Jill Duggar Dillard  is sharing her truth. While there’s nothing Duggar heading to the TV schedule in the near future, the mom of two has kept busy and has been on a press tour with her husband Derick Dillard in recent months in support of her book Counting The Cost. The book became a New York Times bestseller and has been a topic of conversation in recent months, and now Jill is expanding out on some of the stuff she wrote about in her book, including her father’s control over her life, as well as the Duggar family estrangement that’s been rumored. 

The TLC Reality Issues That Sparked The Rumors

Jill has been candid already about her father Jim Bob Duggar allegedly avoiding paying her and her siblings for their work on the TLC shows. She's also spoken about how her husband Derick threatened to file a protective order when she was being tasked to do things and reportedly not given much of a choice about filming Counting On and other familial obligations. Now, in a new podcast interview, she explained that it wasn’t just a “control” issue her parents had; she believes they truly felt her “salvation” was being jeopardized, telling Unplanned Podcast:

While Jill contends she – just like her sister Jinger – had some positive experiences growing up Duggar, her husband Derick confirmed the issues they had with not being paid for showing off major life events such as their wedding and the births of Duggar sibling babies was what took things over the edge and led to major issues with Jim Bob and Michelle.

So, it's clear things have been tense, but where does the family stand after Jill published her memoir? 

Are Jill And Derick Estranged From Jim Bob And Michelle? 

She and Derick admitted they aren’t fully “estranged” from her parents. That's not to say things are all gravy, either. Relations have certainly been tense, but in the podcast interview she also did have positive things to say about the way her parents raised her. However, it has been over a year since Jill has seen both of her parents together -- before she published her book. 

She's certainly seen her mom at least once in the past year, as a viral picture of Michelle Duggar wearing pants at an all-girls Duggar reunion made the rounds last spring. In that time window, Jill also noted she's seen several of her siblings but has to know “what am I up for emotionally” when she meets with members of her family. 

She said that “trauma” and “triggers” do impact her family relationships, but she noted she wrote the book hoping that maybe the book will be a “resource” for her siblings and others in the IBLP community down the line. But she does have a message for her parents even though she only sees them rarely: 

Still, they won't go back to how things were before. Derick said the book title wasn't a misnomer; they really do "count the cost" daily about what their actions took and why they made the choices they did. Jill also said that she has hopes her book will be a resource down the line for anyone questioning the IBLP and its dynamics. At the end of the day, she won't "trade ignorance is bliss" for the life she has now. 

So, if you have been wondering if those estrangement rumors are true, they aren't exactly, but things with her family aren't exactly easy either. For more on what the Duggars went through, check out Shiny Happy People with an Amazon Prime subscription.

The story goes like this. When Derick Dillard met Jill he had come to the family home as part of a Christmas caroling group. It was Christmas 2011 and she was 20 years old. The couple got engaged in 2013 and married in 2014; their first child was born in 2015. They have three sons together. These are the major beats that make up their journey, but the part of the story that I find most interesting has to do with Derick, a prayer chain, and none other than Jim Bob Duggar.  

As part of the podcast “Reality Life With Kate Casey” the couple spoke out about how it was the famous Duggar family connection that led them to a life together, also noting how Jim Bob was a key piece in their meet-cute and early romance. Yes, Jim Bob Duggar, who reportedly doesn’t get along with Derick, first encouraged him to date his daughter. Per the former missionary:

While the Christmas carol story is a topic both Jill and Derick have spoken about in the past, I had no idea that it was really Jim Bob who had spurred a connection between the reality couple. Derick confirmed it in his interview with Kate Casey’s podcast and he also explained that the connection with Jim Bob was really spurred when he decided to go to Nepal for a few years. Initially, he expected the prayer chain would be the extent of their relationship, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.

How Jim Bob Duggar Encouraged A Romance Between Jill and Derick

Jill also said it was her dad who “kind of introduced us or set us up.” Sure, they’d met at this infamous Christmas carol event, but it actually took Derick going thousands of miles away for a romance to spark. While he was away in Nepal (and traveling to various other places such as Japan), Derdick noted it was Jim Bob who really seemed to care what he was doing and check in, but there seems to perhaps have been a secondary agenda as well.

He took Jim Bob’s advice. They ended up Skyping several times while he was still living abroad, and those calls went so well they ended up on video for about five and a half hours apiece.

Jim Bob’s Relationship With Jill And Derick Dillard

Unfortunately, while there was support from Jim Bob early on, the couple’s relationship with the family patriarch took a downtick years later when the two were filming Counting On. They had a dispute over reality pay from TLC, which strained relations at first. In the time since, Jill has worn pants and taken other steps to be more of an independent person. The last straw may have been when Jill ultimately decided to publish Counting The Cost, a tell-all about her experiences growing up Duggar.  

She recently revealed she has basically been estranged from the Duggar family for the most part, though she does attend major family events and has good relationships with some of her siblings. (Not her brother Josh, who is currently incarcerated and shunning Jill from prison.) It's unclear if time will heal these struggles within the family, but from now on it at least sounds like Jill and her husband plan to be publicly open about their past experiences and the path forward.

Over a month after the publication of Jill Duggar Dillard’s latest slice of authorship, the memoir Counting the Cost, it doesn’t appear as if the rifts between the former reality TV star and her famous father are going away anytime soon, even if she would be welcome to the idea of potentially squashing their beef in time. The autobiographical work kicked up quite a bit of dust with its claims that the family patriarch and matriarch Jim Bob and Michelle treated her worse than her “pedophile” brother Josh, but it was hardly the extent of the negative treatment she’s talked about dealing with for much of her life. And now she’s opened up about things getting testy enough that her husband Derick Dillard had to threaten legal action. 

For all the strife that’s been at the core of the Duggar family in recent years, Josh Duggar’s arrest and conviction have seemingly been the extent of the family relying on the law to handle their problems. But it sounds like there was at least a looming warning that such an outcome was possible, according to Jill Duggar Dillard. She appeared on the podcast Vulnerable to talk with host Christy Carlson Romano about her memoir and the family history that inspired its text. The 32-year-old discussed how she and Derick first got together under the watchful eyes of her father, and when asked about her hubby’s current relationship with Jim Bob, Jill answered with:

It’s unclear exactly what kind of timeline Jill is referring to by saying this convo between Derick and Jim Bob happened “more recently,” but it feasibly could have happened at any point in the past few years, with the younger married couple having made strides to distance themselves from the bulk of the clan back in 2020. But it certainly could have been in the past year, as various Duggar family members were thrust back into the spotlight with the release of the docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription), which Jim Bob and Michelle spoke out against. 

Whatever the time frame, it sounds like Derick Dillard was not happy about his father-in-law’s attempts to reach out to his daughter, which would imply that said attempts were a bit more involved than just catching up over a cup of coffee. Regardless of the reasoning, the threat was made, and that may have been the last bit of noteworthy communication between the two families. 

Jill Duggar Dillard continued, saying there’s a world in which relationships can be rekindled, even if they’re not at that point just yet. In her words:

Who knows if time will heal all wounds within the Duggar family? It may require at least a full year without any bombshell-dropping docuseries or memoirs being released to the public. And it’s not just her parents that Jill hasn’t been communicating with regularly. Following the release of her memoir, she also opened up about where things are with the currently imprisoned brother Josh, and said she attempted to send him a handmade Christmas card near the end of 2022, but it was sent back, which she took to mean he’d rejected the card outright.

Though Counting On was canceled in 2021 after 11 seasons — with Jill and Derick Dillard having left the series back in 2017 — but repeats can be streamed on Discovery+, while the memoir Counting the Cost is available for purchase from all major retailers.

Jill Duggar Dillard has made no bones about the rift between herself and other members of the Duggar family. The former reality star made notable allegations against Jim Bob about Counting On and other reality TV finances in recent months, and has made herself fairly scarce outside of major family events. She most recently revealed even her brother Josh is shunning her from prison, but apparently it’s not all bad news. 

Jill Sent Josh A Card In Prison That Was Rejected 

In a bombshell interview that touched on myriad topics, one small nugget of information didn’t stand out a ton in the conversation, but seems hugely germane in retrospect. Jill told GMA that she had reached out to her brother after he began his prison stint in 2022. She didn’t know what she was expecting. But it didn’t play out in a way that left room for much forward momentum. 

She theorized her brother isn’t accepting mail from her, per CNN. To note, Josh Duggar is currently serving a decade-long plus sentence at FCI Seagoville after being found guilty on charges of possessing and receiving child abuse materials. The former TV star has been in prison for over a year, and Duggar was recently denied a request for a new trial. The arrest and subsequent brouhaha came only a few years after a bombshell report that Josh had molested young women as a teenager, including some of his sisters, including Jill. 

Interestingly, Duggar’s legal fees were allegedly paid for by Jim Bob and Michelle and many members of his family -- his wife Anna counts among them -- stayed by his side throughout the trial. Jill Duggar is seemingly not getting the same treatment for having written a book about the family. 

In fact, some family members have flat out told her if she’s “trying to reconcile” she hasn’t been going about it in the correct way, writing a book and speaking openly about family business. Reportedly, her brother Jed even liked negative comments fans had about Jill. Jill herself has said she’s “estranged” from her family, though she meets with her mom on major occasions and she didn’t keep her parents away after the birth of her third boy in 2022. 

How Do Other Duggar Family Members Feel After Jill’s Book?

Oppositely, Jill said that Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo have been supportive. Plus, some Duggar family members have openly stayed by Jill and Derick Dillard’s side. Cousin Amy and her mom Deanna were really helpful and watched the couple’s three kids so they could go out for a night on the town and have a ‘few uninterrupted moments’ amidst the whirlwind of the book release. (Counting the Cost has been on the NY Times Bestseller list for a few weeks now, and Jill has been doing press for the book.) 

And the best news? Jill says there are even more family members who are supportive of the cause she and her husband Derick have taken up, but that she respects their need to "be careful" in the communities they live in. 

Obviously, Jill has been more outspoken about her famous family than many other members of the clan. Though she wrote a book like her sister Jinger, she's been more outspoken about clashes with Jim Bob, while Jinger has focused more on IBLP issues and reminisced fondly of her Duggar childhood. We'll have to wait and see what's next for Jill, but given her book is still dominating the charts, there will doubtless continue to be interest in the coming weeks.

If you’ve been following the stories running around after the release of Jill Duggar Dillard’s Counting The Cost, you probably already know that she dropped some bombshells about her pay on Counting On and about how her dad treated her and her husband Derick in general. So, I suppose given all the comments she’s made, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to hear that Jim Bob Duggar is “seething” following the release of the latest Duggar family book. However, Jill just explained the reality is a whole lot more complicated.

What’s Reportedly Going On Behind-The-Scenes After The Release Of Counting The Cost

This week, a source spoke with In Touch and claimed that what the public has been seeing from Jim Bob and Michelle’s response to Counting the Cost has only been the half of it. That same insider, who spoke anonymously, noted the two famous parents are allegedly “seething” and even compared their feelings toward Jill’s book with Josh’s scandal that landed him in prison for a decade. 

That’s a memorable comparison, but is it legitimate? 

Jill did make a lot of claims in her recently published book. Among them, she said that her father didn’t pay her for her work on Counting On until she forced a conversation. She also wrote that her dad disapproved of her and other Duggar daughters wearing pants, and even told her father he treated her “worse” than her “pedophile” brother Josh. But if you were to ask her, she has different thoughts about her family dynamics right now.

What Jill Duggar Said About The ‘Complicated’ Duggar Relationships Right Now

Meanwhile, Jill has been on the interview circuit to drum up press for her new book, and she had her own comments about her relationship with Jim Bob and Michelle. She noted in an interview with ET that her relationship with her parents has been “hard” and “not comfortable.” However, contrary to what you might be expecting, she is still seeing her parents a fair amount.

