucoma, and play a key role in the body’s inflammatory response.
At the time, Rodan + Fields rep issued a statement saying: “The Company vigorously denies the allegations in the Complaint, and stands behind the safety and efficacy of Lash Boost [the product in question]. We are going to let the specifics of our legal defense play out in court… As with any cosmetic, Lash Boost may cause irritation in some users, especially if it is misused… Many of the allegations involve unrelated products, including prescription products that have different ingredients and formulations.”
Fast-forward a few years, and Rodan + Fields were forced to cough up $38 million after settling three class-action lawsuits for failing to disclose the potential side effects and risks of adverse reactions of the isopropyl cloprostenate that the product in question contained. For a business that hit $1 billion sales in 2016 and was ranked North America’s best skincare brand the following year, we’re sure that the eight-figure sum was pocket money – but hopefully the lawsuit warned people to be savvier and more careful consumers, especially when dealing with multi-level marketing companies.
From nutritional supplements for children to weight-loss supplements, Danielle is no stranger to endorsing all sorts of questionable products. In October 2019, she was criticized for reminding her Instagram followers to buy a pizza brand that featured in an episode of “OutDaughtered” that aired the night before; it seems that there’s nothing Danielle won’t peddle to her followers if the price is right.
Casual viewers and longtime fans of “OutDaughtered” are well aware of Adam and Danielle’s alleged money issues, given that they’re discussed in almost every episode. With that said, it seems rather tone-deaf to discuss economic woes when Danielle can often be seen flaunting expensive designer bags or planning family trips to Cabo San Lucas and other exotic locations.
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When we take a look at the Busby family finances, in fact, their complaints become absurd: Adam and Danielle are reportedly earning up to $40,000 per episode, and Adam makes around $80,000 a year as a key account manager. Danielle also holds multiple jobs at any given time, and the couple recently launched a new business named Buzz World Shop. Keeping in mind that the US population’s total poverty rate came in at 14.4% as of February 2022 – an increase from December 2021’s 12.5% – the married couple are certainly living more comfortably than millions of families and children.
Finally, Grandma Mimi’s DUI arrest in October 2020 caused an internet frenzy of unprecedented proportions. “OutDaughtered” fans were appalled that one of TV’s most wholesome grannies would be capable of driving under the influence, while others berated Danielle for appearing to shun her mother after the unfortunate incident.
Following the arrest, TLC tried to do some damage control and protect the Busby family brand by deactivating Mimi’s social media accounts. In April 2021, Mimi was sentenced to 24 hours of community service, and ordered to participate in a DWI education program which would forbid her from consuming alcohol or controlled substances until its end.
After deactivating her account for over a year, Mimi quietly returned to Instagram, and chose to avoid criticism by limiting her comments. As of September 2022, her Instagram is private and she doesn’t appear to be accepting follow requests. “OutDaughtered” viewers were surprised to see she was still in the series shortly after the scandal, but it’s believed that those particular episodes were filmed before she was caught drink driving. It remains to be seen whether the Busby family will discuss the arrest on the show.
