Duggar Family Drama: Jill Dillard Says Jim Bob Duggar Is Threatening His Kids With Money
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar have 19 children. Of those 19 kids, more than a dozen of them are over 18 years old. They were largely raised in front of reality TV cameras. After the end of 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On, some Duggar kids have opted to go completely underground. Others use social media to earn a living. Out of 19 children, you would think more than just one would be a bit disgruntled. While there may be a few Duggars who weren’t thrilled with their upbringing, for now, only Jill Dillard is willing to speak out. There is a reason for that. Jill Dillard claims that Jim Bob Duggar is buying her sibling’s silence. She says Jim Bob has threatened to disinherit any of his children who dare to speak out against him.
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar acknowledged Jill’s book in a family text
In a recent Today interview, Jill revealed that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were not happy to learn that she was penning a book. The mother of three announced that she would release a book in late May. The announcement came just days before Amazon released Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. Jill did not reveal exactly what the book would cover at the time. Still, it seems Jim Bob knew he wasn’t going to be painted in a positive light.
Jill revealed that Jim Bob and Michelle took to a family group chat to call the news “very sad.” It should come as no surprise that Jim Bob knew what Jill’s book would contain. At the very least, he had good reason to fear what she would say about him. Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, have been mostly estranged from the rest of the Duggar family for years. They began speaking out publicly against Jim Bob, albeit subtly, in 2020.
Jim Bob Duggar threatened to disinherit his children if they spoke out against him
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar didn’t just stop at calling Jill’s book “sad.” The family patriarch also took steps to ensure his other children would stay in line. Jill revealed that Jim Bob threatened to disinherit any of his children who spoke out against him in that same group chat. So far, they’ve all taken the threat seriously.
It is unclear if Jim Bob realized that Jill and Derick were still involved in the family group chat when he sent the message. It is possible he believed they had been removed from the group. While many of Jim Bob and Michelle’s children are adults, several still work for him and remain financially dependent on him. While the family made millions on their reality TV series, Jim Bob has remained in control of most of the family assets.
Their public statement was more diplomatic
While Jim Bob allegedly took to the family chat to threaten and bribe his adult children with money in private, he was a lot more diplomatic publicly. While the Duggar family patriarch refused to speak directly to media publications, he did issue a statement, in conjunction with his wife, immediately following Jill Dillard’s book announcement.
In the statement obtained by People, Jim Bob and Michelle stated that they loved all of their children. They said they were pained to know there was conflict within their family. In the statement, they revealed they would not be making further comments. They said they did not believe that disputes within the family should be resolved through the media. They have not spoken on the issue again. It is largely thought that Jim Bob Duggar has tapped Jessa Seewald to return to social media in an effort to deflect attention away from Jill and Derick.