She also noted it’s been easier for her and her mom to connect on some level, because her mother is the person who is able to just be “grandmother” in certain situations without tensions coming up. She got real about it not just being herself and Derick who have to put on a good face at weddings and other events. She noted of her relationships with her family:

It’s not just Jill and Jim Bob who have dealt with tensions. The family was allegedly divided after tensions arose between Anna and other family members at home following Josh’s child abuse materials trial. The reality TV money ended when Counting On was canceled and even with the release of Jinger and Jill’s books, some family members have been supportive while others have liked negative comments online.

We'll have to wait and see if any other family members comment on what's reportedly going on behind the scenes.

The Duggar family has been in the news a lot over the past year, thanks to books written by Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Jill Duggar Dillard. While Becoming Free Indeed came out earlier in 2023, Jill is currently doing press for her own Counting The Cost book. Needless to say, some fans have claimed her fellow author sister hasn’t been supportive of the new hard back title. Jill has some choice thoughts about these fans, but what about her other siblings?

In a post earlier this week, Jill Duggar shared a look back at the creation and completion of her memoir through a post that featured video snippets and stills. A lot of fans were supportive of her new book, but one of these fans noted in the comments:

The timing on the fan comment is interesting, as it was just a few days ago that Jill’s sister Jessa actually set the record straight and mentioned she and her sister Jinger still get along after similar claims were made. (Though she did not mention her other sister Jill.) However, in the case of Jinger and Jill, it was the latter who actually set the record straight on her own Instagram post. Per Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger has been supportive of her book. 

The reason these comments seem to be running around seemingly has to do with the subject matter of both books. While Jinger’s book was critical of the IBLP practices she grew up in and while she commented on her incarcerated brother Josh Duggar during the promotion of that book, she was less harsh about her famous parents, siblings and reality TV appearances. Oppositely, Jill in her book has called out her father Jim Bob Duggar for keeping money from her, among other issues from the days she was on Counting On and other shows, and so it’s no real surprise some of this has spawned rumors, particularly given fans caught her brother Jed liking negative comments about her book in the past. 

While the latest comment from Jill seems to clear the air on some of the older sisters in the Duggar family,  interestingly the question of some of Jill’s other siblings is still up in the air. There’s the Jed stuff above, in which he “liked” posts from fans  and rumors are still swirling that Jana Duggar and Jill are perhaps not on the best terms either, after the latter was asked about it in a Q&A. Jill didn’t get specific about Jana, but she did note that growing away from the IBLP is a “process,” hinting that some of her siblings aren’t in the same place as she is.

Jill’s husband Derick Dillard has admitted they are "distancing" themselves from most of the family, though they have had positive things to say about Jinger in the past too. We’ll have to wait and see if over time, some of this friction smooths out, or if part of the cost Jill is counting has to do with these Duggar family relationships longterm.

The last few months have been filled with interviews from Jinger Duggar Vuolo and her sister Jill Duggar Dillard speaking openly about issues with their growing up experience. While a lot of this has had to do with the IBLP and their parents, it hasn’t stopped the fans from wondering whether or not Jinger has issues with the rest of the Duggar family. Now, however, her sister Jessa has spoken on the matter.

In a series of candid Q&A answers On Instagram about her post reality TV life, Jessa Duggar Seewald talked about loving having babies at home, potty training her five children and more. When a fan asked her on Instagram whether she and Jinger were “still super close” or “have drifted apart” Jessa spoke warmly about her older sister. She wrote:

Jessa still lives in Arkansas while Jinger lives in Southern California, so even if she hadn’t written a tell-all book about her experience as a part of her famous family in the past year, it would be harder for the two sisters to connect as often. 

Still, Jessa Seewald also used a photo of the infamous reunion the ladies in the family had earlier this summer as the backdrop to her Q&A post. You may remember the one, as it was a momentous occasion: Michelle Duggar was seen out in pants!

Jessa had originally been the daughter who shared the photo when the ladies all reunited back in April of this year. At the time, Jinger’s book Becoming Free Indeed had already been published, and Jinger had gotten candid about her brother Josh and more family-related subjects, prompting rumors there might be trouble among varying family members. Jinger Duggar had also moved far away from home and even started wearing shorts against Duggar rules, which seemed to stoke the fires further.

But her sister’s comments echo what she said back in February. When asked a similar question, Jinger told E!:

Rumors of tension only grew after the IBLP docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets released. Then, Jill wrote her own book Counting the Cost and called out some behaviors from her dad and family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar, who allegedly didn’t pay her a regular salary for 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On. There may be some tensions among certain family members, but from what Jessa is saying, she and Jinger, at least, are still pretty cool. (Though to note Jill was not mentioned in this thread.) 

While Jessa mostly kept her responses to her pregnancies, her relationship with Ben Seewald and her kids, there was one other TLC-adjacent question she answered. When a fan asked her if she followed the rules of the IBLP she had a pretty blunt response:

Jill is still currently doing press for her own book, but I’d also be interested to hear what she has to say about her famous siblings, as well. Stay tuned. 

Jill Duggar has opened up about how she’s been “counting the cost” after choosing to come forward with her feelings about the famous Duggar family. Her debut autobiography, in fact, chose Counting The Cost as the main component of its title, and in it and subsequent interviews Jill has gotten candid about the limited money she made even while becoming a household name. 

The paltry amount? $175k. 

Let’s address the elephant in the room. At the outset $175K may sound like a lot, but Duggar writes in her book that the money was split across 10 seasons of reality TV. She filmed nearly 200 episodes and two dozen specials for TLC during her time as a reality TV star --including filming her own wedding -- and in all that time, the money she made was $175K.

In comparison, her father Jim Bob Duggar has been alleged to have been making upwards of $850k per year for work on Counting On and TLC’s previous series 19 Kids and Counting, though sources reported at the time he was handing at least a chunk of that money out to family members. Jill claims in her book her dad pocketed at least $8 million from the show.

The exact figures are murky, however, given the numbers for TLC shows are often guesstimates. For example, an agent told Business Insider a few years ago that reality TV salaries range from $1,500-$3,000 per episode on the low end and $7,000-$10,000 on the high end – unless you end up at the “Kardashian Level” and are able to negotiate a better deal. In the case of the Duggars, Jim Bob was in charge of the money and was allegedly doling it out as he saw fit. 

Jill Duggar recently said in her book that she thought that’s just how things were done in the TV business. It actually took her friends looking out for her to figure out that what was happening with her TV situation was not normal. She told People: 

But why would Jill have just bought into this narrative that Jim Bob could hand her whatever he wanted and there wouldn’t be a deal? She’d said in another interview that her dad had given her a reality TV contract that was incomplete and she really hadn’t known any better. In her ignorance, she’d signed whatever her father put in front of her, and she’d actually thought he was doing a good thing for her, noting:

A lot of the stuff that might have seemed obvious to her friend was not obvious to Jill at the time. In fact, a lot of the relationships she had with her family revolved around what her husband Derick terms "toxic patriarchy," or the idea that adult parents should still have control over their grown children, as he also mentioned to GMA. Jill said in that interview she now feels she was "tricked" into her Counting On contract, and Derick took that assertion a step further.

Obviously there’s been a big dent in the family’s income as a whole after Counting On was cancelled by TLC following Josh Duggar’s arrest by federal agents. But perhaps the worst thing for Jill? Her standing up for what she feels is the right thing to do has cost her dearly.

You can order your own copy of Counting the Cost on Amazon or at other retailers. 

Jill Duggar Dillard – like some of her other relatives from the long-running TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting – has been seeking to tell her story. The former reality TV star has been incredibly candid about her experiences growing up with her large family and has discussed a range of topics. Among them is the former TV brood’s handling of the molestation charges against her brother, Josh Duggar, who’s currently convicted for sexually abusing Jill and three of their siblings. Jill has also been incredibly candid about where she stands with her parents, Jim Bob and Michele. In her new book, she opens up about past experiences with them and, in a recently released excerpt, claims her folks treated her worse than her “pedophile” brother. And the two parents issued a response.

What Jill Duggar Said About Her Parents In Her Upcoming Book?

Over the course of this past year alone, Jill Duggar Dillard has made a number of pointed statements in regard to her family and its former TV show. On a specific occasion, she claimed she wasn’t paid for being on the series. She also opened up about the “suicide mission” that was her and husband Derek Dillard’s 2015 interview with Meygn Kelly, during which she defended Josh, apparently at the behest of her father. But much of that energy has been channeled into her book, Counting the Cost, which hit bookshelves this week. 

People obtained an exclusive excerpt, which details a particularly tense-sounding moment between the author and her parents that apparently occurred amid the height of their disputes. The three – along with Derek Dillard – attended a mediation session, during which Jim Bob Duggar allegedly took issue with Jill for accusing him of being verbally abusive towards her. Jill recalled being “nervous” over that declaration, which she’d apparently sent in a text message. When she hesitated to give a response when her father asked if she’d apologize, the Duggar patriarch apparently lashed out: 

Jill Duggar Dillard described her father’s words as being “like blows” and that she subsequently tried to protect herself and “block him out.” From there, Jim Bob allegedly pointed his finger at her and yelled, “You’re guilty,” while Michele apparently cried. Jill writes that she eventually responded to her father and made that claim about him treating her worse than Josh:

Since her book was announced, Jill Duggar Dillard hasn’t held back when talking about the work that’s gone into it. She even admitted to hauling the manuscript around in a plastic bag while making final edits. As the book becomes available for the masses and people start analyzing her account, her parents had some thoughts to share.

How Did Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar React To Accusations That Have Been Made?

Jim Bob Duggar was taking flak even before details of his daughter’s book started making the rounds. He also faced backlash amid the release of the documentary Shiny Happy People, which features accounts from multiple family members. The patriarch, along with his wife, didn’t specifically address that reported moment with Jill when they released a statement to People. However, they did shoot down the notion of there be any kind of conflict between them and their children: 

As of this writing, Jill Duggar Dillard has yet to respond to the sentiment above. All the while, Josh Duggar is in prison and isn’t expected to be released until 2032. He’ll have 20 years of probation to serve after prison. Though he’s been denied a new trial, it seems as though his legal team is still looking to “petition for a rehearing.” 

Counting the Cost is available from bookstores and online retailers now.

The conservative lifestyle portrayed by the Duggar family on their TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting has always been a fascinating aspect for their fans. It’s been particularly interesting over the past couple of years to see Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s daughters start to branch out and shed some of the rules they had growing up in regards to their hair and clothes. Jill Duggar Dillard’s decision to start wearing pants — as opposed to the long skirts she had worn all of her life — was highly publicized, and she has opened up about how “wrong” it felt at first. 

Jill Duggar Dillard and some of her family members, including sisters Jinger, Jessa, and Joy-Anna and even their mom Michelle, have relaxed their views on what is considered “modest” dress in recent years, but that doesn’t mean making the change was easy. In her new tell-all memoir Counting the Cost, Jill opened up about the day she chose to wear leggings to a theme park, writing (via HollywoodLife): 

It’s hard for some to imagine why wearing pants is such a big deal — especially since some family members have since integrated shorts and even swimwear into their wardrobes — but with 32-year-old Jill Duggar Dillard and her siblings growing up under the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles, they were accustomed to avoiding “low-cut, cleavage showing” tops and wearing skirts that fell “below the knee.” in Growing Up Duggar, Jill and her sisters wrote that they, “try to be careful not to wear clothes that are too tight or draw attention to the wrong places.”

Jill Duggar Dillard also knew that her fashion choice that day at the park would not go over well with Jim Bob Duggar, and in Counting the Cost she divulged that her father had made her feel guilty about wearing pants and not discussing it with her parents first. After the meeting with her dad, Jill said: 

That sounds like a really hard decision that Jill Duggar Dillard made for herself, and in previously speaking about why she chose to start wearing pants, she insists she wasn’t being reactionary, but rather her actions resulted from a re-evaluation of her teachings. Jill said she believed she could still dress modestly while wearing pants. 

