Derick Dillard Calls Jill Dillard’s Megyn Kelly Interview a ‘Suicide Mission’
The Duggar family spent over a decade on TLC, sharing a wholesome image of a supersized family. That image started to crumble in 2015. A bombshell report revealed that Josh Duggar had molested four of his sisters and another girl as a teen. Josh is now in federal prison, serving a decade-long sentence for possessing child pornography. The family’s image has further deteriorated with the release of the Amazon docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. In the docuseries, Jill Dillard, one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s children, speaks out. Longtime followers were particularly interested in hearing Jill Dillard’s take on an infamous Megyn Kelly interview she gave after the news of sexual abuse inside the home broke. Jill’s husband, Derick Dillard, called the interview a “suicide mission.”
Derick Dillard called Jill Dillard’s Megyn Kelly interview a ‘suicide mission’
Duggar family followers have raised concerns over several of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s parenting choices. In 2015, Jill and her sister, Jessa Seewald, sat down to discuss Josh Duggar’s sexual abuse in front of a camera. The duo, both victims of Josh Duggar, downplayed what happened inside their home. For years, followers have suspected the sisters were coerced into doing the interview. Jill and Derick Dillard confirmed what happened in Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Followers.
Jill and Derick Dillard explained that the infamous Megyn Kelly interview was set up by a public relations professional that worked with the family. During the process, Jill made it clear that she was strongly encouraged to sit for the interview and felt obligated as the family’s financial health appeared to hang in the balance.
Derick Dillard, who had only recently married into the Duggar family, said his wife was called on to take on a “suicide mission” when asked to sit down for the interview. Jill revealed that she wished she had not agreed to do the interview.
While Jill is largely estranged from her parents, Jessa Seewald, the other Duggar victim who participated in the interview, remains close to the family. Jessa has not commented on Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets or Jill’s comments on the infamous interview. Instead of moving away from the Duggar family, Jessa, in many ways, has doubled down. She even appeared to become the family’s spokesperson briefly.
Who is Jill Dillard?
Jill Dillard is the fourth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. While her earliest years were mostly private, Jill, along with her siblings, largely grew up in front of TLC’s cameras. Dillard first appeared on camera before she turned 13 years old. By the time she was 17, the Duggar family had their own reality TV show. Now in her 30s, the mother of three is largely estranged from her famous, ultra-conservative Christian family.
Duggar family followers never expected Jill to be the most rebellious of Jim Bob and Michelle’s 19 children. Still, since 2017, she’s emerged as the family rulebreaker. She has become the Duggar kid most willing to share information that Jim Bob and Michelle surely wouldn’t consider camera ready.
