Jill Dillard Isn't the Only Duggar to Distance Herself From the Reality TV Family
“It’s still one of those situations where you kind of have to know, like, ‘What am I up for emotionally?'”
Apr. 15 2024, Published 11:09 a.m. ET
Once upon a time, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were reality TV stars with 19 kids, and a seemingly happy family.
Flash forward to today, and of course, from their daughter Jill Duggar Dillard's 2023 book Count the Cost, to the scorching documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which came out the same year, much has been learned about what really went on in the Duggar home.
Jill, who wed her husband, Derick Dillard on TV while appearing on 19 Kids and Counting in 2014, has notably been vocal about distancing herself from her parents. But where does their relationship stand today? Here's what we know.
So, does Jill Duggar have a relationship with her parents?
Fans may be wondering where Jill's relationship with her parents stands given the very tragic news she shared in April 2024. Indeed, sadly, the couple's fourth baby Isla Marie died in utero, per People.
With family members like Jinger Duggar Vuolo supporting Jill in the comments section of the post, many are asking if Michelle and Jim Bob are in their grieving daughter's life.
Jill has spoken out about the status of her relationship with her parents on several occasions following her departure from the reality franchise Counting On in 2017.
For instance in a 2020 YouTube Q&A, she admitted about her family, “Yes, there’s been some distancing there. We’re not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements and stuff, but we’re working towards healing definitely and restoration. We’re having to kind of just take some time and heal and just doing what’s best for our family right now.”
Then, while appearing on The Unplanned Podcast with Abby and Matt Howard in January 2024, Jill addressed her relationship with her parents and siblings, saying, “It’s still one of those situations where you kind of have to know, like, ‘What am I up for emotionally?'” According to Us Weekly, she also stated she couldn't recall the last time she saw Michelle and Jim Bob in person.
For their part, Michelle and Jim Bob told People in 2020, "Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out. We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly!"
Which Duggars have left the family?
Jill hasn't been the only Duggar sibling to speak out about the difficult circumstances of the religious family's upbringing.
Jinger penned a tell-all entitled, Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith From Fear. Her sister, Jessa Duggar Seewald, has also distanced herself from the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) Christian set, but by all accounts, both Jinger and Jessa are both still on speaking terms with their parents.
Meanwhile, Michelle and Jim Bob even maintain a relationship with their convicted felon son, saying they "will never stop praying for Joshua, and loving him, as we do all of our children."
The statement was released after son Josh was found guilty of child pornography charges in 2021.