Joy-Anna Duggar came to the same conclusion earlier this year, as she followed in some of her sisters’ footsteps by adding pants to her wardrobe. The 25-year-old said that she and her husband had prayed about the issue for a long time, and after reading about “modesty” in the Bible, rather than a black-and-white edict about what one should wear, Joy-Anna decided that she could maintain a modest style even while wearing pants.

Jill Duggar Dillard’s memoir Counting the Cost — which the family has been uncharacteristically quiet about — is now available, and it comes just after the release of the Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which looks at the IBLP teachings followed by the family, as well as Josh Duggar’s troubling past of molestation and child pornography, for which he was sentenced to 151 months in prison. The docuseries can be streamed with an Amazon Prime subscription. 

Following the success of Jinger Duggar Vuolo’s Becoming Free Indeed, her sister Jill Duggar Dillard is publishing her own memoir. The announcement about Counting The Cost just came a couple of months ago, and surprisingly the Duggar family has been a bit quiet about the release -- particularly when it comes to sister Jinger. However, two family members have spoken out. 

Those family members would be Amy King and her mother Deanna (Jim Bob’s sister) who have been the most supportive of Jill’s upcoming endeavor. In her Instagram post announcing the endeavor, Amy spoke about her cousin being “inspiring.”

More recently, Deanna noted on a post related to Jill announcing her book tour that she was proud of Jill’s efforts. In another post, she said she can’t “wait to get a copy and read it!" in regards to her niece’s book. 

In the past, varying Duggars have felt the need to speak out when something notable happens within the family. We get blog and vlog updates when babies are born, but even Jim Bob and Michelle wrote a post after their son Josh was convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. So on the one hand it's a little surprising that Jill's immediately family has not really spoken about Counting the Cost. 

On the other hand, Jill has been outspoken in recent months about the environment she grew up in, appearing in the documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (which her sister Jinger avoided). She and her husband Derick have also been outspoken about the problems they had filming Counting On and they don't seem to be in a good place with their relationship with Jim Bob Duggar, either.  

So, tensision do seem to be there. Still, I'm a little surprised about Jinger Vuolo seemingly not being supportive. When she announced her own book Becoming Free Indeed, Jill was supportive and among the first people to comment. She promoted the book to her followers and noted at the time:

Meanwhile, Jinger's been radio silent about her sister's book. And her brother Jed even liked some comments on social media that seemed negative about the tell-all. For example, one fan wrote about how they could not "imagine my children writing tell all books about my family." Jed liked that comment.

All of this would support Jill and Derick's own assertion that there's been "some distancing there" when it comes to her family. Still, she's still been seen with mom Michelle Duggar and her sisters on an outing over the summer, so it's not a full estrangement or anything. 

We'll have to wait and see what happens when Counting The Cost is released on September 12. Pre-order a copy on Amazon now.

The public troubles for the Duggar family that began around the time that their hit show, 19 Kids and Counting was pulled off of TLC have only grown over the past several years. Josh Duggar is now serving over a decade-long prison sentence after being convicted on child pornography charges, while more and more family members have been coming forward to share what it was like to grow up under their very conservative parents, who lived by the controversial teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Now, as the release of her memoir draws near, Jill Duggar Dillard is talking about carrying her book around in a plastic bag while deciding what to share.

What Did Jill Duggar Dillard Say About Her Upcoming Book?

It was just a few weeks ago that the documentary, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, was released to those with an Amazon Prime subscription, and saw some family members open up about their upbringing. One of those people was Jill Duggar Dillard, who revealed that she never got paid for participating in the long-running series that made the family stars, and admitted she felt “again” like she was “bearing the burden and the weight” of keeping her family’s reputation afloat with her 2015 interview about being molested by her brother.

The star is now preparing to reveal even more to the world in her own book, Counting the Cost, which will be available in September. Her recent Instagram post sees her open up about the difficulties of writing her story:

While it might seem odd for the mom of three to have toted a copy of her book around while it was sealed up in a plastic bag as she made edits, it makes sense on at least a couple of levels. First, writing any kind of book is very hard to do, and getting things just right takes a lot of effort. So, being able to have it with you all the time whenever you think of something to add or remove likely helps a lot, and that will be an easier task if you can keep the manuscript as pristine as possible during your day to day life. Since she just had printed pages and nothing that was bound with a cover, the “baggie” is understandable.

Secondly, well, it’s very obvious by now that her book is going to be filled with some very difficult things. As she noted, she “cried and prayed over” what to include in it. While she’s clearly very ready to have her story out in the world and tell it on her own terms, seeing it in print also meant the realization that she was really doing it and that everyone would be able to see just what her upbringing was like. It was, and will likely continue to be, “an emotional journey” for her, so having that plastic bag was probably useful to keep her own tears from the printed pages.

We’ll be able to see what further details will be revealed about the family when her book is released on September 12, and while Jill Duggar Dillard has had a hard road when it comes to opening up, at least it seems that she’s proud of her work and ready for everyone to read her story.

In the 18 months or so since Josh Duggar was convicted on child pornography charges, for which he’s now serving an extended prison sentence, the expansive Duggar family initially did a decent job of collectively avoiding unnecessary attention. Then along came the four-part docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets (available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription), which re-kicked the closet door open on a lot of the clan’s metaphorical skeletons, particularly those tied to Jim Bob Duggar’s ties to the Institute in Basic Life Principles, as founded by the problematic minister Bill Gothard. But while the fam’s patriarch has faced all manner of criticism since the project’s release, one of his and Michelle’s kids had nothing but praise to share in a recent social media post. 

With Father’s Day falling on Sunday, June 18, 21-year-old James Duggar took to Instagram to speak highly of his pops, calling him the “best dad.” Here’s how he put it: 

No matter what may happen with his many siblings of various ages, and no matter how much his parents may be put beneath the microscope in Shiny Happy People and similar projects, it sounds like James Duggar's devotion to his dad won't be swayed. The same can't necessarily be said for others in the family, particularly cousin Amy King, who recently called out the family elders for protecting their "predator" son Josh, as well as sister Jill Duggar, who has emerged as something of a family rebel in that she's been most vocal about reflecting negatively on certainly aspects of her upbringing, particularly when it comes to how the IBLP treats girls and women. 

Jill Duggar, who will no doubt cause far more waves when she releases her new memoir The Cost in September, was namechecked quite a few times by those commenting on her brother's Father's Day post. Fans were quick to point out that she arguably should have been honored just as much as Jim Bob, if not more so, for the part she played in her bro's upbringing while also dealing with everything she said she went through while under their father's ruling thumb. Here's a handful of the less vitriolic responses:

• This is sad. Jill basically raised you and yet you support and thank the man who has hurt her time and time again. Shame on you. - Rebecca Gomprecht
• I think you mean Happy Father's Day Jill. Your parents did not raise you. - Samantha Jensen
• Sadly James yours Sisters raised you. Neither your parents raised you. That’s why you and your younger brothers and sisters turned out to be good people not like big cho mo bro - hellsfury_666
• I’m wondering whether Jim Bob wrote this himself. 😂 - lynb1973

Of course, there were definitely fans going on the defensive against such comments. Some were wholly agreeing with James Duggar's opinions about his father, while some were more specifically judging others for expressing their harsh feelings about Jim Bob on the son's page. And the commenter noted below pointed out that James is allowed to praise his own family members regardless of what they've done. 

• Jim Bob still gave life to James. Yes, what was done is awful. But James still deserves to appreciate his father for the life he gave him. - nikiwiki1212

Check out James Duggar's post below, which features a handful of throwback pics to his bright-eyed youthful days.

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which drew damning criticism from Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, is available to stream now on Prime Video. When that's done, check out the best TV shows to stream through Amazon Prime.

In the eye-opening Amazon docuseries Shiny, Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard held nothing back. They shared their experiences on the Duggar family's pair of once wildly popular reality shows, 19 Kids and Counting, and its spinoff, Counting On. Unveiling the hidden side of their journey and distancing themselves from the family, the couple revealed their lack of creative control, exclusion from negotiations, and the startling fact that they received no compensation for their appearances throughout the seven-and-a-half-year run of the TLC series. Now, the couple is speaking out and directing their concerns toward the Discovery-owned channel.

After years of silence, Dillard-Duggar and her partner are taking a stand against TLC for allegedly not compensating the Duggar siblings during their time on the hit reality shows. The couple exposed the financial dynamics behind their on-screen appearances in the revealing docuseries. One striking revelation came when the couple discussed their attempt to seek payment from the network after the birth of their first child, Israel. Jill explained:

However, they were met with a disheartening response. Derick elaborated: 

These statements shed light on the financial arrangements within the Duggar family and how compensation was allocated. A 2021 report indicated that Jim Bob Duggar, the family patriarch, was earning approximately $80,000 per filming chunk, with some seasons extending longer than others. It was estimated that the Duggars earned an average of $850,000 per season. Surprisingly, none of this money made its way to Jill, Derick, or their fellow siblings; even after Josh Duggar's highly publicized arrest on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, and the network pivoted to the spin-off, which focused on the daughters and their families. 

This lack of financial compensation aligns with previous descriptions of how Jim Bob controlled the family's TV earnings and distributed it among them rather than allowing them to earn their own money. When asked about receiving any distribution for their contributions to the show, Jill responded strongly, shaking her head and saying, "Mm-mm, no." She continued:

The couple's claims are particularly concerning given Duggar-Dillard's history as a victim of her brother's teenage molestation, which led TLC to cancel the family’s initial series and the creation of the spinoff series. In the documentary, she expressed regret about her 2015 interview with Megyn Kelly, where she and her sister Jessa defended their brother amidst the accusations. Derick referred to the interview as a "suicide mission," while Jill acknowledged not being proud of it but felt obligated to participate. She saw it as a way to appease her parents and an attempt to keep 19 Kids and Counting on the air.

Jill is sharing her story and taking control of her narrative. In an Instagram post, she followed in her sister's footsteps by giving a sneak peek of her upcoming book, Counting the Cost. Previously, she and her husband expressed frustration over not having a say in major Duggar announcements, such as weddings and baby reveals. However, with the release of her memoir, she will finally have the power to shape her own story and, hopefully, get paid. 

The couple speaking out against TLC has sparked renewed discussions on fair compensation and transparency in the reality TV industry, particularly when it involves underage cast members. Their revelations have raised important questions about financial arrangements within the family and the responsibility of networks to ensure equitable treatment for all.

With an Amazon Prime Video subscription, you can now stream Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. Remember to explore our 2023 TV schedule to stay updated on upcoming premieres.

It’s been a crazy whirlwind of a week in Duggar family news. First and foremost, Amy Duggar King went viral this week for straight up calling out Jim Bob and Michelle on TikTok. Elsewhere, their semi-estranged daughter Jill announced her own tell-all memoir will be coming after her sister Jinger wrote the successful Becoming Free Indeed. It’s all happening amidst the release of the documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, available to anyone with an Amazon Prime subscription. So, let’s break it down. 

Amy King Went Off On Jim Bob And Michelle

It’s no real secret that Cousin Amy King has not been a fan of certain members of the family for a while now. Despite appearing on TV with the clan before, the mom has been open in recent years about what she feels her cousins have gone through. Now, on TikTok she created a video talking about protecting her own child from certain members of the family but also calling out Jim Bob and Michelle for protecting ”predator” Josh Duggar. She said: 

She also brought up Jim Bob’s reaction on the stand when he was asked about the molestation of his daughters by his son, information that came to light only when In Touch published a report having obtained information via the Freedom of Information Act. That report noted Josh had touched some girls inappropriately, including some of his sisters, when he was a teenager. 

The bombshell news marked the end of 19 Kids and Counting, but King noted Jim Bob later couldn’t seem to “recall” details about the incident when asked about them on the stand. The prosecution had argued during Josh’s case about obtaining child abuse materials that the molestation report helped explain motive and why the materials were downloaded intentionally. To Amy, Jim Bob’s part in that case stood out. 

