A toxic upbringing, explosive tell-all books, and a family dynamic that will never be the
same — the Duggars have changed a lot since they left TV.
Here's where they are now.
Jim Bob's mother, Mary Duggar, often appeared alongside her family members on their reality shows.
In a 2017 episode of "Counting On," she supervised a few of her grandsons as they moved her log
home closer to the Duggars' house.
"Grandma Duggar" said that she was looking forward to living within walking distance
of the rest of the family.
She also shared a close bond with her daughter, Deanna Duggar, who was the first family member
to learn of Mary's tragic death in June 2019.
The Washington County, Arkansas, coroner told People:
"[Mary] slipped and fell into the pool and drowned.
Her daughter Deanna discovered her body and alerted authorities, who pronounced her dead
at the scene."
After the sad news broke, many of the Duggar siblings took to social media to pay tribute
to their beloved grandmother.
Jana Duggar wrote in part on Instagram:
"On her last morning spent here on earth I drove Grandma to church where she worshiped
her Savior.
Later that afternoon, she went to meet Him face to face!
I'd say that's probably how she would've chosen to finish out the day if she got to pick."
The Duggars also filmed a "Counting On" episode titled "Grandma Duggar Remembered," which
included footage of Mary's funeral and the family's preparations for it.
The Duggars avoid the hassle of booking commercial flights for over a dozen people by having
a few pilots in the family who can fly their large clan to religious conferences and speaking
events around the country.
John David Duggar — Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's second-oldest son — is one of the
members of the family who has obtained a pilot's license, but his love of taking to the sky
almost ended in tragedy in October 2021.
The Humphreys County Sheriff's Department in Waverly, Tennessee, told The Sun that John
called 911 after crash-landing a Piper PA-30 plane with some family members onboard.
A spokesperson for the department said the plane ran out of fuel, forcing John to make
an emergency landing in a field.
However, People spoke to another rep who stated that John, who is also a certified flight
instructor, blamed the scary incident on "double engine failure," not a failure to make sure
that he had an adequate amount of fuel prior to takeoff.
John later revealed that his wife, Abbie Duggar, and their little girl, Grace, were passengers
at the time of the crash.
John and Abbie said in a statement to Celebuzz:
"An emergency landing or any kind of plane crash is a scary thing, but it's exactly what
pilots are trained for.
We are so thankful for God's protection, as we all walked away without injuries when this happened."
Jana has certainly earned the nickname some fans have given her, "Cinderella Duggar,"
after spending so many years of her life living at home and helping her parents care for her
younger siblings.
Jana's exhausting babysitting duties got her slapped with a misdemeanor child endangerment
charge in 2021.
An insider told Without a Crystal Ball that one of the children Jana was watching at the
time was Josh and Anna Duggar's daughter, Maryella, who was two months away from her
second birthday.
A witness reportedly found the toddler wandering around alone somewhere outside the Duggars'
home and contacted authorities.
Jana addressed the charge in a post on her Instagram Story, writing,
"It was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment."
She further revealed that a child welfare investigator who followed up on the incident
determined that no harm had come to the child involved.
Jana did not confirm or deny that the child was Maryella, but she did deny rumors that
she'd been arrested over the incident.
Instead, she was given a citation and later paid an $880 fine, per People.
Jessa revealed that she had suffered a miscarriage in February 2023, and she received an outpouring
of sympathy from her YouTube subscribers.
But some critics took note of her revelation that she had a dilation and curettage, or
D&C, to remove fetal tissue from her womb, the same procedure that is performed in some abortions.
Jessa, after all, is so anti-choice that she compared abortion to the Holocaust in a 2014
Instagram post.
OB/GYN Alan Lindemann, M.D., explained to The List that Jessa's D&C was not an "elective"
abortion but a "therapeutic" one, due to her fetus having no heartbeat when it was performed.
However, some doctors have seemingly become reticent to perform D&Cs at all, fearing that
they may run afoul of the abortion bans that have been instituted in many U.S. states.
In responding to criticism, Jessa ignored the discourse about how anti-choice views
are causing those in her same situation to be denied necessary miscarriage care.
The producers of "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets" scored big when they got Jill
Duggar to open up about the Institute in Basic Life Principles,or IBLP, and her family.
After In Touch broke its 2015 story about Josh Duggar sexually molesting his younger
sisters as a teenager, Gawker published an exposé about the IBLP teachings that might
foster a home environment where sexual abuse is allowed to go unchecked.
Jill was one of Josh's molestation victims, and in 2015, she, her parents, and another
victim, Jessa, downplayed the seriousness of Josh's actions during a sit-down with Fox
News host Megyn Kelly.
Jill later said that she wasn't proud of her participation in that interview.
"In hindsight I wouldn't have done the Megyn Kelly stuff."
Her husband, Derick, also appeared in "Shiny Happy People" and blasted Jill's parents for
making her feel as though she had to do the interview to help the family save their imperiled
reality TV career.
It didn't prevent "19 Kids and Counting" from getting canceled, but the Duggars soon returned
to TLC in a Josh-free show bearing a shiny new title, "Counting On."
