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Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar brought their 19 kids into the spotlight over a decade ago, and there’s plenty to speculate on when it comes to family dynamics. We know many of the older Duggar kids have social media accounts of their own. And Joy-Anna Duggar seems to be doing particularly well, as she and Austin Forsyth are expecting another baby, flipping houses, and taking care of their son, Gideon.

Joy-Anna and Austin look quite financially independent. But some family critics are convinced they’re actually still depending on Jim Bob to help them pay the bills. Here’s what family followers have to say.

Jim Bob Duggar might control where the family’s money goes

The Duggars have made quite a lot of money thanks to their TLC programs over the years, and many of them appear to be doing quite well now long after they’ve moved out of Jim Bob and Michelle’s place. But it seems Jim Bob still might have a hand in how much money his adult kids get. And it’s Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, who’s breached this subject.

Derick’s spoken out against Jim Bob and TLC in the recent past. And he insinuated on Twitter that Jim Bob has total control of the family’s earnings and how much money everyone gets.

One Twitter user asked Derick, “so why does Jim Bob get all the money for the show and doesn’t give any to his children? The actual stars of the show.”

To that, Derick answered, “I don’t know. You would have to ask him that.”

Derick aside, Jim Bob also has employed some of his kids and in-laws. Jessa Duggar’s husband, Ben Seewald, was hired by the family as a tutor, and John-David Duggar seems to make a lot of money flying his family around since he’s licensed to fly planes.

Reports claim Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth bought their home from Jim Bob for $10

Aside from possibly controlling where the family’s money goes, it looks like Jim Bob also doles houses to some of his kids. We can’t forget that the family patriarch has been involved in real estate since his younger years. And many think he’s the one to get his adult kids into comfortable homes.

Eagle-eyed Reddit users have also done a deep dive into the family housing situation. One user noted that public documents suggested Jessa and Ben only bought their home for $1 from Jim Bob, as this would be enough for Jim Bob to gift them the place and transfer the title.

Another user noted something similar occurred with Joy-Anna and Austin. While the couple prides themselves on their ability to build homes of their own, another Reddit user claimed Jim Bob sold a home to them for a mere $10.

Many think Joy-Anna and Austin still depend on Jim-Bob for money

With Austin’s booming home-building and contracting business, it doesn’t look like he or Joy-Anna need any help from Jim Bob. And the couple’s also leaving Counting On behind, further proving that they’re probably financially just fine. But some Reddit users suspect they’re still relying on Jim Bob for money.

“The Forsyths got their house from JB,” a Reddit user noted. “So they might be making some money on their own, but they’re far from financially independent.”

“I am certain that any house acquired from JB has some kind of strings attached,” another wrote. “Maybe some kind of deferred payments, which come due if JB becomes displeased or something. I firmly believe Austin resisted living in a JB house for this reason and that’s why they lived in the houses they flipped and in the trailers in between.”

Others think Austin might actually have more freedom than many believe.

“Austin had flipped 5 houses before he got engaged to Joy, and owns a construction business. He’s independently financially secure,” another noted.

The Duggars certainly aren’t open about their finances, so we may have to wait until Jill’s husband spills the tea in a tell-all book for the answers.

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