This doesn’t mark the first time Amy Duggar King has targeted the family matriarch and patriarch in recent weeks. She wasn’t happy with the statement the Duggar parents released about Shiny Happy People, either. And she also claimed she sent an olive branch to Josh’s wife Anna during the tenure of the brouhaha surrounding her allegedly living off the Duggars’ charity, saying she and husband Dillon had offered Anna and the kids a place to stay.

Anna reportedly never responded back. But the Duggar news has continued in many directions, as Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets gets viewed. Meanwhile, one of the doc's stars, Jill Duggar Dillard, is planning to open up on her own terms.

Jill Took A Note From Jinger And Is Writing Her Own Book 

In her own post on Instagram, Jill shared a first look at the book she is planning to publish. Like Becoming Free Indeed, her book will have a catchy title: Counting the Cost. It’s a nod to 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, two shows that had consumed her life until recently and two shows Dillard had little say in.

In fact, the way the money situation has been described as one in which Jim Bob would control the family’s TV earnings and then parcel it out to the family instead of them earning their own money. She and Derick also took ire with the fact they weren’t allowed to decide when big Duggar announcements – like weddings and baby reveals – could be made. 

Now that she’s publishing her own book, she’ll be able to determine what information she wants to share and how she wants to share it, giving her more control over her story, but also her revenue and livelihood. It’s the same move her sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo made in recent months, after she published her own book touching on her feelings about her famous family and her time on reality television, as well as her thoughts on her brother Josh after his incarceration. 

It’s been a big few months for Duggar news, and it doesn’t seem as if it will be slowing down anytime soon. Counting The Cost will hit shelves later this year on September 12, 2023. 

The children who appeared on the TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting have started speaking out more in recent years about their conservative upbringing under the teachings of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. They’ve also shared their experiences and opinions regarding Josh Duggar, who is serving a 12.5-year prison sentence for possession of child pornography. As the docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets aims to shed even more light on these issues, Josh’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have released a statement, calling the claims made on the series “derogatory” and “sensationalized.”

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s show was popular on TLC when it premiered in 2008. However, it all came crashing down when allegations came to light that their oldest child Josh Duggar had molested several of his younger sisters as a teenager, leading to the cancellation of the series. Prime Video’s four-part documentary dives into the controversial teachings of the IBLP and its disgraced founder Bill Gothard, as well as the Duggar family scandals. Upon the series’ June 2 premiere, the parents released a statement on their website that read:  

Their daughter Jill Duggar Dillard — the fourth child of Jim Bob and Michelle, and one of Josh Duggar’s victims — participated in the documentary, along with her husband Derick Dillard. One of the things she spoke about was her 2015 interview with Megyn Kelly, in which she and her sister Jessa defended their brother amidst the molestation accusations. Derick called the interview “a suicide mission” in Shiny Happy People, while Jill said it isn’t something she’s proud of, but at the time she felt an obligation to the family’s show and to her parents.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar made no specific references to any of their children or claims made in the docuseries in their statement, but they did acknowledge damaged relationships. The statement continued:

It shouldn't be all that surprising that the Duggars chose to speak out on the documentary. On that same token, we should've also expected that some individuals would respond to their own comments. Amy Duggar King -- Jim Bob and Michelle's niece -- countered their sentiments. While talking to ET, Duggar King accused the couple of "gaslighting" among other things: 

Amy Duggar King, who helped spearhead the doc, also stated that she still loves her family and that she's "not trying to bash them." However, she also feels a responsibility to "protect" her relatives, including her son and her "peace."

In addition to Jill Duggar Dillard’s revelations in the Prime Video series about the 2015 interview, Jinger Duggar Vuolo has previously said she feels the need to speak out about the “disturbing” religious environment she and her siblings grew up in and has spoken candidly about her feelings regarding her incarcerated brother. Time will tell if more relatives choose to speak out on Michelle and Jim Bob's statement.

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is available to stream now with an Amazon Prime subscription, and be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are headed our way soon. 

The controversies surrounding former 19 Kids and Counting cast member Josh Duggar remain some of the most disturbing in all of reality TV. Years before he was arrested on child pornography charges (that he was later convicted of), he was accused of molesting several of his younger sisters as a teenager, which sparked TLC to cancel the Duggar family’s initial series. Amazon Studios’ new docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets dives back into that scandalous time while also highlighting the abusive practices of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. At the time, the family went into face-saving mode, and daughter Jill Duggar Dillard talked out her regrets about being interviewed by Megyn Kelly at the time in defense of her brother.

Back in 2015, Megyn Kelly was two years away from leaving Fox News for NBC, and she welcomed Jill and Jessa Duggar onto The Kelly File to talk about and defend their brother. Looking back, it’s likely not a decision that Jill would make the same way if she had it to do over again, and her husband Derick Dillard bluntly called it a no-win situation in the docuseries, saying (via L.A. Times): 

While Jill and Jessa's interview with Megyn Kelly wasn't nearly as notorious as the one had with parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, it still caused quite a stir for several of the comments made therein, such as both women saying they didn't view Josh as a child molester for his private actions, and that they didn't feel Josh to be a hypocrite for his holier-than-thou public behavior. 

Speaking in Shiny Happy People, Jill Duggar Dillard says there was pressure from others to take the interviews with a defiant stance, so that TLC might decide to stick with 19 Kids in some capacity. (The network later brought some of the family back for Counting On, which itself was canceled ahead of Josh Duggar's child pornography trial.) In Jill's words:

To the point of volunteering, Jill Duggar Dillard (who'd just had her first child at 24 just two months before the Kelly interview) did make a point of saying with her sister that they wanted the interview to happen, and that it wasn't something that they were coerced into by producers. But it sounds like there was still quite a bit of pressure being put on them to do it, even if it wasn't a requirement, so to speak. She continued:

Jill and Derick Dillard started distancing themselves from the rest of the Duggar clan in the years after dropping out of Counting On in 2017, with the daughter's behavior adapting more to traditional life outside the IBLP, by way of clothing choices, drinking a bit of alcohol and more.

The Kelly File interview can be watched below.

Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets can be streamed starting on Friday, June 2, with an Amazon Prime subscription.

The past few years haven’t been the most average and predictable for the extended Duggar family, whose hold on reality TV was completely severed in 2021 when Counting On was canceled at TLC in the aftermath of Josh Duggar’s child pornography arrest. Even before that, various family members began taking more time to focus on themselves and their own families away from the larger group, leading to some surprising lifestyle changes. But most of the females in the family reunited recently, and everyone was all smiles in a group picture that was shared on social media. But arguably the biggest takeaway shocker for fans was the fact that Michelle Duggar was actually kinda-sorta wearing pants in the pic. (Leggings, to be sure, but still.)

Which obviously isn’t to suggest that Michelle Duggar is notorious for photobombing her daughters while wearing only her skivvies. To the contrary, the family matriarch has long been a devout follower of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (as founded by disgraced minister Bill Gothard), and it’s for religious purposes that she’s avoided wearing pants for seemingly the entire time that she’s been in the public eye, instead opting for skirts and dresses. It’s a practice that was pushed onto the Duggar children, though you might not believe that after seeing the Instagram pic below.

As shared by both Jesse Seewald and Jinger Duggar Vuolo, the group shot was taken at the Onyx Coffee Lab in Bentonville, Arkansas, and features big mama Michelle Duggar along with her nine daughters: Josie (13), Jordy-Grace (14), Jennifer (15), Johannah (17), Joy-Anna (25), Jinger (29), Jessa (30), Jill (31), and Jana (33). Astoundingly enough, Michelle was one of six who had their legs covered, and you can bet fans had reactions.

• Is Michelle wearing pants? Did I miss something? - @daisytee624
• Michelle in pants 😱😱😱😱. Happy for you all - @roneda427
• So cool seeing Michelle wearing pants!!!👏 - @iwokeuplikejess
• I am shocked Michelle is wearing pants and I wish we could hear her take on wearing them. 💜 she is such a sweet woman - @mary00404
• Hardly any skirts to be found! What a difference, and still very modest & beautiful. God likes me best in whatever I am wearing. 😍 - @julietchristensen
• Moms got leggings on? Wow good for her - @amybk1968

Now, it must be stated that for all the pants-related celebrations happening in the comments, there were also a number of fans who spoke up to clarify the situation, by way of pointing out that Michelle Duggar is actually wearing a black skirt over her black leggings, so she kind of has a foot in both the pants and no-pants worlds. Perhaps it's her way of connecting the older pants-adopting siblings with their younger skirt-wearing sisters.

As well, quite a few comments were confused about why others were so honed in on what everyone's legwear situation was, while others were judgmental about that takign focus over the family reuniting itself. But of course there were some who were only fixated on the pants sitch.

• I'm just here to read all the comments about pants.😂 👖👖 - @auntie_bc

Several of the Duggar children have come out in the recent past with opposing views on the religion that they were raised to follow, with Jinger Duggar Vuolo publishing a book this year, Becoming Free Indeed, that focuses on distancing herself from the IBLP teachings that she described as being disturbing and oppressive for its outdated views on female roles within marriage and family. (She also recently went off on her imprisoned brother Josh.) Vuolo made her own shift from skirts to shorts and pants relatively recently, with the currently expecting Joy-Anna Forsyth also loosening her standards to allow for pants, though only after praying about the decision. 

Stay tuned to see what fashion choices the Duggar females will be wearing for their next get-together, though I'm guessing the sheer-top and underboob trends won't be making appearances.

Josh Duggar has been imprisoned after being found guilty on counts of receiving and possessing child pornography. Through his trial and the time after his wife Anna has stood by her husband, escorting him in the courtroom and allegedly taking myriad calls from Josh in prison. She’s also been reportedly staying on the property of his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle, and allegedly that’s led to some family drama in the months since the former 19 Kids and Counting star was sent to Seagoville. 

In fact, two of Josh’s siblings recently moved out of the compound that has served and still currently serves as a home for myriad family members. This normally would simply be interesting from an escaping the nest standpoint, but in this case the rumor mill is hedging that Josh’s siblings have exited home all because of Anna. 

Per a report over at Without A Crystal Ball, things have not been so copacetic at the Duggar family compound since Anna has been around. Calling them the "lost boys," Katie Joy noted there's been "growing tension" with Anna, who believes her husband is innocent of having viewed the child abuse material. Or as an insider told her:

In fact, apparently there have been dust ups between some of the other siblings and Anna, with the YouTube outlet noting 'mainly his sisters' being a source of the reported conflict within the Duggar compound. Previous reports have also mentioned tensions between Jim Bob, Michelle and Anna. However, now it seems those tensions may be why Jason and James Duggar sought to move from home. 

What Jason And Other Siblings Have Said About Josh's Verdict

While some of the Counting On siblings and other family members shared statements after the verdict came down, not all of them have spoken out. It's worth noting Jason was one of the siblings who spoke out in a less vague manner after the verdict came in, calling it “fair” then stating: 

Despite these words he also said he would continue to love his brother. Other Duggar sibling Jill Duggar Dillard notably shared a statement about her feelings, noting her brothers’ actions had a ripple effect and that the trial itself felt like “a funeral.” 

James and Jason also reposted some of their siblings' statements after the verdict came out. 

Given Josh's past history with some of his sisters, including Jill, opening up about the molestation report that had previously ended 19 Kids and Counting, it is unsurprising some of his siblings would have also shared thoughts about the child abuse material. Regardless, since some siblings have been quiet on the matter, some insiders are calling it a "house divided." And Anna Duggar may be squarely in the middle of that alleged conflict. 

Of course, both Jason (22) and James (21) are in their early twenties. Now could simply be a convenient time for them to leave the nest and embark on their adult lives. Or two things could always be true at once. We'll keep you updated if more clear cut information related to this story breaks.

