‘Counting On’: The Real Reason Jill and Jinger Duggar Don’t Get Along
In both big and small families, there are bound to be siblings who get along and those who don’t. That’s why it’s not very shocking that two Duggar sisters seem to always be at odds – even though their mom, Michelle, insists it’s just not true.
The Duggar family has been a part of the national conversation for more than a decade. But now that the 19 kids are growing up, the focus of everyone’s fascination shifted from Jim Bob and Michelle to some of their older offspring. Jill and Jinger were both part of the massively popular 19 Kids and Counting spinoff, Counting On. The reality show followed the women as they navigated marriage and children.
Rumors of a feud between Jill and Jinger have been circulating ever since. But do the sisters secretly hate each other, or is it just normal sibling rivalry?
Jill is jealous of Jinger’s ability to break away
All the married Duggar sisters have relaxed a little and broken some of the strict rules they used to follow while still living at home. But Jinger seems to have an easier time embracing secular culture and doing things like wearing pants, listening to non-Christian music, and maybe even using birth control. Jill on the other hand? Not so much.
The Duggar family’s tell-all book, Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships, portrays Jill as the tattletale of the family and an unapologetic rule follower. She most likely has a harder time letting go of the rules she’s been taught and may envy her sister Jinger’s ability to just be herself. Some fans think that Jinger’s influence is part of the reason Jill was spotted wearing a tank top and shorts recently when a few years ago she wouldn’t have dared wear an outfit like that.
Jinger made a subtle remark over vegetables
It may seem silly if you don’t know the Duggar family well, but perceptive fans noticed that Jinger may have thrown some shade toward her older sister just by posting an Instagram story about vegetables.
In her stories on December 19, 2018, Jinger posted a photo of fresh vegetables with the caption, “Anyone else get excited when you are given garden fresh veggies?” She also added a picture of butternut squash and spinach with a heart eyes emoji over it.
This sentiment by itself may seem innocent enough. But when you stop to consider that Jill almost exclusively opts for canned vegetables, it almost seems like a thinly veiled insult toward her older sister. Jill Duggar and other family members have been criticized for their less-than-healthy food choices. But Jinger seems to be breaking that tradition with her fresh veggie love.
Their husbands don’t get along
There are plenty of people who disagree with Derick Dillard. But the fact that Jinger’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo, has spoken publicly against the Dillards and their missionary work in Central America is especially telling. Jeremy Vuolo has said missionaries who are unapproved by the church are, “unqualified, uncalled, unconfirmed, unsent zealots” that “cause more damage than they do good.”
Vuolo isn’t the only one wondering exactly what kind of missionary work Jill and Derick were carrying on in El Salvador. But now that the two husbands are openly in opposition to each other, it most likely makes things awkward between Jill and Jinger.
Jill and Jinger don’t seem to hate each other, but there are plenty of reasons that they’ll never be best friends, either.
