Jessa Seewald Announces Pregnancy on the Same Day an Excerpt From Jill Dillard’s Book Was Published
Jessa Seewald took to YouTube this weekend to announce another pregnancy. Jessa’s pregnancy is not a shock to Duggar family followers. She has four children already and has made it abundantly clear that a large family is in her future. What was rather interesting is the fact that she opted to release the video on the exact same day that an excerpt of Jill Dillad’s upcoming book was released. Are the sisters feuding?
Jessa Seewald announced her pregnancy on the same day Jill Dillard’s book excerpt was published
Jessa Seewald isn’t interested in letting Jill Dillard have the spotlight. At least not when the spotlight comes at the expense of the Duggar family’s previous lucrative media empire. On Sept. 9, People published an excerpt from Jill Dillard’s upcoming memoir, Counting the Costs. The emotional passage does not paint Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar in a positive light, and the rest of the book probably won’t either.
On the same day that People published the excerpt, Jessa returned to YouTube to drop news of her own. The influencer shared news of her fifth pregnancy with the world. The pregnancy was expected, but the announcement’s timing is certainly suspicious.
The footage included in Jessa’s announcements was months old and could have been uploaded at any time. Family followers think Jessa’s timing was strategic. It’s possible Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar put her up to it.
It’s not the first time a Duggar has tried to deflect public interest
While Jessa’s upload could be a coincidence, the Duggar family has a history of posting when they want to move public interest from one topic to another. In April 2021, Joseph and Kendra Duggar posted professional photos of their third child. The post was made on Apr. 29, the same day Josh Duggar was arrested for downloading child pornography.
In 2020, Jessa posted back-to-back videos paying tribute to her mother and father on YouTube. The videos were all about her fond childhood memories, but the timing was suspicious to Duggar family followers, too. The videos surfaced after Derick Dillard began speaking out against Jim Bob Duggar.
In November 2019, the family posted photos of Josiah and Lauren Duggar’s child for the first time. The upload came just three days after federal investigators raided Josh Duggar’s car lot. The raid and subsequent searches were heavily discussed in the days after the event.
Are Jessa and Jill feuding?
Jessa and Jill never seemed particularly close, and Jill’s decisions have led them further apart. While Jessa did appear at Jill’s baby shower in June 2022, the sisters haven’t interacted much since. Jill appears to have limited interactions with many of her siblings, though. None of them publicly commented on her work on Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets and none of her siblings liked her book announcement.
If there is a serious rift, it’s likely due to religious beliefs and familial influences. Jill and Derick have moved away from Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and created their own life. Jessa adheres more closely to her parents’ teachings. Now expecting her fifth child, Jessa still relies on the Duggar family for some financial support, whereas Jill has not done so for years. There might be conflict between Jill and Jessa, but there doesn’t seem to be a public feud.