The Duggar clan has been in the news quite a lot in recent months, namely due to Josh Duggar’s trial leading to frequent new reports about the imprisoned former reality TV star. However, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s family includes 19 children and counts a long list of grandchildren to boot. That list got a little longer recently, and this week Jill and her husband Derick Dillard shared the adorable first photo of their newborn. 

In the post, the parents of three, shared a first look at their little tyke, which also marks the family’s big return to Instagram. In the post, Jill reveals the little boy is named Frederick and they chose the name because it is very similar to her husband Derick’s. You know, just with an “Fre” tacked on to the front. See the cutie, below. 

Those hand mittens though! Meanwhile, dad Derick Dillard shared the same post to his social media and the family as a whole shared an update to their blog. 

In it, the family also wrote about the pregnancy shoot after the baby was born. They gave an update on calling the baby Freddy, though his full name is “Freddy” Frederick Michael Dillard, noting that he was born the day before their other kid Samuel’s birthday. His birth means the family has “expanded” their “boy tribe.” Per the announcement:  

Jill and Derick Dillard were married back in 2014 and have welcomed three boys now in the time since. Their son Israel was born April 6, 2015 and their son Samuel was born July 8, 2017. Frederick is their rainbow baby, born July 7, 2022.

The couple had been on hiatus for about the last six weeks as they welcomed the little tyke into the world. The first look photo is especially poignant given Jill suffered a miscarriage in 2021 early in her pregnancy. They shared their candid journey with that situation on the family blog, and were elated when they found out they were pregnant again. 

Her last post, in fact, was also about preparing for baby Frederick. 

This has been a period of good news for the Duggar family after months of hearing both about Josh Duggar’s trial and subsequent guilty verdict, as well as a separate lawsuit some of the Duggar women, Jill included, had filed over the molestation report that went public thanks after In Touch used the Freedom of Information act to obtain the report. Jill had been vocal when that lawsuit was dropped back in February.

The couple has also been vocal about Duggar family issues, including feeling like they couldn’t make baby announcements when they wanted to during their time o reality TV, which ended before Counting On was cancelled following eldest son Josh Duggar's arrest in April of 2021. Thankfully, after leaving that series, this no longer seems to be a problem. 

This week, news broke that Josh Duggar will be spending 151 months in prison without the possibility of parole, following his trial on child pornography charges in Arkansas in late 2021. The eldest Duggar sibling will also deal with restrictions in the 20 years following his prison release. Outside of his sentencing, his family is coming to terms with what the judge decided and how the case as a whole panned out and the likes of Jill Duggar Dillard, Amy Duggar King and Jason Duggar all have had varying reactions to what happened. 

If you are up on Jill and her husband Derick Dillard, you may already know the two have been mostly estranged from certain family members and have spoken out about issues with Jim Bob Duggar and how they were paid for work on Counting On in the past. Yet, they’ve still been keeping tabs on what’s going on in the Duggar fold and are still emotionally tied to the events happening with Josh Duggar, writing: 

One important thing to note is that Josh Duggar has not acknowledged a role in any of the charges that have been levied against him. Duggar pled "not guilty" in court and his defensive legal team tried to argue that another person may have been the one to access the computer that had the child pornography downloaded onto it at the car dealership. Even back in 2015 when the Ashley Madison cheating scandal and molestation report rocked the Duggar family, Josh allegedly showed “no remorse” about the situation he’d put himself and his family in. 

Jill and Derick Dillard also noted in the message on their family’s site that  it’s “unfortunate” that it will take a prison tenure for “Josh to have any potential for rehabilitation.” 

Outside of the Dillards, cousin Amy Duggar King has been open about her feelings related to Josh Duggar in the past and  tweeted several times on the day of Josh Duggar’s sentencing. She has been clear with her messaging, telling The Sun she had reached out to Josh’s wife Anna and had not heard back, even reportedly offering a place to stay to their seven children. She also told the outlet that she is confident in the former reality star’s guilt.

She wasn’t the last Duggar clan member to speak out, but Josh Duggar’s sibling Jason spoke of forgiveness in his own post, sharing on Instagram Stories:

Jason also addressed in his post that he hopes the prison sentence will inspire “a true change” in Josh Duggar’s life. Meanwhile, Judge Timothy L. Brooks did recommend a prison with a rehabilitation program in Texas, though a second prison in Arkansas may also be on the table. 

Patriarch Jim Bob Duggar and Anna Duggar, who were both present at Josh’s sentencing, have not yet commented on the ultimate verdict. Jim Bob and Michelle previously wrote a statement after Josh was convicted late last year. 

Over the last few months, several Duggar-related cases were working their way through the court system. The first was Josh Duggar’s child pornography case, in which Duggar was found guilty and sentencing is expected in April. A second misdemeanor regarding Jana Duggar also briefly made news. Amidst this, four of the Duggar sisters were also embroiled in an ongoing lawsuit related to the infamous Josh Duggar molestation report. That is until this week, when U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks dismissed the suit. Now one Duggar sister, Jill, has spoken out. 

Jill Duggar Dillard did not hold back in her assessment of what happened with the lawsuit after an incident in 2015 when In Touch used the Freedom of Information Act in order to obtain records the famous Arkansas-based family thought had been sealed. The release of these reports led to 19 Kids and Counting getting cancelled and while a new show, Counting On, was later commissioned without Josh, the four Duggar sisters who were victims sued in 2017 over what had happened. This week, they lost their suit.

Jill Duggar Dillard took to the family blog she shares with her husband Derick in order to share her thoughts on the matter. She said the family feels “vindicated” in that the Judge “recognized the law was clear and the records should never be released,” but she does not seem to be particularly happy about the outcome, given that a federal judge ultimately opted to dismiss the case and stated that those the four sisters had been suing were "immune" from any sort of liability regarding what happened. 

Jill Duggar had left the TLC family and Counting On even before it was cancelled in the wake of Josh Duggar’s child pornography-related arrest, and she has been open in the past about her feelings on more topics than many of the other Duggars. This includes everything from why she’s OK drinking alcohol now to wearing pants and yes, even getting honest about why she left the TLC show. So it’s not super surprising that she might comment on the matter, though she is vociferous in her post. 

Meanwhile, it was expected that we would be hearing about the Duggar lawsuit this month. Jill Duggar Dillard, Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, Jessa Duggar Seewald, and Jinger Duggar Vuolo were previously set for a conference on February 10 that could determine the outcome of the case. If the verdict had not come down this week, a trial date had been scheduled for April 18, 2022.

The Duggar sisters had sued both individuals and the city of Springdale, saying they were victims of abuse and the report had affected their lives and livelihoods. From what Jill herself quoted from the hearing, the judge agreed the report should not have been released, calling the defendants on the case "grossly negligent," but this wasn't enough to bring the lawsuit to trial as it the Judge did not believe any sort of distress was intended. Duggar brother Josh also previously unsuccessfully sued over the release of the report prior to his more recent legal troubles.

While Josh Duggar’s child pornography trial and conviction really dominated the news over the last several months, there’s actually been another Duggar case that’s been in the works since 2017. That would be a lawsuit filed by several of the Duggar sisters over the release of the molestation report that ended 19 Kids and Counting. Now we know when Jessa, Jill, Jinger and Joy-Anna may ultimately settle the suit. 

Back in 2017, the four Duggar siblings filed a lawsuit against varying factions over the release of the molestation report that revealed that Josh Duggar had touched several young women, including a few of his sisters, years before the report’s release. The report had been released to In Touch magazine in 2015 as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, despite the family believing the records had been sealed. It wasn’t just the sisters who sued; Josh Duggar had previously filed his own lawsuit, which ultimately did not go forward. He later also lost an appeal. To note though, the Duggar sisters are suing based on the argument they were victims of the abuse and the impact the release of the report had on their lives and careers. 

When The Duggar Lawsuit Could Be Settled

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the lawsuit filed by the young women against the city of Springdale and various others, you may already know that a trial was actually scheduled to happen during the same week that Josh Duggar’s infamous trial was being held. Due to the related conflict, ultimately the Duggar sisters’ case was postponed and has not moved forward yet. But there is reason to believe it may not actually go to trial at all. 

In fact, according to a report from the local Fox affiliate KNWA a conference has been called on February 10 that could determine the outcome of the lawsuit. That conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. that day and a “settlement statement” is due on the matter at least one week prior to the aforementioned date and time. Magistrate Judge Christy D. Comstock will oversee the conference, and if all goes well, that could be the end of things.

So, What Happens If No Settlement Occurs In The Lawsuit Related To The Child Molestation Report? 

If efforts to come to an agreement over a settlement fail during the course of the February 10 conference, the lawsuit will be going to trial. That date has already been rescheduled after being shifted in late 2021 to April 18, 2022. There’s a separate due date on April 4, 2022 in which “exhibit lists” and “final witnesses” would be due. 

The four Duggar sisters were originally suing a longer list of defendants, but six of the defendants on the initial suit were previously removed. Now, Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth are only suing the City of Springdale, Washington County, Kathy O’Kelley, Rick Hoyt, Steve Zega, and Ernest Cate over “invasion of privacy,” among other allegations. 

It is worth noting that the release of the report in 2015 led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting on TLC. The network soon after chose to put the Duggar ladies back on television via a spinoff Jill And Jessa: Counting On, which later simply became known as Counting On. That spinoff would also be cancelled by TLC after news broke that Josh Duggar had been arrested on child pornography charges, though he had not appeared in the spinoff series. 

Josh Duggar was found guilty on both counts of receiving and possessing child pornography, though his sentencing is not expected to come down until at least April of this year, which is around the time this other trial could be getting into full swing. That is, if it makes it past the settlement portion, of course. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as the specifics of the suit play out. 

There’s been a lot of legal stuff going on with the Duggar clan of late. The most notable of these was Josh Duggar’s trial and subsequent conviction on child pornography charges. Other Duggar sister Jana is also dealing with a minor legal incident and her famous sisters Jinger, Joy-Anna, Jessa and Jill are also embroiled in a lawsuit of their own. The latter was supposed to go to court the same week as Josh Duggar’s trial, but has officially been delayed. 

Reports this week indicate that that a lawsuit the reality stars had initiated against varying parties, including the city of Springdale, Arkansas, had been scheduled to begin before the New Year. The trial date related to the suit had been scheduled for December 9, 2021. However, those of you who followed the Josh Duggar trial may already know that while his stint in court began the week of November 21, it ran through December 9. Many Duggar family members were present in the courtroom during that trial. 

The sisters' trial was ultimately delayed, with a potential settlement to be conferred on February 18, according to a report over at The Sun. If the trial moves forward, the new court date will be April 18, 2022, with a pre-trial conference set a little earlier in the schedule on April 11. The trial itself is expected to last 7 days.

Interestingly, a source close to the situation reported to the outlet that the trial had been delayed and that the delay could very well have ramifications for the Duggar sisters’ own suit. To understand how one could impact the other, you need the background on the Duggar sisters’ suit. The gist is Joy-Anna Forsyth, Jessa Seewald, Jill Dillard, and Jinger Vuolo are suing the city of Springdale, varying police officers and others over a molestation report that was released to In Touch back in 2015 and led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting, in which Josh prominently appeared. 

The molestation report was released to the outlet as part of a Freedom of Information Act request and detailed how Josh Duggar had molested several young women when he was still a minor, including four of his sisters. No charges had ever been filed in the case, but the molestation report came up as a topic of interest in Josh Duggar’s recent child pornography case as well. 

To also note, a similar suit Josh Duggar had previously filed was dropped, yet the lawsuit from the four Duggar sisters was noted to be different because they were victims in the case, and had filed around the idea that after the report came to light it put them in the spotlight in an unwarranted way, and caused major distress as well as ramifications to their careers. In fact, 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled after the report broke (though a second series without Josh, Counting On, was later commissioned). 

