Counting Out: Inside Jill Duggar's difficult relationship with her family and estranged dad Jim Bob Duggar
Exploring Jill Duggar's rocky relationship with her family and estranged father Jim Bob Duggar
Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, recently sat down for a candid interview with 'The Unplanned Podcast' and revealed that the last time they saw her father, Jim Bob Duggar, was more than a year ago. The complications between Jill and her famous parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, of '19 Kids and Counting' and 'Counting On' fame started when she and some of her sisters opened up about their experiences growing up in the strict Duggar family home.
March 2014
In March 2014, the four sisters, Jessa Duggar, Jinger Duggar, Jill Duggar, and Jana Duggar, opened up about their experience of growing up under the strict vigilance of their family, which first debuted on TV in 2008 with the show '17 Kids and Counting', later renamed to '19 Kids and Counting'. As per Us Weekly, in the book 'Growing Up Duggar' she wrote, "We can't conform ourselves to other people's molds. But we try sometimes, don't we?" before adding, "It's inevitable that human beings, particularly teenagers and especially teenage girls, go through times when they may try to remake themselves into something, or someone, they're not."
2015
As a whole, 2015 was a tumultuous year for the Duggar parents as their eldest son, Josh Duggar, was accused of inappropriate sexual conduct towards minors. Moreover, Jill and her sister, Jessa, opened up about being Josh's victims in an interview with Megyn Kelly. Subsequently, TLC put an end to '19 Kids and Counting' and introduced a spin-off 'Counting On' that initially focused on Jill and Jessa.
September 2020
Jill and her husband Derick, who left 'Counting On' in 2017, opened up about the reasons in a video on their YouTube channel in September 2020. They shared, "Up until around the time we left the show, we hadn't been paid for anything," before adding, "Of course, there were perks that came along with filming...We hadn't been paid until we were really pressing about it and ended up getting an attorney involved and stuff." The couple added that the lawyer helped them "to recover at least something" of the wages. Later it was revealed that the family patriarch, Jim Bob, was responsible for all the money. Deviating from the Duggar family's Catholic views, Jill also shared that they'd been using "non-hormonal birth control methods."
October 2020
In October 2020, Jill further opened up about their family equation in a YouTube vlog where she claimed, "We're not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements." However, she added, "But we're working toward healing definitely and restoration, but we're having to kind of just take some time and heal."
March 2021
In March 2021, Jill shared that she had not visited her parents' house or the "big house" in "probably a couple of years," citing, "There’s a lot of triggers [at the house]."
May 2021
Jill and Derick continued to talk against 'Counting On' and after Josh was arrested in Arkansas in April 2021, the husband tweeted, that "rebranding" of '19 Kids and Counting' into 'Counting On' was not convincing. He wrote, "Same business structure as 19K&C (I.e., one person makes the decisions for all and one person got paid)," before adding, "But it would be 'rebranded' to make people think it was different. We pushed back often, and we were threatened often. ... Finally, we called their bluff and quit."
July 2021
After TLC officially axed 'Counting On' following Josh's arrest, Jill took to their website and wrote, "Our family's departure from 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On has allowed us to make our own decisions, including the ability to have a choice in what we share. For now, we will move forward on our own terms, and we look forward to whatever opportunities the future holds."
December 2021
The Dillards attended Josh's sentencing in December 2021. Before going to the courthouse, Derick tweeted, "Praying for justice this morning."
June 2023
In the Amazon Prime docuseries, 'Shiny Happy People', Jill opened up about the intricacies of her family dynamics and said she felt obligated to help her parents following the child porn scandal surrounding Josh. She said, "It’s not something that I’m proud of. If I hadn’t felt obligated to like, one, do it for the sake of the show and two, do it for the sake of my parents, I wouldn’t have done it."
January 2024
Recently, during an appearance at 'The Unplanned Podcast', Jill admitted that while she and her husband are in contact with her parents, they have not had a conversation after her book 'Counting the Cost' came out in September 2023. She shared, "I’ve heard that they did [read it]," and added, "I heard they listened to it on audiobook or something. I don’t know…They’re my parents and I’m gonna tread lightly." "It’s kind of like when you get together at the holidays, and there are just certain things that you don’t just want to bring up," further noted Jill, expressing, "It’s probably a sore subject," as per Page Six.
