Dougherty Dozen

[PeachyJam]

Dougherty Dozen is run by the mom Alicia and is a daily vlog channel on TikTok and Youtube about her family of 14. She adopted 7, birthed 4 and just had 2 new ones join on an unofficial foster care placement (it was important that it was unofficial so she could still film them) There is also the dad, Josh, who appears regularly and he is the main breadwinner.

I used to enjoy their content on the surface level, she seemed like a dedicated mom who wanted the best for her kids but I find her videos so hard to watch after she got the two new ones. She was consulting her audience on wether or not she should let them join the family, she filmed every step of the way getting them and the second they got home she was still filming their reactions as they awkwardly stood in a new house after being taken away from their mom. She took them on a shopping trip and filmed it all, even the new girl buying tampons and it was all paid for from subscriber donations. She makes all the family dress in one colour and the new kids looked so uncomfortable, now not only are they taken from their home, their mom, their life, but now their identity and privacy is stripped as they have to stand in a line with a bunch of people they don't know and pretend this is now their family.

Alicia spends an insane amount of money on junk and pre packaged food. The kids are stuffed full of sugar and she says you're not allowed to comment about it because we don't judge food in this family. The house is bursting at the seams with chocolate, cookies, chips and cakes.

She talks in depth about every kids medical issues, takes you to their appointments, lifts their shirts up to show you any medical devices. Every day she does their medicine on camera and introduces each kid by their name and diagnosis. She also goes into detail about their pasts, any issues they're having or had and private sentimental moments like one of the kids meeting their biological mom for the first time in years is broadcast to everyone.

They have no issue taking money and gifts from their subscribers. They are obviously well off and tell us they have no money issues and buy everything new and branded. They spent so much on easter and a huge amount on each kids birthday, everything has to be over the top and extreme for the camera. Despite this they take donations from their subscribers who paid for the new kids shopping trip (around $800) and also to get a phone screen fixed among other things. Alicia will pull out a pot or pan and will say that someone watching gifted it, even sandwich bags are gifted to them. They have huge P.O. box openings where it's just chaos opening lots of gifts, usually toys for the kids but also household equipment like toasters, muffin/baking trays and lots more.

Even though they flash the cash, they live in a very modest house that is not big enough to house 14 people. 3 or more kids share a room and it's very cramped with no personal space. They also don't have a big enough water tank, so say they can't wash dishes and have to buy paper plates, I assume that also means showering and washing hands is limited as well.

I think I've covered everything I can think of for now. I feel the way she is using her children conditions as a way to gain views, popularity and money is concerning, it doesn't sit right with me. I thought maybe she had just randomly gone viral on TikTok and gone with it, but I looked into her and she has been shilling out to companies for years trying to talk about her story including infertility and adopting. Even interviews from years ago talk about the kids medical conditions and how amazing they are for even thinking about adopting a child with a disability. You can tell she has wanted fame for a while and has seemed to been looking for a TLC show despite letting it slip a few videos ago that her family don't like what she's doing and should stop adopting now.

Interested to get others views though and thought a thread was needed!

 

[PeachyJam]

Omg, that deleted video, just wow. The way they talk to the kids, the constant yelling and she is always oversharing and I don't agree with physical abuse at all. I was feeling like there was only a few of us that could see through her act but on Youtube I saw quite a few videos of people talking about the family.

