The Duggar Family’s Rocky Relationship With Parents Jim Bob and Michelle Explained

After Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar rose to fame in 2008 with their TLC reality series, 19 Kids and Counting, 16 years later, things look a lot different.

Their show – originally known as 17 Kids and Counting – offered fans a glimpse into their large family’s daily life, eventually leading to the spin-off Counting On, which featured the older Duggar sisters, Jill Dillard and Jessa Seewald (both née Duggar). However, following the cancellation of Counting On in 2021, tensions within the Duggar family became apparent – particularly after Josh Duggar’s legal troubles came to light. In 2021, Josh was arrested on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography, a revelation that seemingly shocked the family and their fans.

Several family members began to question their upbringing in the ultra-conservative Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), which Jim Bob and Michelle still follow to this day. The June 2023 Amazon Prime docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets brought even more issues within the family to light – with some of the Duggar siblings choosing to distance themselves from Jim Bob and Michelle.

While none of the Duggar children have seemingly 100 percent severed ties with their parents, here’s where they stand with Jim Bob and Michelle.

Jill Dillard

Jill has been particularly vocal about the strained relationship with her parents. In 2020, she revealed in a YouTube video that she is “not on the best terms” with her family, and in interviews, she has admitted to not having “one-on-one” contact with her dad, citing the need to establish “healthy boundaries.” Despite this tension, Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, have been seen attending family gatherings, suggesting that while their relationship is complicated, there remains some sort of tie to her parents. In 2024, Jim Bob and Michelle were spotted at the funeral for Jill’s stillborn daughter, Isla, ultimately showing their support for their daughter.

Jessa Seewald

Jessa and her husband Ben Seewald have confirmed they do not adhere to the teachings of IBLP in past Q&A’s on their Instagram accounts. As reported by the Instagram Without A Crystal Ball in 2022, Ben also allegedly addressed the risks of becoming entangled in a false religion in a sermon he delivered – which appeared to reference the IBLP principles that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar instilled in their kids. He further elaborated on the topic by discussing those who seek public admiration for their faith but do not adhere to the same principles when not in the spotlight.

Jinger Vuolo

Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar) has also seemingly distanced herself from the IBLP and discussed her evolving faith and “disentangling” herself from her childhood beliefs in her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed. While promoting her book, she revealed to People that “fear was a huge part of [her] childhood,” referring to her IBLP past. On The Unplanned Podcast in 2024, Jinger gave an update on her relationship with Jim Bob and Michelle, saying, “I love them… We have differences. Everything’s not perfect between us. At the end of the day, I love them and I know that they know that.”

While most of her family remains near the home base in Arkansas, Jinger has strayed away, now calling Los Angeles her home. In the podcast, she mentioned how she keeps in contact with her family, and that she “[tries] to call [her] mom regularly.”

Joy-Anna Forsyth

Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) revealed in a 2023 YouTube video that she and her husband Austin Forsyth were “never” involved with the organization in question. Austin explained that once they got married they “started distancing [themselves] from those functions,” and mentioned how they discussed throughout their relationship that they weren’t going to use “their literature,” presumably talking about how they will raise their own children.

Cousin Amy King

Amy King (née Duggar), Jim Bob’s niece and who notably appeared on 19 Kids and Counting as Cousin Amy, has been the most outspoken about her estrangement from the family. In a series of videos on TikTok in 2023, she criticized Jim Bob for not protecting his daughters from abuse, stating her commitment to safeguarding her own children from similar circumstances. “Not only do I not respect you anymore, but I also don’t want to give you the right to get to know my child.”

Back in early 2024, Amy revealed to People that she hopes “every day there is absolute torture for him,” and that “he deserves every second in there, and I hope he gets a longer term.” Amy was also outspoken about Josh and the family’s upbringing in the Shiny Happy People documentary. After the doc aired, she revealed to the outlet that “the IBLP is not biblical, and it is hurting so many people, that, if I don’t speak up, then I’m condoning it. And I can’t be that person, I refuse to be that person.”