Jill and Jessa Duggar’s Fox News interview did not go over too well one week ago. It’s not that the sisters were unsympathetic – they were and are victims of their brother’s criminal acts, regardless of how they describe those incidents. But Jessa and Jill did come across as somewhat brainwashed, feeding Megyn Kelly their obviously rehearsed talking points and outright lies. I’m fine with blaming Michelle and Jim-Bob for the entirety of this mess, but it’s also worth noting that Jill (especially) seems happy enough to shield her brother publicly. And she has help – People Magazine has been running oddly, disturbingly sympathetic stories about the Duggars all week. People spoke to “a source close to the family” who claimed that Jill was the one who wanted to do that Fox News interview. The source said:
“She, too, wanted to give an interview. Her parents were concerned because they felt she had been through enough, but she was clear – she never wanted this information public….Since [the information] was already out, [Jill] wanted to speak out because so many stories were full of false and sensationalized information. She wanted to tell the true story of what had happened to her, how she watched with admiration her parents’ thorough response, and how wrong it was for the records to be released to the public. Jessa immediately spoke up and said, ‘I won’t let you do this alone. I’ll speak out, also.’ ” The girls identified themselves “to avoid endless games of, ‘Which ones did Josh hurt?’ ” and are looking forward to getting back to “[sharing] their happiness with people,” to “reminding people how good they still know life to be.”
God, that quote sounds like it was written Mike Huckabee in a fever dream. It’s so obviously a pro-Duggar PR plant, I have to wonder… is this how People Magazine is going to play the story from here on out? Yikes.
Meanwhile, if Jill and Jessa were hoping that the Fox News interview would save their reality show careers and perhaps ensure a spinoff show in the event that 19 Kids & Counting was eventually canceled, Radar says that’s a pipe dream.
Jill and Jessa Duggar’s children might get to enjoy an off-camera childhood! RadarOnline.com has learned that after TLC put 19 Kids & Counting on an indefinite hiatus, there are “no real plans” to offer the daughters their own spinoff. The future of 19 Kids and Counting has been in question since the news of Josh Duggar’s sex abuse scandal broke, with rumors that TLC was planning a spinoff show focusing on the two married daughters. But now, there are “no real plans for any spinoff at this point,” a network source told Radar about Jill and Derick Dillard and Jessa and Ben Seewald.
I would certainly hope not. But I have my doubts about the wisdom of TLC’s management. I think there’s a reason why TLC hasn’t officially canceled 19 Kids and why they haven’t officially announced anything about a spinoff show. I really think TLC’s management might believe that there’s still a way to keep the Duggars on the air somehow.
As for Jill’s future plans… apparently, her husband Derrick Dillard just left his corporate job at Walmart. He worked in Walmart’s tax department, which I imagine is a pretty a soul-crushing job. Derrick always praised Walmart extensively, which has led some people to wonder if Derrick was fired. When the Daily Mail tried to contact Dillard, they got this automated response: “I have recently accepted a position outside of Walmart and am no longer working for the company.” You know what I wonder? Whether the Dillards are going to move out of Arkansas, especially now that it seems Josh and his family are moving back.
Photos courtesy of Jill’s social media.
How creepy is it that Jill and Anna (Josh’s wife) resemble each other?!
I’ve been saying this since this story broke and I saw a pic of Josh’s wife for the first time.
it’s super creepy and, IMO, telling. and GROSS.
Don’t remember them looking alike? Jill and Jessa are so pretty, but Josh’s wife always seemed a bit mousy as I recall. If there’s a resemblance then it’s all kinds of creepyville. Layer upon layer of creepiness with this family.
I’ll be so happy for these children if they get to enjoy an “off-camera life.” Providing Uncle Josh lives far, far away from them.
No kidding! When I first saw pictures of her I thought it was another sister.
Right? Soooooo creepy. I cannot get over how much they look alike.
