Revelations from "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets"
Jill Duggar Dillard goes on the record about her famous family and what it was really like. https://t.co/FZHzKUC5hp
- POPSUGAR (@POPSUGAR) June 2, 2023
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is now available on Prime. The 4 part series features a group of survivors of the Institute of Basic Life Principles (or IBLP), a far right religious sect run by Bill Gothard. Gothard was ousted from the group after multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
Perhaps the most famous followers of IBLP were the Duggar family, who had two shows on TLC. Jill Duggar Dillard, the fourth child, agreed to be interviewed for the docuseries and also announced she is releasing a memoir in January 2024. Below is some of what was discussed in the docuseries.
Trigger warning: The docuseries includes frank discussion about intimate partner violence, parental abuse, child sexual abuse, sexual harassment/assault, spiritual abuse, and religious trauma. Please proceed with caution if any is a trigger for you.
• Jill married her husband Derick in June 2014. She says that the day before her wedding, her dad Jim Bob asked everyone to sign something on the kitchen table. She was taught not to question her parents, so she thought nothing of it. When she was preparing to give birth to her first child in April 2015, she told TLC she didn't want the labour to be filmed for the show at all. They responded by telling her she was contractually obligated. She went to her father, who pointed to the contract she'd signed the day before the wedding. Per the contract, Jill was forced to give footage of the birth to TLC.
• In May 2015, a police report concerning Josh Duggar's molestation of 5 young girls was leaked. Jill identified herself as one of the victims (alongside her sister Jessa) during an interview with Megyn Kelly in June 2015. During the interview, Jill and Jessa defended both Josh and their parents. In the docuseries, Jill stated that she felt "obligated" to do the interview for the sake of saving her family's show (19 Kids And Counting was cancelled not long after, but the Jill and Jessa spinoff Counting On premiered later that year). She said she felt that the "burden to help fell on her" so she volunteered during a family meeting about how to handle the situation, though Derick added "I would not call it voluntary." Jill said she would not do it again and she hates talking about it now as she isn't proud of it.
• The Dillards also confirmed what they'd previously hinted: none of the children were paid for their participation in the show. Even when the spinoff show focused on Jill and Jessa, all of the money went to Jim Bob's production company. They asked TLC to help cover their medical costs for their son's birth after they aired the episode about it, but TLC told them to take it up with Jim Bob. Jim Bob later offered them a lump sum for their participation, but receiving that was contingent on signing a new contract (the one Jill signed in 2014 was a five year contract). They decided against signing the new contract.
• Family friends Jim and Bobye Holt were also interviewed. Their daughter Kaeleigh was courting Josh (dating but with the purpose of marriage, basically) a couple of years after Josh was caught molesting his sisters. When the Holts found out, Jim said Jim Bob flat-out admitted that they were using Kaeleigh as a "carrot" to try to correct Josh's abusive behaviour. Jim Bob also said they planned for Josh to tell Kaeleigh after they were married.
• Bobye added that Jim Bob and Michelle would say that Josh "inappropriately touched" his younger sisters. One time Bobye described it as molestation and Michelle told her to "never use that word again."
• Josh was arrested in April 2021. Bobye testified about his history of molestation and its relevance to the trial in December 2021. Jill also confirmed she was prepared to testify, but was relieved they ultimately didn't need her. Shortly before the trial began, Jim Bob announced he was running for the Arkansas senate. After Bobye had testified against the son he was paying to defend, he sent the Holts a link to his campaign donation page. Thankfully, he lost.
• Jim Bob and Michelle released a statement about the documentary (or, at they call it, "documentary") essentially calling it sensationalized and saying they wish certain family members had chosen to discuss their problems with them privately (Jim Bob's sister and niece were also in the series). Of note: Jedidiah Duggar, one of the middle children and another Duggar election loser, was caught liking disapproving comments on Jill's memoir announcement IG post. When called out, he basically told people to mind their business.
• A quick shoutout to the group of IBLP survivors who were also interviewed for the series and shared their stories, including Tia, Chad, Brooke, Heather, Floyd, Tara, Lindsey, Emily Elizabeth, Eve, and more.
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