After filming a few seasons of "Counting On," Jill and Derick decided to quit.
In "Shiny Happy People," Jill explained that one huge issue was that she and Derick had
received no form of payment for their work — even though they'd filmed footage of the
birth of their first child themselves.
According to Jill, Jim Bob Duggar was the only family member getting paid and wasn't
willing to compensate the couple for their past work unless they agreed to keep filming.
To coincide with the premiere of "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets," Jill made
an announcement about something many Duggar detractors have wanted for a long time: She
was going to release a tell-all book in early 2024.
In an Instagram post, Jill revealed its title, "Counting the Cost," and shared a description
that made it evident that she and her husband didn't hold back while airing their grievances
within its pages.
She wrote, in part:
"The challenges we have faced, including lack of respect for boundaries, greed, manipulation,
and betrayal, are not that much different than what many people in our audience have faced.
However, 15+ years of reality television [...] is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the fire
of our struggle."
Jinger Duggar has also published a memoir about her childhood, her experiences with
the IBLP and its founder Bill Gothard's teachings, and her decision to stop following the patriarchal
religious organization's teachings.
While promoting the 2023 book "Becoming Free Indeed," Jinger told People that much of what
she'd been taught made her fearful, anxious, and uncertain, saying:
"[Gothard's] teachings were so harmful, and I'm seeing more of the effects of that in
the lives of my friends and people who grew up in that community with me.
There are a lot of cult-like tendencies."
"Those teachings were based in fear, manipulation, control, and superstition."
In addition to chronicling the difficult process of discarding the beliefs that her parents
pushed on her for so many years, Jinger also shared her struggle with an eating disorder,
revealing how her mother, Michelle Duggar, helped her overcome it.
While interacting with his Instagram followers in 2019, Derick Dillard alleged that Jill
isn't allowed to visit anyone at her parents' house unless Jim Bob is present.
And in 2021, Jill told her YouTube subscribers that such a visit hasn't taken place in years.
However, Michelle and Jill spent some time together during an April 2023 outing that
included all female members of the family, per a post on Jinger's Instagram account.
Anna Duggar also apparently still spends time with her in-laws.
She appeared in the background of a family friend's Instagram photo that May.
A family insider told Fox News ahead of Josh Duggar's 2021 trial:
"Divorce is never going to be a first option [for Anna].
It's going to be a last, last resort.
She and [Josh's] family are going to stick by him no matter what."
However, Jinger explained that her family members' varying views on the IBLP have somewhat
divided the once tight-knit group.
She told E! News in February 2023
"I know that a lot of them are still in the system; a lot have kind of walked away from it."
While filming "Shiny Happy People," Jill said of the state of the Duggars:
"Everything within the family dynamic has shifted — and not for the better."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Six months after Josh's 2021 arrest, Jim Bob announced his candidacy for the Arkansas State Senate.
He wrote in part on Facebook:
"Now more than ever, we need a bold voice that is pro-family, pro-business, pro-gun
and pro-life."
He finished third in the Republican primary.
His son Jed had made his own bid for political office the year prior.
Jed labeled his Democratic opponent, Megan Godfrey, a "Liberal Princess" in a mailer
that he sent out during the 2020 race to represent District 89 in the Arkansas House of Representatives.
"Duggar has declined our repeated requests for interviews about the issues in District 89."
In response to the attack ad, Godfrey tweeted:
"People can try to diminish and erase girls by calling us names.
We'll keep responding with dignity, bravery, and kindness."
Jim Bob was previously a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002,
and he launched a failed U.S. Senate campaign in 2002.
In his campaign platform, he argued that rape and incest should be punishable by death.
Meanwhile, Josh once had a political career as the executive director of FRC Action, the
lobbying branch of the Family Research Council.
In that capacity, Josh spoke out against the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.
He's since resigned from FRC.
Even after Josh Duggar's molestation and cheating scandals tarnished his family's reputation
in 2015, there was no shortage of young women willing to hitch their wagons to the Duggar train.
Those whose weddings were filmed for "Counting On" included Kendra Caldwell, who married
Joseph Duggar in 2017.
The following year, Lauren Swanson tied the knot with Josiah Duggar, and Abbie Burnett
said "I do" to John David Duggar.
Because TLC shared Justin Duggar and Claire Spivey's courtship announcement on its website
in September 2020, it seemed that the network planned on eventually filming their nuptials.
At the time, Justin was just 17 years old.
The couple wed in February 2021, and TLC canceled "Counting On" four months later in response
to Josh's arrest.
So, if the network filmed any footage of the couple's wedding, it never aired.
Twins Jed and Jeremiah Duggar have also tied the knot.
This has left Jason, James, and Jackson as the only unmarried adult Duggar sons, as of
June 2023.
In April 2021, Anna Duggar shared a video on Twitter that showed her, husband Josh Duggar,
and their children celebrating some happy news.
Pink confetti showered a smiling Josh and Anna after they raised an umbrella over their
heads, their way of revealing that they were expecting a daughter.
