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The world was first introduced to the Duggar family in September 2004. Over the years, the family has amassed some fans, many critics, and a good bit of notoriety. With that notoriety has come fan theories. While some theories are tame and turn out to be accurate, some are truly wild. Here’s the question, though, do some of the crazier Duggar theories hold water?

Some family critics theorize that the Duggar family might be involved in human trafficking

Back in November 2019, rumors began to swirl that the Duggar family’s compound was raided by FBI agents. While the FBI denied being on the property, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that agents from their office were in Arkansas and had made contact with someone in the Duggar family. They told KNWA, a local news station, that the agents were carrying out a criminal investigation. No further details have surfaced, but that hasn’t stopped critics from theorizing about the nature of the department’s visit.

Some family critics believe that the federal agency is currently investigating the Duggars for human trafficking.  The theory began to run wild after the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette mentioned a recent investigation by the department had led to the arrest of an Arizona attorney. That attorney was arrested under suspicions of operating an adoption ring in Northwest Arkansas. The illegal adoptions reportedly targeted Marshallese children. Fans have suggested that John David Duggar and his wife Abbie Burnett currently occupy a home adjacent to a Marshallese church.  

There is no evidence to indicate the Duggar family is connected to the suspected ring. The agency did not go into detail about the investigation, and it could be a year before they wrap up their work. As it stands, the investigation appeared to center around a car lot that was operated by Joshua Duggar. The lot has since been emptied.

Mary Duggar was the mastermind behind 19 Kids and Counting

It has long been assumed that Jim Bob was the mastermind behind his media machine, but those in the know believe Mary Duggar, Jim Bob’s later mother, is the actual architect of the Duggar brand. Family critics believe that Mary actively shopped Jim Bob’s growing family to different television networks in hopes of landing them a show, and thus providing a much-needed influx in cash. While Jim Bob and Michelle have long proclaimed that they lived without debt, many critics note that the older Duggar kids seemingly grew up in poverty and may have experienced food insecurity.

A comment on an Ibiblio article from 2007 suggests this theory holds water. In the comment section, a user who went by the name Alice alleged to know the family well. The user claimed that Mary, not Jim Bob, was actively involved in getting the family donations and shopping their story to different publications and television networks. While the user’s identity was never revealed, they appeared to have a lot of insider knowledge about the family. They even brought up Josh molesting his siblings years before In Touch broke the story.

Fans theorize that Jinger was disowned for moving and wearing pants

When Jinger Duggar moved out of Arkansas, her siblings seemed sad. Family critics, however, theorized that Jim Bob and Michelle were livid about the move, and only grew angrier as Jinger continued to spread her wings. Neither Jim Bob nor Michelle commented on Jinger’s decision to move even further away from Arkansas last summer. The lack of commentary led some critics to assume Jinger had been completely disowned.

According to Celebrity Insider, critics have theorized that Jim Bob is easily angered when he can’t control a situation, and, at this point, Jinger can no longer be controlled. While that very well could be true, it doesn’t seem like any disowning took place. Jinger and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, have popped up in family photos from time to time, indicating that they haven’t been cut off. Sure, Jeremy may not have been Jim Bob’s first choice for his daughter, but they appear to have a somewhat cordial relationship. If anyone is going to be excommunicated from the Duggar clan, it seems like it will be Jill Duggar.

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