They all look alike, even the ones who married into the family. That over-bright perpetual smiling makes them look like a tribe of ecstasy-fueled zombies. And knowing the background to the perpetual smiling (they’re taught as kids that anything other than a constant smile is an affront to Jesus) it’s even creepier.
Would Walmart let him go because of the family scandal?
I wouldn’t think so, but then again I don’t know what their company policies are. If Derrick hasn’t done anything wrong / hasn’t broken any rules, then why would they fire him because of something his brother-in-law did?
Unless they just don’t want to be associated with the Duggars at all, regardless of the connection. Can’t say as I’d blame them there, lol.
I can’t imagine that they would punish Derrick and Jill by letting him go.
My husband is an operations manager for a walmart distribution center and absolutely loves it… And the compensation is surprisingly better than other jobs in the same field/experience level. I assume it’s only soul crushing if you are a store employee
True to life in every field, upper management is usually pretty great. On the floor and in the store…you’ll hate your life in a week.
If they move at the same time her brother is coming back, that would speak volumes. I don’t think we’ll find out any more information, I’m pretty sure they’ve closed ranks and told the little ones something to the effect that anyone outside the family is looking to take you away and hurt you. Poor kids.
Radar=page-filler-click-baiting, and imaginary sources.
People Magazine=sponsored stories, (either by companies or PR agents)
Perhaps Jim Bob is giving the house that Jill and Hubby live in to Josh’s family, since they r leaving Maryland? I wouldn’t put it pass JB to bump her out of the house for the oldest boy.
Josh and Anna bought a house in Arkansas last summer.
I don’t think looks signifies craziness but man…there’s something about that guy’s face that always makes me think he’s one bad day away from losing it completely.
Tbh I sympathize with the girls but the family’s efforts were such an obvious cash grab. They couldn’t muster any effort to protect their daughters and get their son help but they can give multiple interviews, hire a PR firm, and more to save this show?
No. Everyone needs to get a real job and some major counseling, maybe the show ending completely will be better for the girls. Seeing how the world rebukes their narrative of, “You can pray away the pedophilia” might provide some wake up call…eventually.
She’s the ‘surprised’ one to me. Nearly every photo with her, she raises her eyebrows, like she is taken off guard by her own hand in selfies.
Yes to all of this.
isn’t he the one who deliberately aimed his “sled” at a cat sitting on the hill?
yes
Are you talking about Derrick? Mind you , I’ve only seen one episode, but from photos I’ve seen of the Duggar clan, he’s the only one that looks like he might have some independent thoughts. Now the one Jessa married, he creeps me out. No idea what’s going on in that one’s mind.
Yes, Derrick seems the most ‘normal’ one (cat incident aside) – and thats saying something. Jill may have a better life with him – he adores her and as he has a job in the outside world maybe a better influence on Jill because of that.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they do leave AK – Derrick always came across as very protective of Jill, obviously we now know he had good reason.
As for Jessa – i get vain, mean girl vibes from her. For someone who is supposed to act in a way that doesn’t inflame men – she sure does wear a lot of make up and spends a lot of time on her hair.
All I know for sure about Derrick is the cat/sledding incident (enough right there to brand him as a grade A d-bag for life). But if he worked in taxes/accounting for a major corporation, doesn’t that mean he must have achieved some level of formal education? Even if college doesn’t change your personal beliefs, it at the very least makes you aware that there is in fact a larger world out there.
Yes, he is somewhat normal in that he has a college degree (Oklahoma or OK State) & stated he hoped his child would also go to college. Very non-duggarish, that.
This family makes me sick. I have never watched an episode, and only read some stories about them, and about the “quiver full” movement, and my only question is… HOW IS THIS NOT A CULT?
It’s a cult. Read the Salon.com article “I could have been a Duggar wife : I grew up in the same church in the abuse scandal doesn’t shock me” by Brooke Arnold
It’s not a cult. There is nothing wrong with this family other than exploitation and very old fashioned thinking. They are not mean spirited people and they truly love their family. Problem is greed. They exploited their family for years by having their own TV show. That’s the sickening part.