Days later, USA Today reported that Josh had been arrested.
When Josh and Anna welcomed their baby girl that November, fans were stunned by their
name choice: Madyson.
This is because Josh had been forced to confess to cheating on Anna in 2015 after hackers
outed him as a member of Ashley Madison, a website that advertised itself as a discreet
way to arrange extramarital affairs.
A month after Madyson's arrival, Josh was found guilty of possession and receipt of
child sexual abuse material, and he was later given a 12-year prison sentence.
Some of Josh's siblings released statements condemning their brother's crimes.
Jinger Duggar wrote in part on Instagram.
"We are thankful to God for exposing Josh's actions and to a legal system committed to
protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty in this case.
We are grateful for justice."
As of June 2023, Josh has the most children out of all of his siblings, with a brood of seven.
But with Josh looking at over 12 years in prison, his siblings have plenty of time to
overtake him.
When it comes to Jim Bob and Michelle's grandkids, it seems that the counting will never stop.
In 2022, Joy-Anna told her family that she was expecting her third child, a son she and
Austin Forsyth later named Gunner.
"You're gonna be a grandpa again.
Number…I don't know how many."
Jessa welcomed her fourth child in 2021, Jill's third son was born in 2022, and Joseph became
the father of three when he celebrated the arrival of a daughter in 2021.
John David and Jedidiah both welcomed their second children in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Other members of the Duggar brood have also welcomed their first children over the last
few years.
In an interview with Allie Beth Stuckey, Jinger Duggar revealed that she and her sisters weren't
allowed to live away from home until they got married, so attending a brick-and-mortar
college was out of the question.
Even getting a job that required leaving Jim Bob Duggar's domain was verboten.
Jana Duggar apparently adhered to these rules for years.
In a 2019 Instagram post, she answered a fan's question about her living situation by writing,
"I've had the choice to move to another room, but love being in the girls' room with my sisters!"
She was almost 30 years old at the time.
In an episode of "Counting On" that aired that same year, Jana revealed that she's been
in courtships that have failed.
She also said that there are advantages to remaining unwed, like being able to travel more.
Those who closely follow the Duggars' lives have various theories about why Jana has remained single.
One Redditor posited that parents Jim Bob and Michelle discouraged her from getting
married for years because they needed her help at home.
Whether or not that's true, her marriage prospects appeared to dwindle during that time.
On an episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Jinger had expressed an interest in living in a bustling
metropolis like New York City.
Jinger never moved to NYC, but she and her husband, Jeremy, eventually settled down in
the Golden State.
"I love living in Los Angeles.
It's been amazing."
Jeremy, a former professional soccer player, moved to Cali to attend seminary school and
later landed a job leading a Bible study class for college students at Grace Community Church.
The couple also tried their hand at being podcasters for a short while, and Jinger booked
some public speaking events.
One such event includes the 2024 Answers in Genesis conference, "Reclaim: Answers for
Women — Overcoming the War on Women for the Glory of God," which appears to be centered
around anti-trans rhetoric.
The website says:
"We need to raise the next generation to hold fast to the foundational truths of gender
that begin in Genesis."
Though it's unclear where Jinger herself stands on LGBTQ+ rights, it seems some of her parents'
teachings maybe did stick.
In 2013, Michelle explained on her Parentables blog that her family's infamous ban on pants
and immodest clothing is biblically inspired.
But after a few Duggar daughters got married and moved out from under Jim Bob's umbrella
of authority, the sinful allure of skinny jeans and sweatpants simply became too strong.
For Jinger, trading jean skirts for actual jeans felt so monumental that she warned her
parents that the wardrobe change was incoming.
She told People:
"When I first started wearing pants, I had conversations with them."
In a YouTube video, Joy-Anna discussed her own decision to give pants a chance, telling
her viewers that it was something she and her husband spent a lot of time praying about.
After a few years of Bible study, she, too, was ready for an inseam.
"I feel like you can be modest and wear pants."
Jill told her YouTube subscribers that she similarly spoke to her husband, Derick, when
she decided to start rocking pants and get her nose pierced.
In 2020, Jill further shocked her Instagram followers by revealing that she'd enjoyed
a piña colada of the non-virgin variety.
Oh, and Jinger also revealed that she no longer views dating and birth control as being worldly evils.
The Duggars' biggest life moments used to be captured by TLC's cameras, but nowadays,
sisters Jessa and Joy-Anna are using YouTube to monetize special memories, including their
children's births.
Oh, and let's not forget those famous gender reveal parties; during one such event, Joy-Anna
and her husband, Austin Forsyth, proved that pregnancies are still very much prized within
their clan by using a helicopter to shower their family members with pink confetti.
Jessa has racked up over half a million views by giving her YouTube viewers a tour of her
new house, and Joy-Anna occasionally interacts with her fans via Q&A videos.
In one of them, posted in March 2023, she discussed her feelings about "Counting On" ending.
"I do not miss the TV show.
I think it was best for our family for it to end."