Network or DIY? Derrico Fans Split Over the Comeback

Deon and Karen Derrico — the comeback question splitting the fandom now is not whether they film again, but how the new season should reach viewers. (TLC)

When a family from Chicago begged Deon Derrico for the show’s return, he answered in the present tense: “we are filming right now for our new season.” Asked when it would air, he reportedly added: “Not yet, next year.” That should have ended the argument. Instead it started a new one — not about whether the Derricos are coming back, but about how. Inside the 129,000-member Derrico group, fans have split into two camps, and neither side is budging.

Team Wait for a Network: “Don’t Burn the Comeback on a DIY Drop”

Deon Derrico speaking to camera in a TV interview — Deon Derrico — he says the cameras are already rolling, but the fandom is split over whether the comeback needs a network deal or should be released by the family itself. (Parade / TLC)

The network camp wants a real deal or nothing. A network means real money, real reach and a real production team — the launch a family of 16 deserves, not a video dropped on social media. Deon confirmed the cameras are rolling again, but filming is not a premiere: he promised “all new television” in 2026 back in August 2025, then was reportedly “shooting for a May release” in May 2026, and neither arrived with a title, a network or a date. Their rule is simple — no network, no countdown. A network would also bring lawyers to handle the hardest question of all, Karen’s open criminal case in Nevada, where she has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent.

Team Release It Yourselves: “Two Years of Promises Is Enough”

The DIY camp says the wait is the problem. Deon has said the family walked away from TLC after five seasons because they wanted control of their story, then declared themselves free agents. Two years later there is still no network name, no title and no press release — so why keep waiting for permission? The fans are already here: fans flooded the group with YES posts the moment Deon said the cameras were rolling. This camp’s answer is to put the footage on YouTube or social media and let the audience decide. Their sharpest point: if no network will touch a show while a criminal case is open, waiting could mean waiting forever.

The Bill Nobody Wants to Talk About

Both camps hit the same wall: money. Self-distributing is not free — editing and promotion cost money before a single viewer presses play. And the family’s finances, according to reports, are strained: The Sun has reported five bankruptcy filings over the years, their Las Vegas home was sent to auction in September with no bids reported, and Deon sued partner Tyrone Sprewell in June 2026 over a 25 percent stake, according to TMZ. Deon now drives a school bus, Karen substitute-teaches, and where Deon, Karen and the 14 kids stand now is two households, not one. So who pays for a DIY season? The DIY camp says 129,000 fans would show up on day one — but showing up and paying are two different things.

What GG and the Kids Have to Do With It

Marian GG Derrico smiling in a selfie at home — Marian “GG” Derrico — the one person both camps agree on, and the name Deon mentioned when he talked about filming again. (TLC)

One person both camps agree on is Marian “GG” Derrico. When Deon talked about filming again in May 2026, his words were “GG, and I will be filming” — Karen’s name was not in the sentence. GG, who battled cancer and filmed a video herself this year to knock down fake death hoaxes, is the family’s compass, and both sides want her front and center. The kids are the hardest part of the debate: twelve of the 14 now live with Deon, according to court papers reported by TMZ in late October. Darian, 20, has moved out to chase a music dream; the quintuplets are 13, the youngest triplets 7. The DIY camp says film them now, while they are still kids at the kitchen table. The network camp says those kids have already given television their childhoods, and a slower return protects what is left.

So the question is no longer whether Deon is filming — he says he is. It is what he does with the footage. If Deon drops episode one on YouTube himself next month, GG in the kitchen and the kids cooking Thanksgiving dinner, would you hit play there — or make him hold it until a network puts its name on it in 2027?