Dark Secrets: Discover the 10 Shocking Scandals of the Duggar Family!
The Duggar family first came to national attention on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting. The network had filmed several other documentary specials about the growing family, and by 2008 they had decided to feature the conservative Christian family in a full-time series. The patriarch, Jim Bob Duggar, was the driving force behind getting the show aired, viewing it as a “ministry,” or a way to extend the Duggar family morality to the world. But it was the Duggar girls who captured the viewers’ interest as they grew up on camera and eventually entered the world of dating and marriage in a conservative and sheltered world. While the wholesome picture painted by the family on 19 Kids and Counting held up for many years, eventually there was a darkness that was revealed behind the happy facade that Jim Bob presented to the world. One scandal after another came pouring out about different Duggar family members over the years. Here are the 10 most shocking Duggar family scandals.
10
Michelle Duggar Wore Pants
While donning a pair of leggings may not seem like a scandal to most Americans, the modesty culture of the Duggar clan had strict rules about appropriate dress for women. The women and girls in the Duggar family were expected to dress modestly, and to always wear long skirts or dresses, but never pants. The mother, Michelle Duggar, was never seen breaking the rules herself, always setting an example for her children.
So, when Jessa Duggar shared a photo of the family’s daughters together with their mom in 2023, people were shocked to see Michelle in what appeared to be a pair of pants. It turned out that the outfit was actually a pair of leggings coupled with a knee-length skirt that looked like pants at the angle Michelle stood in the photograph. Either way, the outfit was more form fitting than anyone had seen Michelle wear in the past, and it shocked many viewers after years of seeing her enforce the modesty rule with her children.
9
Jill and Derick Distanced Themselves From the Duggar Parents
On the Unplanned podcast in January 2024, Jill Duggar revealed it had been more than a year since she had last spoken to her father. After re-examining her relationship with the extreme beliefs her parents had enforced in the name of their religion, Jill learned to develop her own voice as an adult outside the “umbrella” of her parents’ authority.
Her marriage to husband Derick Dillard, a controversial TLC figure in his own right, nevertheless helped to expand her world view and gave her the confidence to challenge certain Duggar family beliefs. To assert her new-found freedom, Jill began to wear pants, and to contradict her parents when the moment called for it. She received harsh criticism from her father for breaking away from the family values, which created distance in their relationship.
8
The Duggar Parents Exploited Their Children’s Labor
In her appearance on the Amazon Prime Video documentary Shiny, Happy, People: Duggar Family Secrets, Jill revealed that during her time on 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, she had not been paid. On Jill’s wedding day, her parents had requested a signature on a document, which she signed without much thought. Later, when she and her husband were doing missionary work in El Salvadore in 2016, they did not want to return to the United States to resume filming with the Duggar family.
Jim Bob then sent Jill a copy of the document she had signed, which turned out to be a contract agreeing to film the new spin-off series about the married Duggar siblings. Even worse, her compensation for filming would go to her father’s production company, Mad Family, Inc. When Jill requested to see the contracts from 19 Kids and Counting, it turned out her parents had been signing contracts on all the siblings’ behalf, agreeing that the children’s compensation for filming would go to their father.
Jinger Duggar Called Her Childhoood “Cult Like”
Ahead of the release of her book Becoming Free in 2023, Jinger Duggar spoke with US Weekly about her upbringing, calling it “cult-like in many ways.” The strict teachings she received from her parents were deeply ingrained, and it was understood that you were never to depart from them. From her interview, it seemed that was for the worse.
Like her sister Jill, once Jinger married and got some distance from the “umbrella” of her parent’s authority, she was able to reassess those beliefs, and saw that it wasn’t all that her parents made it seem to believe. Looking back on her upbringing, she observes that the religious organization her parents belonged to was “built on fear, manipulation, control, and superstition.” It was a shocking revelation that only damaged the family’s carefully cultivated image even further.
6
Derick Dillard Wrote Homophobic & TransphobicTweets
In 2018, TLC was promoting the reality series Nate & Jeremiah by Design on social media, and Derick had some negative opinions to share. He commented on the post, calling the gay couple’s family a “travesty,” and claiming that the network was promoting a “liberal agenda” and celebrating a lifestyle that was “degrading” to children. The reality star seemed to have a habit of leaving hateful comments about the more liberal-leaning TLC reality series when the network would promote them online.
In 2017, he commented on a post promoting the series I Am Jazz, which featured young transgender activist Jazz Jennings. Derick claimed that the reality series was filming a “non-reality” and that, according to his beliefs, being transgender is a myth. These comments preceded the network announcing that Derick would no longer be appearing on Counting On.
5
The Family Forced Jill and Jessa to Defend Josh
One shocking re-framing that happened in Shiny, Happy, People is Jill’s discussion of the infamous 2015 interview when she and her sister Jessa Duggar appeared on the Megan Kelly segment on Fox News to defend their brother Josh Duggar against the shocking child molestation charges brought against him (you might be able to guess where that scandal lands on the list).
4
‘Shiny Happy People’ Exposed Duggar Connection to IBLP
One of the central conversations in Shiny, Happy, People was about the Institute in Basic Life Principles and its sinister connection to the Duggar family. The fundamentalist organization was established in 1961 by Christian minister Bill Gothard, and enforced deeply patriarchal and openly misogynistic practices.
Members of the organization were meant to model success through strict adherence to biblical principals. Gothard resigned as president of the organization in 2014 as the result of several reports of sexual harassment, as well as a failure to report instances of child abuse in the organization. The organization has been referred to as a cult by several ex-members.
3
Josh’s Ashley Madison Scandal
Considering the emphasis on marriage culture and purity in the Duggar family, it was shocking when it was revealed in 2015 that Josh was one of the men who subscribed to the infamous adultery website Ashley Madison. In his political career, Josh worked with the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian lobbying group committed to promoting their worldview through political influence. It certainly is not the first time that a politician has been involved in a sex scandal, but when the news broke that Josh was among the many male subscribers of the Ashley Madison site, X-rated film actress Danica Dillon came forward to detail her own harrowing personal experiences with Josh.
She first encountered Josh on an evening when he was out drinking, when he approached her, allegedly offered her money in exchange for sex, and during the affair became rough with her. This, coupled with Josh’s admittance that he had also cheated on his wife using the Ashley Madison site during a time when she was pregnant, would have been enough to disgrace the outwardly conservative facade he maintained on TV and in his political career. However, this certainly was not the only shocking scandal surrounding Josh that surfaced that year.
2
Josh’s Molestation Exposed
In 2015, a story Jim Bob and Michelle tried to keep quiet for several years in order to protect the family’s wholesome image began to create a lot of noise. InTouch magazine obtained a report detailing Josh’s alleged molestation of at least five young girls when he was between the ages of fourteen and fifteen, and several of Josh’s sisters were identified as victims in the report.
1
Josh’s Child Pornography Charges
During the investigation into Josh’s criminal history, the federal government also discovered that the disgraced reality star had another twisted skeleton in his closet. In 2019, agents from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated Josh, finding that the computer at his car lot company contained 65 images and one video of child pornography. The investigation led to a trial, which resulted in a guilty verdict in 2022.
When called to the witness stand, his father, Jim Bob, denied any memory of the molestation incidents involving his young daughters and his eldest son, despite having spoken about it with several people over the years. All three of the scandals surrounding Josh implicate his father and the IBLP as factors that allowed his criminal activity to go undetected, since they either shielded him with their sanctimonious public image or, in Jim Bob’s case, seemed to actively participate in covering up his behaviors, so they would not become public knowledge.