1) Parents who love their children don’t allow them to be exploited. 2) Parents who love their children do not use blanket training on young babies to make them easier to control. 3) Parents who love their children are outraged when someone sexually molests one of them, even if the molester is their own child.
The Duggar’s are not engaging in “old fashioned thinking.” Their combination of sexual repression and hypersexualization is not simply backwards, but part of a whole system of control that they exercise over their children. As is their refusal to allow any of them a real education. Jim Bob and Michelle were not raised this way, remember. They latched onto a religion that met their own needs for control and grandiosity. That happens to minimize men’s responsibility for their their own sexual needs and behavior and places any blame for bad behavior on the women and girls they come into contact with. What kind of person chooses this?
Jaysus, are you for real with that defense of them?
“There is nothing wrong with this family other than exploitation and very old fashioned thinking.”
Yeah, there’s a whole lot more wrong with them than that. “blanket training” is NOT “old fashioned” thinking. it’s abuse and control. Making your wife submit to you, sexually, whenever you want it even if she doesn’t isn’t “old fashioned” thinking. it’s marital rape.
“They are not mean spirited people”
Tell that to the LGBT folks that they called “child molesters”.
“and they truly love their family.”
so much so that they allowed their son to sexually prey on their daughters. and then blame the daughters for it. yeah, that’s love alright…
and to Lissanne, well said, and +1.
Not a cult? You might want to look up the definitions of a cult. I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness, which is definitely a cult and they are much more mainstream than Quiverfull.
Perhaps the FRC has offered Derrick the position left open with Josh’s resignation…
Oh god that would be so f’d up.
Thank you, Jeezus
If they were both so cool with their brother, why was he so obviously excluded from their weddings? As Michael K always says, “Something in the milk ain’t clean.”
That might be the case but I had assumed that they use their weddings as an opportunity to show off those offspring still available for marriage, but getting close to the marrying age. Put the girls in a pretty (yet modest) dress and have them walk thru the church so possible husbands can get a good look at them (puke). Why display those ones that are already married off.
Good. I’m not sure what the answer is to all this mess, and I still feel sorry for the girls, but more TV shows for everybody is NOT the answer.
I don’t believe for a minute that Jill and Jessa volunteered. Jim Bob had them do it because they are the two “adult” victims (since they are married).
I fully agree. They do what their father and husbands tell them to which is what their religion dictates they do.
Of course PEOPLE Mag cannot change their tune. They have been up this family’s backside for years. They admit defeat now, they will lose their PR credibility even more.
I think this might have been in the works before the molestation scandal broke? I seem to remember a teaser about Jill and Derrick having some big news about moving.
That being said, this Duggar stuff has seeped into my subconscious to the point where I am actually having dreams about them and wondering if I would look as cute in a denim skirt as Jessa does. THE DUGGARS HAVE STOLEN MY SOUL, YA’LL. SEND HELP.
Before all this broke there was a story (can’t remember where) that Derrick and Jill were going to Nepal to help after the earthquake. From the limited info in the article I assumed he was taking vacation to go but who knows….maybe they will be full time missionaries.
This couple is so sweet, I only hope they can get through all this mess, it;s sad they can’t deal with this privately like most people do but they can blame their parents for exploiting them on TV for all these years.
Just some random thoughts and burning questions for a Friday morning…
I heard that Jill and Derrick are going to Nepal on a mission trip, which could be why he quit his job.
Josh and Anna bought a house in Arkansas a few months ago, allegedly to stay in when they visited the family, apparently now to live in full time.
I wonder if Jim Bob is going to sell the house Jill and Derick are living in after they move, since he’ll need some cash if the show is canceled. Or is Josiah still courting the 17 year old Marjorie, and then they’ll get Jill’s house when they get married?
