Has Anyone in the Duggar Family Ever Gotten Divorced?

Even people who don’t watch TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting or Counting On have probably heard of the Duggar family. They’re most famous for having a whole lot of kids – which is now resulting in a new generation of grandkids – and for following strict religious rules that are surprisingly counter-cultural.

With 19 kids, it was only a matter of time before the Duggars would have to start attending a whole lot of family weddings. But considering that around half of all United States marriages end in divorce, it led people to question: Do members of the Duggar family ever get divorced? It turns out that the answer is yes.

What religion do the Duggars follow?

The Duggars are devout independent Baptists. No religion encourages divorce, but their religion is especially strict when it comes to dissolving a marriage. While the national average says differently, most married couples in their church community are less likely to end their partnerships.

That’s not the only way the Duggars church is markedly different from other religions. They also limit television programming for children and dress modestly, among other things. Many of the Duggar children don’t experience their first kiss until their wedding day – which sometimes makes the moment painfully awkward and other times adorably romantic.

It’s more difficult for some Duggars to divorce

These days divorces aren’t terribly difficult to initiate – unless you’ve entered something called a covenant marriage. This type of marriage is only recognized in three states: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Arizona. In a covenant marriage, a specific reason must be stated in order to get a divorce. That ends the practice of filing due to “irreconcilable differences” (a celebrity favorite).

Not all Duggars have covenant marriages, but Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard did agree to this type of union. That means if one person falls out of love with the other or is just plain unhappy, they won’t be able to easily separate.

Have any Duggars ever divorced?

No matter how good your intentions, some marriages are doomed to fail no matter how hard you try to make them work. That’s what happened to Jim Bob’s sister, Deanna Duggar. She and her husband Terry Jordan did get divorced. Apparently, Terry cited his wife’s “intolerable treatment” as the reason for the separation.

The couple had a rocky marriage for years before they made the split official. The relationship ended for good in 2015.

Will Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar get divorced?

Don’t believe everything the tabloids say. Even amidst constant speculation that the heads of the Duggar clan are on the verge of divorce, they maintain that their union is as strong as ever. The pair even travels the country giving talks on how to achieve a successful marriage.

It’s unlikely for a member of the Duggar clan to get divorced (but it’s not impossible). Thanks to their religious beliefs and family values, they’re more likely to stick around and try to work out a marriage than they are to break up. Just look at what happened with Josh and Anna Duggar – more proof that divorce is an unlikely solution, even when it appears to make sense.