Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff Reports

Posted: Monday, January 01, 2018 12:25 PM

Star Of Reality TV's "The Willis Family Pleads Guilty To Four Counts of Child Rape In Tennessee

The father of reality TV’s “The Willis Family” has pleaded guilty to four counts of child rape.

News outlets report 47-year-old Toby Willis entered his plea Tuesday in Cheatham County Circuit Court and will spend a total of 40 years in jail.

He was arrested in September 2016 after a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation story found that Willis had a sexual encounter with an underage girl about 12 years ago.

Willis, his wife, Brenda, and their 12 children performed Irish-inspired roots music as the Willis Clan, advancing to the quarter-finals of “America’s Got Talent,” and starring in a since-cancelled TLC show for two seasons.

Toby Willis - Photo: SOURCE: Muhlenberg County Jail