Here is what happened in the now deleted video, all of this was in a few minute time frame while making dinner:

• You hear a slap sound and Alex goes "what??" then the grandma screams "Alex, leave her alone or I'll beat you" and then a kids voice in the background goes "yeah, she will beat you" then the grandma continues "I could make you cry like a little girl".
• The teens start talking about doing "doggy style" to each other/their girlfriends and Alicia starts laughing and yells "this is a wholesome family channel people, I'm recording"
• Alicia yelling about one of the new kids being overweight, self-harming and having depression in front of everyone
• One of the older boys says that "you should never talk about a girls weight" and the dad tells him to "shut up!"
• When making dinner Zoey is throwing the finger up at people
• The grandma tells her to scramble the eggs "like this" to show her and Zoey says "that's what I'm goddamn doing"
• Bree says she doesn't want to eat or make the dinner and Alicia says "I don't care if you eat it or not, I need a video of you making dinner"

I did originally make a thread about them in the families Youtube section and it was moved to this thread, but I really feel like it would be better over there as most of the problematic videos are on her Youtube, her TikTok doesn't show behind the fake smiles.

 

[Givemethetea]

I'm concerned about safety.

She puts grapes on her snack boards but doesn't cut them up. Her youngest is only 3 I believe so it's really dangerous to eat uncut grapes.

They also seem to play in the pool largely unsupervised

Honestly I think uncut grapes are the least of the issues in that house- she is a kid collector gets off on saying ‘omg I make lunches for 12 kids’ loves it she does and not in a good way

 

[Scaredweirdlittleguy]

Like probably everyone else in the world, these reels kept popping up in my Insta feeds and I’d watch them and was a bit entertained by it. But the longer videos and lives started making me sus, I just get bad vibes from them so I went looking to see if there were other people seeing what I saw. She overshares a lot of her kids’ lives and tells the world too much about them. She can advocate and educate without explicitly telling people her own child’s back story, diagnoses and issues. The message would still get out there but no one would know which kid it’s about.

That video was horrible. I know 2 kids can cause chaos so 12 is more full on, I know families have their own in jokes and tease each other. But it was like the very first unedited view into their home life. I think she forgot the audio was recorded as well and it was problematic as heck. My opinion of the adults in this family plummeted.

 

[PeachyJam]

Seeing the two new kids faces in the mothers day photoshoot made me feel so sad for them. In the video of the shoot the boy couldn't smile once, he looked so pained and he couldn't hide it. Only a few weeks ago they were with their mom and now they're stood next to this new family in matching mothers day outfits and told this is your family now when they're not even officially adopted or even a foster placement, more like a respite. It must be hard to play families while trying to deal with the trauma of seperation and having it publicised.

She doesn't pay much attention to what the kids do, she's too busy making aesthetic charkuteri boards for Tik Tok. She has always got those kids stood in a line outside in matching outfits doing the next video trend, I don't know how she has the time for three Tik Toks, a Youtube video and a live daily. Much better the time be spent with the kids in a quality way and not behind a camera.

They've lost all privacy, strangers know everything from their medical history, past trauma, adoption story to their clothes size, sandwich choice and favourite lunchbox. No boundaries at all.

 

[Taylorsversion]

I did like them. But these 2 new kids make me very uncomfortable. It just doesn’t seem right that they’re going through such a monumental change in their lives, and having it on social media.

I watched their recent YouTube and Alicia didn’t look impressed that the 2 new kids were having school dinners. Probably that she can’t say she makes 12 lunches.

 

[Jumpindesia]

can’t she just be a nice, kind person who wants to help children? Not everyone has mental health problems.

Nah this woman does not give her kids any privacy and uses them for views...she is not nice and kind...

 

[Givemethetea]

Woman has a deep routed saviour complex- she’s not well and needs help!

 

[Shinealight]

Only just come across this family and all I can say about what I’ve seen is that they’re obscene.
Who would use a vulnerable child that’s gone through the fostering/adoption process in this way?
They’re definitely taking on all these kids mostly for the wrong reasons… to exploit them.
The way they’re lined up like performing seals to perform for the gram or tik Tok or YouTube or whatever!
Then having their history and medical conditions put out there for all to see
If I ever found myself in the heartbreaking situation of having to give my child up to be fostered or adopted then one of the stipulations I’d be making is that they don’t go to a publicity seeking couple like this pair.

