A Former ’19 Kids and Counting’ Crew Member Spilled Tea on the Famous Family

The Duggar family has starred on reality TV shows for more than a decade. From the first special to their current day series, Counting On, the family has appeared on TLC and has primarily worked with the same production crew. While all crew members are bound to secrecy, a couple of tidbits about the family have leaked over the years. As you probably suspect, some odd things have gone down inside the Duggar compound.

Cast and crew were not to interact with each other

From the onset of the family’s show 19 Kids and Counting, and its successor, Counting On, crew members were instructed not to interact directly with the Duggar family. Allegedly, the Duggar family was so sheltered when the show began that any pop culture reference could potentially offend them or alter their world view.

The crew was also asked to avoid reacting to or opposing anything the family said. While this was seen as the protocol for the crew members who regularly interacted with the cast, some did become friendly with the family. In fact, rumors were swirling that Jana Duggar was interested in one of the cameramen at some point.

No one has ever confirmed the rumors about Jana’s potential courtship. It’s important to remember that the eldest Duggar daughter has been linked to several potential suitors. She has been rumored to have dated everyone from Tim Tebow to Lawson Bates. None of the rumors ever turned out to be true.

Jim Bob reportedly freaked out over one of the kids who was in the bathroom too long

According to In Touch, any child spending too much time alone in the bathroom is an immediate cause for suspicion in the Duggar Household. According to an inside source, Jim Bob once freaked out on one of his sons for spending too much time locked in the lavatory.

Allegedly, Jim Bob suspected that the youngster had been masturbating, and promptly flipped his lid. Reportedly the camera crew heard Jim Bob screaming and followed the sound. The footage never made it to TV screens, though.

Masturbation, in the Duggar household, is a sin. Drinking, smoking, gambling, dancing and enjoying a book or film that is not approved by Jim Bob and Michelle is also considered a sin, though.

Allegedly the crew thought the family was “nuts.”

One Reddit user claims to have worked on the production for a short time. The user noted that most of the production crew did not share the Duggar family’s beliefs and mainly thought they were a little bit “nuts.”

Because the crew was expected to keep the Duggar’s world view intact, they were forced to hide basic everyday activities, according to the alleged source. Smoking and drinking of any kind were kept a secret from the family.

While a few episodes suggested that some crew members had become friendly with Michelle and Jim Bob, that’s allegedly not the case for the vast majority of those who worked on the set. In fact, rumor has it that Michelle had one member of the team ousted when she discovered he was gay.