‘Counting On’: Is Jill Duggar Being Kept Away From Her Young Siblings by Jim Bob Duggar?
Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard, are clearly on the outs with Jill’s parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. While the mother of two seems to have a reasonably healthy relationship with several of her married siblings, she doesn’t seem to be connecting with her unmarried brothers and sisters. At the very least, Jill hasn’t been spotted with any of them in years. Now, it looks like Jim Bob might be purposefully keeping Jill away from her younger siblings, fearing she could negatively influence them.
Why did Jill’s relationship with her parents deteriorate?
For years before her marriage to Derick, Jill appeared to be one of the family’s golden children. She followed the rules, and Jim Bob, in particular, appeared to be emotionally connected to her. He was particularly misty-eyed when he gave her away at her 2014 wedding. That changed quickly, though.
While many fans believe the rift happened when Derick decided to spill the family tea on Instagram, if you look closely, Jill has been distant from her family for some time. In fact, Jim Bob and Michelle have not mentioned Jill since 2017. That happens to be the year that Derick and Jill were ousted from Counting On. While it was initially assumed that the couple was booted from the show for transphobic tweets that Derick made, it appears that Derick may have purposefully had his family scrubbed from the series.
Neither Jill nor her parents have ever spoken openly about the rift, leaving fans to theorize the cause on their own. Some family followers believe Derick’s alleged firing was the catalyst to cause familial strife. Others believe that Jill’s decision to pierce her nose and wear pants led to Jim Bob and Michelle shunning her. Several critics have suggested a decision to use birth control might have played a role in the breakdown of their relationship. It’s hard to say what caused the issue, but it’s safe to say there is a problem.
Derick admits that Jill isn’t allowed in the family home without Jim Bob present
In December 2019, Derick took to Instagram to share some pretty frightening facts about the Duggar family. Several fans had assumed Jill would return to Counting On after she appeared in a special about the birth of Ivy Jane Seewald, Jessa Duggar’s third child. Jill did appear in the episode, but that didn’t mean she was going to be filming again, according to Derick. He didn’t stop there either, he shared all sorts of weird family rules.
In one interesting comment, Derick told the world that Jill had to call Jim Bob and ask permission to assist her sister during labor. Apparently, Jill and Derick are not allowed to enter the Duggar household unless Jim Bob is present. Jim Bob and the majority of his family were on vacation when Jessa went into labor, leaving Jill as the only Duggar family member who could possibly help. Still, though, they needed permission to enter the home.
Is Jim Bob keeping Jill away from her younger siblings?
The Duggar family believes that once a woman marries, she falls under her husband’s authority and her father becomes powerless. Jim Bob has managed to circumvent this belief with some of his children by keeping them on the Duggar family payroll, ensuring they still have to answer to him. That’s not the case for Jill and Derick. They do not live in a Duggar-owned property and they do not appear to be getting any financial assistance from Jim Bob and Michelle. They are free to do as they please, but that doesn’t mean Jim Bob has to like it.
Jill has not mentioned a single one of her unmarried siblings in several years, nor has she appeared in any pictures with them. In fact, Jill hasn’t mentioned any of her former “buddies”, except Joy-Anna, since she was reportedly, unceremoniously booted from her family. Without a Crystal Ball, a YouTube channel dedicated to discussing the lives of reality TV stars, claims that Jill isn’t allowed to spend one-on-one time with her younger siblings, for fear that she’ll influence them.
Amy Duggar has seemingly backed up this claim. Jim Bob, apparently, only allows approved people to spend time alone with the Duggar kids. Reportedly, people who don’t adhere to their strict standards are not considered approved.