Now, per the source at The Sun, the outcome of the eldest Duggar brother’s trial may have ramifications in this suit. They noted: 

The source was not named, and the comment is based on speculation that Duggar's conviction could impact the other case. However, given the molestation report was a talking point when it came to what would be and would not be incorporated into the child pornography trial, it is interesting how the Josh Duggar court case and the Duggar sisters’ case came to be interwoven in some ways all these years later. The Duggar sisters’ lawsuit was filed in 2017.

The trial of former TLC star Josh Duggar began after multiple attempts by his legal team to delay the proceedings, and the jury didn’t deliberate long before making its verdict of guilty. Duggar was found guilty of both the charges he was facing: receiving child pornography and possessing child pornography. After the news of the conviction, members of his famous family released statements, including parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar as well as sister Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband. 

Josh Duggar was arrested back in late April 2021 and charged with the two counts of child pornography, for which he faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000 each. He hasn’t been officially sentenced yet to decide his fate and whether his sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively. His parents took to the Duggar family website with a statement about the guilty verdict:

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s statement mentions CSAM (child sexual abuse materials) in their description of the “entire ordeal” of their son’s trial. The comment that they plan to stick by Anna Duggar and her children with Josh is undoubtedly good news for that corner of the large Duggar family, as she recently gave birth to their seventh child. They make it clear that they still love their son, and are relying on their faith. 

Jill Duggar Dillard and husband Derick Dillard released a longer statement on their own website, noting that Josh Duggar’s guilty verdict was “difficult for our family,” and expressed that they are “thankful for the hard work of law enforcement, including investigators, forensic analysts, prosecutors, and all others involved who save kids and hold accountable those responsible for their abuse.” The statement notes that no person “is above the law” no matter their status, and cited a Bible verse about their Christian belief in equality. 

Their statement also commented on the reports that members of the large Duggar family actually attended parts of Josh Duggar’s trial, saying that they “wanted to hear the evidence for ourselves in court” after being lied to, and now they “believe that the jury reached a just verdict” that is “the truth beyond a reasonable doubt.” The statement closed by addressing the future for Anna Duggar and the family as a whole:

Jill Duggar Dillard didn't have much of a presence on any of the TLC shows in recent years before the cancellations, having made the decision to leave that life behind. She and her husband didn’t mince words in addressing the case against her oldest brother and the guilty verdict. Only time will tell if more members of the family release statements about the results of the trial.

The guilty verdict isn’t the end of Josh Duggar’s case, as sentencing still remains. If his sentences for the two counts of child pornography are served concurrently, then he could be out of prison much sooner than if his sentences are served consecutively. 

Josh Duggar is currently awaiting trial following an investigation and his subsequent arrest on child pornography charges. However, years before this a report broke that mentioned as a teenager he had molested five young women, including some of his sisters. That report led to the cancellation of 19 Kids and Counting and put some of the Duggar siblings in the limelight in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, according to a lawsuit several of the Duggar sisters have filed. In fact, separate from the stuff going on with Josh, Jill and Jessa, along with several other siblings, have sued the city of Springdale, Arkansas and now the city has fired back with its own claim.

When last we heard about the lawsuit related to the molestation report, we learned that Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth were finally expected to have their day in court on December 9, 2021. As part of that lawsuit, however, there have been some changes in recent months, with certain parties initially listed on the lawsuit being removed (six in total) and more.

Now, the city of Springdale, which is still cited on the lawsuit filed by the Duggar sisters, has responded to the original 2017 suit. It it, the defendants allege that Josh Duggar had been placed on a sex offender registry prior to the molestation report’s release in 2015. The document notes:

The paperwork was filed at the tail end of last month. That response indicates the city of Springdale and the remaining defendants on the lawsuit feel that the release of the molestation reports was not major news or an invasion of privacy rights given that Josh Duggar allegedly had already been on a sex offender registry before the report broke.

Per a report over at The Guardian, Josh Duggar is not currently on the Arkansas sex offender registry and it’s unclear if he ever was, despite the filed paperwork. The Springdale defendents have also filed a subpoena with the Department of Human Services hoping to prove that Josh Duggar’s alleged sex offender status was known before the now-infamous report was released following the retrieval of the report via the Freedom of Information Act. They have not been able to obtain that information so far, but the defendants have also argued they have a right to the documents, noting,

The original report was released by InTouch back in 2015. It detailed how authorities were privy to Josh Duggar. Because those who were spoken to and named in the report, including the victims, were underage at the time, the lawsuit from the Duggar sisters has hinged on the release of those names and that information. The lawsuit states that they spoke on the record only after being promised their names would be kept private, which ultimately did not happen. The siblings have also claimed the release of the 2006 report has caused them “emotional distress.”

In fact, Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard later ultimately opted to address what had happened with Megyn Kelly after the report broke and all of the information rolled around. Eventually, the Duggar sisters were able to pick up where they left off in their reality careers with Counting On (a series Jill eventually left), but the lawsuit was filed in 2017 and has been ongoing since.

Meanwhile, Josh Duggar is preparing for his own trial, which is also expected to happen toward the end of this year. He was arrested back in the spring on two charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. His legal team more recently successfully pushed back the trial date to the late fall. It is now expected to kick off on November 30th of this year.

When Counting On was cancelled just a few days ago, the Duggar clan was, for the most part, not super vocal about the TLC decision after 11 seasons on the air. Jinger Duggar did speak out, and the clan’s famous parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar eventually crafted their own statement, but Jill and Derrick Dillard remained strangely silent, a choice I found to be a little odd after all of their outspoken comments against the Duggars in recent years. Now, finally, they’ve decided to speak up, but I’m still surprised it didn’t happen sooner.

How Jill And Derick Dillard Finally Responded To The Cancellation News

If you know anything about Jill and Derick Dillard it’s that the couple was actually a part of Counting On when it first hit the airwaves. However, Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar’s relationship with Jim Bob in particular soured during their time on the show and they ultimately left Counting On in 2017. Now, days after Counting On was cancelled by TLC, the family has shared their thoughts regarding their experience on the reality series one more time.

The “pressures” and “unexpected challenges” Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillar are speaking on here have been heavily detailed and have been detailed repeatedly before. Derrick, in particular, has aggressively stated his case for why the couple is somewhat estranged from her family and his in-laws.

I’d go so far as to call it a feud, albeit a one-sided one, as Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle have largely been absent from the actual conversation. Derrick Dillard, on the other hand, has called out the famous matriarch and patriarch for “false narratives” and has also alleged Jim Bob will “attack the victims if they threaten his show.” In the time since, Jill and Derick Dillard said

Their main feelings on the cancellation news? “Better Late Than Never.” But given how they have responded in the past, the response here was pretty late. I would have guessed they would have jumped at the chance to comment on the downfall of Counting On, which effectively ends the Duggar family reality empire. Some of the Duggars have already started side hustles on YouTube, or in one case, selling clothing on Poshmark.

Why Were Jill And Derick Dillard So Late To Respond To TLC’s Counting On Cancellation?

Well, according to the former reality couple, they weren’t given any advance notice on the cancellation. Couple that with the fact they are the busy parents of two boys and the response, according to them, just wan't a huge priority. (Particularly when there were Fourth of July celebrations to plan!)

Given just a few months ago, Jill Duggar Dillard said there’s “still drama” with her family, I would have imagined they would have been bursting to speak out. This is particularly true given Derick Dillard has been one to shoot from the hip with comments in the past. However, Counting On got cancelled amidst a slew of sensitive topics for the family, including Josh Duggar getting arrested on multiple charges related to child pornography after his family (and Jill)-related molestation report from years ago.This time, it seems they opted to avoid adding any fuel to the fire and to go their own way. The two have, after all, been away from the show for awhile, and have been in therapy to boot.

It’s been a few weeks since Josh Duggar was arrested by federal agents in Arkansas and was charged with one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Meanwhile, it’s not the only ongoing legal issue the Duggars are involved in. In fact, there’s a second court case tied to Josh Duggar that his sisters are currently embroiled in, though theirs has to do with the molestation report that came out a few years back.

Following the release of the report in 2015, four of the Duggar sisters, Jessa Duggar Seewald, Jill Duggar Dillard, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Joy-Anna Duggar Forsyth, filed a lawsuit in Fayetteville, Arkansas alleging that reports they had made as children about molestation related to Josh Duggar were supposed to be protected and not released to the public. Two years later, six of the defendants were removed from the lawsuit, leaving the current defendants on the case which include the City of Springdale, Washington County, Kathy O’Kelley, Rick Hoyt, Steve Zega, and Ernest Cate.

Though the lawsuit was filed four years ago, it is coming to the forefront again because a new trial date has been set. Originally expected to head to court in September of 2021, the Duggar sisters’ molestation case will now go to trial on December 9, 2021. According to KSN, the defendants previously filed paperwork asking to dismiss the suit with and without prejudice. Those claims were dismissed and the case will be moving forward.

After the news broke in 2015, a slew of things happened. Advertisers dropped 19 Kids and Counting which led to its cancellation and a pivot to a new series Counting On, which didn’t feature Josh Duggar. Jessa Seewald and Jill Dillard also ultimately spoke to Megyn Kelly about what happened on an episode of The Kelly File. Jessa memorably spoke about how she wasn’t justifying Josh’s actions noting he “made some bad choices.” Jill said she was sleeping and was “sad” and “shocked” to find out what had happened, but that for "truth's sake" they "wanted to set the record straight."

Josh Duggar has also been fighting in the court system related to the molestation reveal, arguing similarly that the records were from when he was a juvenile and came out only after a Freedom of Information Act request. That police report was published by In Touch in 2015 based on reports that had been taken by police during an investigation in 2006 alleging that Duggar had molested five individuals, including members of his own family. The reports had been taken when Josh Duggar was a teenager and had younger sisters in his household. In 2020, however, the Duggar son lost an appeal in 2020 related to that case.

Meanwhile, the former reality star has made headlines for plenty of other reasons in the time since. He was outed as an alleged user of the cheating website Ashley Madison and subsequently resigned from his position at the Family Research Council. He later got a job at a car dealership, which is allegedly where he was at when federal agents reportedly found child pornography on a work computer. Josh Duggar is out on bail but will face those charges in his own court trial, which is expected to happen in July.

The Duggar family has had a presence on TLC going back to 2008 thanks to 19 Kids and Counting and then the follow-up spinoff Counting On, but not all of the Duggar kids have stuck around. Jill Duggar Dillard and husband Derick Dillard left the show and started pursuing their own goals, and although the reasons were never fully addressed on Counting On, Jill has finally shared her blunt thoughts on why she made her departure and continues to distance herself from her family.

Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillard were prominent in 19 Kids and Counting and continued their reality TV stint on Counting On during its early seasons on TLC, but both left the show and network back in 2017, and Jill has made some public choices that definitely haven't happened with any of the Duggars who stuck around. Jill explained why they made the decision to leave, telling People:

Although Jill Duggar Dillard didn't specify what the "certain job" was that they were working towards, Derick Dillard is currently in his final year of law school. Derick stated that they "spent time and money working towards opportunities" in the first few years of their marriage, only to be told they weren't allowed to follow through.

In the years since Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillard left TLC, they've made a lot of changes. Jill has been spotted wearing pants instead of the traditional skirts and dresses of the women in the Duggar family, although she was clear that her decision wasn't "reactionary." She chooses to drink alcohol now, and she's even modeling swimwear. Modest swimwear, but it's still swimwear!

Jill Duggar Dillard went on to share how the Duggar family and TLC reacted to the news that she and Derick Dillard would be leaving reality TV behind:

These comments were surprisingly blunt coming from Jill Duggar Dillard, but they're nothing compared to some of what Derick Dillard has said about the Duggar patriarch, Jim Bob. In a series of Instagram comments, Derick alleged that he and Jill were "humiliated and threatened" when they attempted to no longer film for TLC, and the reason they were able to quit was that some of the other Duggars got married.

That said, Derick Dillard also gave hope to fans who want to see him and Jill Duggar Dillard back on Counting On, saying that "maybe" they would return someday. For their part, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar acknowledged in a statement the "differences of opinion and perspective," but it's their prayer that the "relationship is healed and fully restored quickly."