 

[Pawpaw365]

Does anybody remember when they were talking about maybe moving because people were saying there can’t be enough room in the house for 10 kids. Then she said they decided not to because James biological sister had asked them to loan her money for a deposit for a house and they were going to do that? I couldn’t believe they had the spare money to do that whilst providing let’s face it a high standard of living for 10 kids (now 12). How much does a teacher earn in the US.? They must still have state support ?

I think everyone here underestimates quite how much people earn from YouTube, tik tok, and brand deals. They earn a lot.

 

[Jumpindesia]

Anyone else see this?

 

[Givemethetea]

She did a video wich is now deleted about how much they eatn and it was over 40k a month that and the fact she accepts thousands of pounds off deluded fans into her P.O. Box is WRONG! Literally watching a picture box opening now and it’s so uncomfortable to watch but they are all loving it! Buy your own stuff!

 

[vegemiteshell]

I agree with you Peachy Jam everything you have said and she is always showing to me anyway to much info about the kids meds etc and she never pulls up the bio kids when they say snarky things to the adopted/foster kids and when she says oh I need this but I forget to buy for myself bam a viewer has sent her what she was saying she needed It is like she needs validation/praise and she is getting it from the followers is there limit as to how many kids you can have in your house to be able to adopt/foster? She never shows affection or one on one time with the kids at all in one of the videos it was an unboxing one of them was screaming so she gave the video to the oldest one(?) he did a great job and was appreciative of what was sent where she is not while she sorted the kid out it was because of a video he wanted to watch she came back and made a snarky comment that someone who sent an outfit had caused a squabble with two of the kids because they had only sent 1 she is such a narcissist and ungrateful person there is no need to get up as early as she does she could do a lot of prep the night before or give the kids toast, cereal etc she makes a big production of what she does

 

[Scutty]

I just get such off vibes from her and the husband. Definitely a case of street angels, house devil's

 

[Millieminion]

I'm all for adoption from foster care obviously but surely there has to be a limit to the number of kids,kids need attention and time not just food and with so many they don't have time to spend with them as individuals,Granny and Grandad are bringing them to their events,which is great every so often,but not on a regular basis.

 

[Catlady1]

I mean Alicia puts all her kids lives on instagram and you tube. Their adoption stories their diagnoses their medication requirements. None of that should be available for public consumption. Children cannot give informed consent. They just see it all as a game.

 

[binlova]

j

Although I have now heard that Alex was bullied whilst out in ocean city and had to be escorted home by the police. Kids get bullied i know but how much comes from jealous teenagers ??

jealous or has she given so much personal information away that gives kids so much ammo? like i don't agree with it, but I do think that sharing so much personal information must be really hard for kids

 

[cwymmie]

I like them actually, I think she’s done an amazing job of taking children out of the care system and given them a loving stable family home.

But on the topic of food waste, her pantry is always jam packed full and she buys more every week. They never seem to eat as much as they buy. And it obviously comes from a place of love- she wants to provide for them and have them want for nothing, but they must throw away an awful lot.
She may benefit from doing “the pantry challenge” where you only eat what you have in for x amount of time, and not buy until it’s gone.

 

[opal73]

Wow, I feel so bad for all the kids, they have no privacy whatsoever and are absolutely being exploited for monetary gain. This family is such a mess and I've only watched a few clips.

Adopting and fostering a lot of kids doesn't make you an angel when you don't respect them IMO. The fostered kids probably feel obligated to participate in the videos but Nevaeh always looks so uncomfortable, as does the older boy and I can't blame them.

Alicia makes such a big deal out of them all dressing the same, having the same lunches etc.

Surely the oldest kids in the family (the teens) can make their own lunches and do more for themselves but that wouldn't make tiktok content.

 

[Jumpindesia]

Honestly I think uncut grapes are the least of the issues in that house- she is a kid collector gets off on saying ‘omg I make lunches for 12 kids’ loves it she does and not in a good way

She is a massive narcissist...