Now that Josh has moved back to Arkansas, is Ben going to become a preacher like he wants to, and he and Jessa end up moving away, too?
Did someone in the family finally get the courage to call DHS now that (some of) their secrets and lies have been exposed? With all the public backlash on Josh and the parents, end the overwhelming support for the victims, maybe one of the kids felt they could finally say something and they would be heard.
I really hope that now everything really does get “all taken care of” and everyone in that family gets the help they need, and that Josh, Jim Bob and Michelle face the music with what they’ve done, or failed to do.
Good questions! I think your hunch about Jessa and Ben seems right. Jessa has always been a little more spirited than some of the other siblings. She plays along like she’s supposed to but have you noticed she just can’t avoid rolling her eyes at certain things? I heard through the grapevine that Ben tends to get jealous (it was on the Free Jinger forums that I saw it mentioned, which is a better source than most). It’s easy to see why, they have such a repressed culture and Jessa is easily the most unintentionally sexy sister. I think Jessa hates Josh (who gets treated like the golden child because of his gender and birth order) and Ben probably wants to get the hell away from the attention (and his wife’s too-adoring fans?) at this point. But they’re both a bit on the slow side too, so who knows if they feel like they’re capable enough to spread their wings and go out on their own? I feel like Jim Bob and Michelle have purposely infantilized their adult children, especially their daughters. Jessa and Jill have the *most* agency over their decisions, being married, but I don’t think they’re quite as free as we might have assumed either. If they don’t toe the line, all the $ and free stuff they get via their parents will end. And everyone they knows is in lockstep with the Quiverfull movement, so they will be cutoff and shunned from everyone they know if they start to get too independent.
I also don’t believe for a second that the Duggars will be hurting for cash now. I find their whole cult completely awful, but their views on debt and finances are one of the few things that make any logical sense. These people have a lot of businesses (car sales, towing, construction, house flipping) and a lot of free child labor. I’m SURE they have been investing their earnings from TLC and their many appearances, and have plenty saved away. The cash cow might be cut off, but they milked it for all it was worth while they had the chance and got away with tens of millions of dollars. Jim Bob and Michelle had to know this scandal could eventually come out (or something else – we all know they’ve got to have more skeletons in their closet) and they planned accordingly.
My other speculation is that Josh and Anna are going to chafe under their new lifestyle. They got used to a few things, mainly – having nice things, having money, and being far enough from the rest of the family that they did start to get a little more mainstream. Josh is going to have to swallow a lot of pride to go back to working under his father, Anna is going to have to start playing the meek baby-voiced housewife again, and their kids are definitely going to be confused at least initially by the sudden change and might have some behavioral issues because of it for a while. And Anna is about to give birth at perhaps the worst possible time. I saw the pics of the house, and it was in terrible repair. She has to move into that house and care for the 3 little ones plus give birth to the new baby there. I’m sure the manual slave labor a.k.a. other Duggar sons are working overtime to make the house habitable, but this is more stress on top of a really overwhelming PR disaster.
I don’t feel bad for Josh. I do feel bad for Anna and her children. Anna can’t divorce Josh even if she wants to (the combination of social pressure and the fact that the Duggars are really into these “covenant marriages” are too great a barrier), and I’m afraid of what will happen with a sulking husband and a 4th baby for her to take care of. Seems like a recipe for postpartum depression chaos.
I don’t believe it. I could definitely see TLC giving Jill her own spin-off if she moves away from Arkansas. They could take the “problematic” Duggars off the air while keeping the Duggar cash cow going, and it is plausible the press from the scandal and the sympathy for Jill would translate into interest and ratings for her own series.
They are smiling but there is no joy in their eyes. Damaged people.
off topic, I’m not sure how old her baby is, but Jill will be expected by her cult to start spanking it at around 6 months.
I really hope this is the truth. I feel badly for the Duggar kids but if any of them have a show the money will just end up in Jim Bob’so wallet.