For now, Counting On is carrying on without the Dillards on TLC. The family is still expanding, as the Duggars who were the kids of 19 Kids and Counting start families of their own, so there is always plenty going on even without Jill and Derick.

If you're in the mood for a blast from the Duggar past, the first three seasons of Counting On are available streaming on Hulu. For some options not featuring any of the expansive Duggar family, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule.

Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick Dillard may no longer be stars on TLC’s Counting On, but they are counting on YouTube revenue. The couple recently created an account on the social media platform to share parts of their daily lives as well as answer fan questions. Given drama between the Dillards and Duggar patriarch Jim Bob, friction has been rumored with the family for a while, but now Jill and Derick are touching on what’s going on a little more.

In a brand new Q&A, Jill and Derick Dillard talked quitting Counting On. They also finally admitted that there is definitely distance between the Duggars and the Dillards and they are not talking about the social distancing kind.

However, Derick Dillard is and has been quick to point out that they do show up for major family events and are not out of the family loop entirely. Everyone involved seems to be trying to some extent, though the Dillards mention if people aren’t seeing them at big events on Counting On – things like weddings or funerals or major family get togethers – that’s most likely because they are being cut out of the show. Which makes sense, given they quit the series altogether.

It’s been rumored that Jill and Derick Dillard had “distanced” themselves from the rest of the Duggar clan for a while. This grew to be more of a talking point for the fanbase after Derick had addressed some of the rumors related to he and his wife’s alleged issues with the show earlier in 2020. Derick has been more blunt about the drama with Jim Bob and the Duggar clan, saying his family felt attacked when they tried to leave the show and using a bunch of adjectives such as "humiliated" to describe his experience on Counting On. He says less in the new Q&A, but is it a huge shock that drama on a reality series can sometimes bleed into real-life familial relations?

The couple had previously said that it was possible they could eventually return to the world of Counting On, but clearly this video stresses that if they were to rejoin it would need to be on their own terms. Given the distance between Jill and Derick Dillard and her family right now, I would not count any of those chickens before they hatch.

Meanwhile, Counting On is continuing its run on TLC with a lot of the other Duggar clan attached. These days, Jana, John and Abbie Duggar, Jessa and Ben Seewold, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo, Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth, Joe and Kendra Duggar, and Josiah and Lauren Duggar are still on board, with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Josh’s wife Anna and a slew of kids also appearing. On the other hand, the rumor mill has indicated that Jill and Derick may be looking to travel abroad again, which may square with some of the reasons there were issues with Counting On to begin with.

Season 11 of the TLC series recently wrapped, but we’ll keep you posted when the network announces (likely) Season 12. For now, check out what’s headed to TV with our fall premiere schedule.

The Duggar girls are all grown up and following Fleetwood Mac’s mantra to “go your own way.” In that case that means occasionally imbibing alcohol and even wearing swimwear and pants, something the Counting On stars would never have done during their 19 Kids and Counting days. Now, former TLC star Jill Duggar is explaining why she believes pants are completely acceptable women’s wear.

After the Dillard family quit TLC’s Counting On they’ve more recently created their own YouTube page that gets into their kids’ lives, Q&A’s and more. Recently, a fan asked about the skirt versus pants debate, to which Jill’s husband Derick Dillard quipped to his wife, “I think this is a question for you.” Gamely, Jill Duggar Dillard answered that some of the rules she used to follow now feel like more “optional preference” things, noting,

Jill Duggar was also asked about famously cutting her hair (it’s still long), but said she ultimately chopped some of it off because it was “so heavy” and was giving her “headaches.” She also mentioned she’s a person who hates “confrontation,” so doing things like wearing pants and getting a nose ring didn’t feel like real options to her until Derick Dillard encouraged her to branch out and live her own life.

Jill and Derick are fairly casual dressers as a family. They wear lots of denim and cotton fabrics, and even the dresses Jill sports are definitely of the comfortable variety. Still, though it’s becoming more common to see Jill in pants and jeans, fashion statements like ripped knees are still a far cry from the skirts of yesteryear that used to fall past her knees.

Jilly Duggar isn’t the only Duggar daughter who is choosing to wear pants these days. Jill's sister Jessa Duggar Seewald has also been posting footage to YouTube about DIY projects and more. In some of that footage she too has been wearing pants, a choice that never would have happened in the past. While Jill credits leaving Counting On for giving her the freedom to wear pants, Jessa is still on Counting On and feels pants are OK, at least during certain moments and activities.

Other Duggars have been seen wearing pants more recently, too. Even the grandaughters are wearing pants, now, so this may be one former Duggar "rule" that is finally going by the wayside. Counting On has been airing Season 11 through the summer, but we'll keep you updated if TLC starts talking Season 12.

Jill Duggar Dillard has spent a lot of her life on camera as part of one of reality television’s most prominent families thanks to TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. She and her husband, Derick Dillard, left TLC’s spinoff Counting On, which features the younger generation of Duggars as they grow their families. Just because she is off the show has not kept Jill from opening up about why she chooses to drink alcohol.

The decision sent some shockwaves through the Duggar family’s fandom as Jill Duggar Dillard shared that she had drunk an alcoholic piña colada. It is a decision that some found surprising considering the Duggars’ conservative upbringing. Fast forward a bit and Jill is clarifying her decision to drink alcohol with her husband, telling People:

Jill Duggar Dillard wants to clarify that she and her husband are not drinking to the point of drunkenness, which is a choice that might not stir up any more Duggar family drama. Jill indicates they are imbibing in alcohol to chill out a bit and relax. She also shared that she wants to set a good example for their young kids.

Of course, Jill Duggar Dillard also knows that she will have her share of critics, including those from her family. The Duggars are used to dealing with detractors, as some members took heat over how they went about social distancing. In terms of keeping her distance from alcohol, Jill has not forgotten how she was raised in approaching it, sharing:

Jill Duggar Dillard shared that her parents will probably be unhappy with her decision to drink alcohol. It is an interesting comment considering the drama that has unfolded between Derick Dillard and Jim Bob Duggar. Derick and Jill eventually left Counting On to live outside of the shadow of the reality series.

The alcohol update from Jill Duggar Dillard comes not too long after her husband did not shut down the possibility of their family returning to Counting On. Fans of the TLC series will have to wait and see if anything happens on that front. The Duggars have remained a fixture of interest for over a decade at this point.

Viewers have been privy to many of their milestone moments, from the joyous occasions of welcoming new children to the surprising choice to start modeling swimwear. Jill Duggar Dillard made that particular move with some modest choices. For a family that has shared so much, Jill’s decision to go public about drinking alcohol is a step in staying open with people.

While you wait to see Jill Duggar Dillard’s siblings in the next episode of Counting On, check out this fall’s premieres.

There’s always a lot going on with the Duggar clan given the sheer number of Duggars who are known in pop culture, but one of the stories that has been a bigger deal this year has been the reported feud between Jim Bob Duggar and his son-in-law Derick Dillard. The latter has been open about a lot of the issues between his family and the Duggar patriarch, who has remained rather mum on the topic himself. But could Derick and Jill Duggar ever actually return to Counting On?

If you had asked me a short time, ago I would have hedged my bets on a definite “no” answer, but in a recent exchange with a fan, it seems like Derick Dillard at least holds some hope that the relationship between himself and Jim Bob could be repaired down the line. Or at least be repaired enough to warrant a return to Counting On.

When a fan asked whether or not Derick and Jill, who did appear in early seasons of Counting On, could make their return, Derick was noncommittal, but more positive about the potential prospect than you’d probably guess.

Of course, he could just be being polite. Or he could still deep down want to be a part of Counting On. Derick Dillard previously said that the rumors that he and Jill don’t want to be around Jim Bob, Michelle and the other Duggars are not true, which seems to be evidenced by the fact that Jill is sometimes still seen in social media posts with her sisters. But that also doesn't necessarily mean they are champing at the bit to be reality stars again.

In fact, he has said that Jim Bob controlled pretty much every aspect of Counting On when the Dillards were still on that series. This led to conflict and led to Jill and Derick Dillard leaving the series back in 2017. Per Derick, the controlling nature of being on the reality series was just too much for their little family, so they left.

Derick Dillard has also said that since they have kids and have moved on it’s been “more OK” that they quit Counting On and have been able to focus on their family in the time since. Then again, he’s also said he’s considered doing his own sort of reality livestream and he and Jill have a YouTube page, so there is definitely some interest in still remaining a reality personality, whether or not that is through Counting On.

It was only a few months ago that TLC even finally revealed the Duggars would be back for Season 11 of Counting On on the network. The new episodes had been rumored for a while, but when we finally got word they were in the pipeline Derick and Jill were not mentioned as being a part of the Season 11 cast. So even if amends are made, and that’s an if, I’m guessing it would be some time before we could see the Dillard family on the small screen again.

Meanwhile, there’s still a lot going on in Duggar world. Jessa Duggar Seewald recently had to debunk a pregnancy rumor, while Lauren Duggar opened up about her painful labor. There’s always a lot going on with this clan. Meanwhile, Jill this week shared the first look at her son Israel heading to school.

You guys? It's totally still summer! And, while many public pools are not and will not be open for the remainder of the season, I know that many of you are either a) blessed with pools in your own personal backyards or b) splashing around in the spray from your garden hose every now and then, just so you can pretend that this is a normal as pie summertime season. With all that neighborhood semi-nudity, you might have actually been thinking about practicing a bit more modesty, knowing, as you do, that those nosy folks next door are likely to part the hedges and take a peek should they hear splashy, water-based funtimes occurring. Well, the Duggar family's Jill Dillard has just the non-skimpy bikini thing for you!

For many people, getting a new swimsuit at the start of pool season is one of the...OK, I was going to say "joys of the season," but everyone knows shopping for swim attire is terrible and demoralizing, so let's just call this shopping spree one of the things people do which signals the start of summer. If you've avoided doing that so far in 2020, no one would be at all shocked, but Jill Dillard is here to let you know that you don't have to go without a brand new swim kit this year, as long as you're not looking to show off all your various parts.

That's right, folks! Jill Dillard is modeling modest swimsuits now, and took to her Instagram page to show off some of the looks:

Hmmmm...Alright. As someone who largely avoids bodies of water bigger than a bathtub, and who has never understood how walking around in our underwear is inappropriate, but as soon as that underwear is made with swim-ready materials it's A-OK, I have to admit: I ain't mad at a swim legging. While I was afraid, at first, that Dillard was going to waste this post on multiple views of one outfit, she switched up the swim tee and swim skirt look just enough to show us that we can look cute and water ready without all of our assets catching the sun.

As you can see from the looks Jill Dillard tried on in her promotional post, there are some cute prints and styles for those of us who like to get wet (apologies) out of doors but would still like to be able to jump into or out of a pool / lake / ocean without any worries of a boob, butt cheek or, egad, both jumping out of our swimsuit. Obviously, it makes total sense that Dillard would agree to model for a company like this, seeing as how she was raised to value modesty in dress with her devout Baptist upbringing, among other things, and still holds to that.

Having this modeling gig has probably helped to keep Jill Dillard busy during what's a troubling time, in general, and has likely helped to keep her mind off the brewing feud between her husband, Derick, and her dad, Jim Bob Duggar.

Dillard's husband has been speaking out this month about the level of control Duggar allegedly has over the family and Counting On, the TLC show that places more of the focus on the older of the Duggar siblings and their own families. While Dillard has seemingly stuck by her husband during all of this, she also hasn't spoken out directly and was possibly really happy to have something totally unrelated to post about.

At any rate, Jill Dillard looks pretty good in her swimwear model debut, so here's hoping that she and her family get to keep having some fun in the sun. You can watch Counting On on TLC, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST, but for more to watch, check out our guide to summer TV!

Jill Duggar has not personally spoken out about her feelings related to the ongoing reported feud between her husband Derick Dillard and her father Jim Bob Duggar. However, following some additional comments from Derick Dillard earlier this month, she’s spent some time focusing on her little family and a small circle of intimate friends.

Earlier in July, Derick Dillard spoke out again about patriarch Jim Bob Duggar’s alleged hold on the family, noting in a series of Instagram comments that the TLC series Counting On is still basically under Jim Bob’s full control. He told one fan that he and Jill were only able to leave once Jim Bob's focus was allegedly elsewhere, noting,

Derick Dillard also told a fan he had considered doing his own livestream while Counting On is airing. If he does that, he believes he can share the real tea regarding what is going on during each episode, rather than what TLC chooses to show the fans.

A short day later, Jill Duggar seemingly shared a little solidarity with her husband on Instagram Stories, noting he is her “favorite person” in a post about going to get lunch with her little family. Some have taken this as a slight against Jim Bob as Jill Duggar has continued to praise her husband even after he has repeatedly written out about her dad. However, it should be noted Jill Duggar has not specifically commented on these matters herself. In addition, Jim Bob and TLC have not commented on anything Dillard has alleged.

A few months ago, we heard that Jill’s time with her family had allegedly been limited by Jim Bob, at least according to Derick, who also said that he and Jill try to keep “healthy boundaries” with the Duggar clan. Of course this whole thing has been complicated by quarantine and later social distancing rules, but the gist seems to be that Jill is seeing less of her family, though prior to social distancing, she was still occasionally seen in images with her clan.

All families are complicated and the Duggar family is larger than most and has stricter rules. As adults some of the former members of 19 Kids and Counting have really gone on to do their own things, as happened when Jinger Vuolo moved with her family to the West Coast. There are some rumors that Derick Dillard and Jill will also be moving, as the Dillards are fond of misson work. Given the unrest in their family and in the world, now may be a good time for a change.

The entire world is on lockdown, but some of the Duggars seem to be taking it less seriously than others. While Jessa Duggar Seewald has seemingly been social distancing with her immediate family some of the other Duggar still seem to be getting together in the large groups they are used to.

In a now-deleted Instagram Stories post a group of Duggars, including Kendra Caldwell Duggar, Joseph’s wife, Lauren Swanson, Josiah’s wife, and some of their children. The video footage was quickly pulled from social media but not before some fans saw it and counted over a dozen people appearing in the video.

Some families across the country are still doing get-togethers, but the seemingly alarming thing about the now-deleted video is that there seemed to be at least 18 people in the room (via Hollywood Gossip). Recently, CDC guidelines have requested no mass gatherings and the magic number related to group gatherings has been 10.

Meanwhile, Jessa Duggar Seewald has been seen keeping her kids amused in their backyard with brand new playground equipment she put together herself, mentioning in an Instagram post that those who “can’t go to the playground” can “bring the playground to you.” (Although she did have to go out and get a new Allen wrench after her kids lost the one they had in their house.)

Jessa hasn’t specifically spoken out about the way her family is social distancing (unlike some other famous families), but she has several posts making it clear she’s spending time with her immediate family per the recommendations.

Meanwhile, Jill Duggar Dillard has more specifically shared her ideas about social distancing online, even using her social media as a resource for parents struggling at home with the kids.

She’s also been candid about date nights during quarantine, which likely hits home for a lot of us right now.

So, it’s not all bad news on the Duggar front. In fact, the Duggar family is very large and that complicates matters in respect to who should be seeing whom and when. However, the more people take social distancing seriously, the idea is the more the curve should flatten in regards to overwhelming healthcare workers.

There’s always plenty to talk about with the Duggar family, even when a new season of Counting On is not currently on TLC. We'll keep you posted regarding a potential upcoming Season 11.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jill Duggar Dillard and her partner Derick Dillard on the small screen. The former star of 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On left the latter series in 2017 and now her husband is opening up about rumors, Duggar Family Issues and that time they couldn’t even announce they were expecting a baby when they wanted to.

In a wide-ranging interview conducted over email with Without a Crystal Ball, Derick Dillard reportedly expressed there’s been a lot of misconception about his wife Jill Duggar Dillard leaving the reality TV realm. One example he gave specifically had to do with the rest of the Duggar family in particular, as the former reality star mentioned:

There’s been talk in the past of Jill and Derick Dillard being estranged from the rest of the Duggar clan, particularly in the tabloids. She’s barely ever around her family on social media. And her own personal posts have typically focused on her own immediate family, although there have been exceptions:

The Dillards live a little differently than Jill’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle. Like some of her other sisters, she can also be seen in pants a lot more often than she used to. Their son is also enrolled in public school, rather than being homeschooled.

Regardless, while Derick Dillard seemed to be wanting to put many of the online rumors to rest, he also said there was a big reason he and his wife ultimately left Counting On and the reality TV environment spearheaded by the Duggar clan, noting he and Jill were not really even in charge of their own lives. He reportedly wrote:

If that comment holds true, perhaps it is true of Joy-Anna's recent announcement as well. Ultimately, being on reality TV is a choice and it seems like a choice that Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillard made for themselves and their own personal well-being.

Meanwhile, Counting On is still popular on TLC. The previous season just wrapped, but there are rumors swirling that the show is gearing up for Season 11. We’ll keep you updated as news related to the famous family comes down the pipeline.

While it hasn't technically been all that long since the last time a controversy surrounded the Duggar family of 19 Kids and Counting fame, one assumes any amount of peace and headline avoidance is welcomed within the scandal-rocked clan. The quiet has ended for now, though, due to a huge lawsuit that four of the Duggar sisters have filed over the initial report about Josh Duggar's illicit behavior as a teen, and just about everyone under the sun is being targeted.

If you'll recall, the Duggar downfall began back in 2015 when an In Touch released the report about then-teenaged Josh having molested several underage females, with his sisters being part of that victim group. The ensuing controversy is what caused TLC to cancel 19 Kids and Counting, which had become the network's most successful program. Currently back on TLC with the ongoing Counting On, the sisters Jill, Jessa, Jinger and Joy filed their lawsuit against not only In Touch parent company Bauer Media and its various arms, but also the city of Springdale, Arkansas and the surrounding Washington County, Arkansas. Along with now-retired Springdale Police Chief Kathy O'Kelley, Washington Country sheriff's office Enforcement Major Rick Hoyt, and Springdale City Attorney Ernest Cate. And their foundation is that the magazine wrongfully played a part in identifying them as victims, even though their underage status at the time should have kept their names out of public knowledge.

Specifically, the lawsuit states that the Duggar sisters spoke with members of the Springdale PD back in 2006 concerning the investigating into Josh's actions, at which point they were all minors. They were promised at the time that they're statements would remain private, but when In Touch put forth its Freedom of Information Act request for the reports, the suit alleges that Kathy O'Kelley and Ernest Cate wrongfully determined it appropriate to share the incident report and other official information. And though In Touch doesn't identify any of the sisters by name, they claim that by still going to print with the names of parents Jim Bob and Michelle, that was just as clear as plainly stating the sisters' names.

Further, the Duggar sisters allege that the blowback from the highly publicized scandal has put them through much pain and suffering in their personal lives. The "sensationalized headlines" are seen as a way to draw out the public's opinions about it all, and after the sisters publicly forgave Josh for his past actions, they were apparently subjected to even more harsh treatment. Which is all piled on top of the fact that they're the victims of sexual assault.

It's hard to say just where this lawsuit will head in the future, as there are assuredly lots of eyeballs on it. (And not just those of the Duggar family.) While waiting to hear more about it all, check out our summer TV schedule to see what's coming to the small screen in the near future, such as Season 3 of TLC's advertiser-challenged Counting On.

For a long time 19 Kids and Counting was TLC’s biggest hit, bringing families into the lives of the large and intriguing Duggar family. However, after reports leaked that son Josh had molested several girls, including some of his sisters, when he was 14 years old, the network quickly sought to distance itself from the famous clan. That didn’t last long, though, and three specials were soon commissioned--just without Josh. Now, TLC is definitely back in bed with the Duggar clan and recently signed on for brand new series Jill and Jessa: Counting On. 

Counting On will follow Jill and Jessa and their ever expanding families. Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald currently have a very young baby, and TLC is banking on audiences finding the kid adorable. On Jill’s end, she and her husband, Derick Dillard also have a child and they are currently working as missionaries in Central America, which is pretty interesting. Obviously brother Josh seems to be missing from all of the upcoming footage, but his wife Anna will be around, as will a slew of other Duggar siblings, including Jana, Jinger, Joy Anna, John David, Josiah and Joseph Duggar. That's not all of the 19 kids, but it's quite a lot. 

Along with Josh being on the outs with TLC, familiar patriarch Jim Bob and mom Michelle seem to be off the network, as well. When the Josh scandal broke, it seemed as if Jim Bob and Michelle had potentially not helped the situation by getting information covered up and not getting Josh the proper care. When Jim Bob and Michelle found out was Josh was up to, reports indicate they withheld information from the authorities, instead choosing to send Josh to a Christian treatment camp. They later spoke with a police office who simply gave Josh a stern talking to. That officer, Jim Hutchens, is reportedly in jail on child pornography charges. 

Obviously, there is still interest in Jill and Jessa. The two young ladies were the subject of three specials that aired late last year that did well for the network. Thus, TLC is looking for ways to keep the franchise going even though 19 Kids and Counting doesn’t have the best reputation. 

You can check out the first trailer for the Counting On TV series, below. It gets into sisterhood, adoption, goofy moments and more. It also mentions that the year 2015 was tough on the entire Duggar clan, for obvious reasons. Expect the series to milk the after effects of what happened with Josh for all they are worth. 

Counting On is set to premiere on TLC in just a couple of weeks. You can catch new episodes starting on March 15 at 9 p.m. ET. 

While 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled by TLC following son Josh Duggar’s molestation scandal (and subsequent Ashley Madison scandal), the Duggar family was a hot property for the cable network. While we doubt the channel will ever touch Josh with a 10-foot pole, the network has revealed it is getting back into business with some of the Duggars. Next month, the channel will air three TLC specials related to Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald.

TLC announced over the weekend that the three-part special Jill and Jessa: Counting On will first hit the schedule on December 13, with subsequent episodes airing on December 20 and 27. The three-part special will mostly revolve around the two Duggar girls and their families. Earlier news related to the specials indicated that Jill is actually planning on doing mission work in El Salvador with her family in tow, so that should be interesting. And Jessa and her husband Ben just had a baby boy named Spurgeon, so we’ll get footage of their new little one, as well.

However, the issues the family has had with the Josh Duggar reveals are obviously the elephant in the room and TLC says the specials will also go into detail regarding the after-effects of the molestation scandal. In addition, Josh’s wife Anna Duggar is expected to speak out about her trying experience over the summer, so that should be interesting. If you haven’t kept up with the molestation secret that was revealed last spring, both Jessa and Jill have come forward to say their brother touched them inappropriately when he was in his teens. Anna Duggar was aware of the molestation problem when she married her husband, but it’s unclear to what extent (we’re also interested in how she feels about her husband being on Ashley Madison). Suffice to say she doesn't look pleased.

It's not just Anna who will address what is going on. The three young women all begin to address all that happened in the first preview for the specials.

It should really comes as no shock that TLC might want to shed even more light on the Duggar family and the issues they have faced for the last several months, considering the network is constantly looking for ways to get ratings. Obviously, Jill and Jessa have already spoken out about the incident that affected them in childhood, but TLC hasn’t really openly addressed the issue yet. And we certainly haven’t heard from Duggar. I wouldn’t be shocked if Jill and Jessa: Counting On earned significant ratings for the cable channel. And if those specials do well, it seems we probably have not heard the last from the Duggar clan, after all.

We’ll find out soon enough. Jilly and Jessa: Counting On will premiere on Sunday, December 13 at 8 p.m. ET. You can also check out what is coming up at midseason, with our winter TV premiere schedule.