Skip to main content

Thanks to the 19 Kids and Counting spinoff show, Counting On, fans of the Duggar family have been given an even greater glimpse into the lives of Jim Bob and Michelle’s children. One of the most intriguing of these? Jill Duggar.

Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, made headlines a while ago when news broke that the pair would no longer appear on Counting On. The whole incident had to do with a series of homophobic tweets that Derick put out and then refused to apologize for. There’s some controversy over whether Derick Dillard was forced to leave the hit TLC show or if he quit because he wanted to. Either way, the couple did not feature in the latest season of Counting On.

Rumors about Jill Duggar persist even though she’s not technically a part of the Counting On cast anymore. She’s still quite active on social media and while an Instagram feed can’t necessarily be trusted, it’s still a good starting point for gaining more information. There’s even speculation that Jill and Derick might return to Counting On in Season 9 (though it doesn’t seem likely).

These are some surprising, concerning things about this famous Duggar daughter.

She moved away from her family

Even though the older Duggar kids are all married and living in their own homes now, most of them live within driving distance of their parents’ house in Arkansas and get together frequently, especially for holiday celebrations. That’s what makes it so surprising that Jill and Derick Dillard moved to Central America.

The pair made the move to help evangelize their faith through “missionary work.” But in the end, the draw of being close to family was too difficult to resist. The pair moved back to Arkansas while Jill was pregnant with her second child.

She asked fans for money

Back when the Dillards were living in Central America, they started hitting up their extensive fan base for extra funds so they could “continue the good work” they were doing there, spreading the word of the Lord.

But critics were quick to point out that no one was sure exactly what kind of charity work they were doing, and even their biggest supporters resented being asked for cash (especially for vague reasons). Eventually, Jill Duggar promised she would stop asking.

She may have ignored Zika virus threats

The Dillard’s move to El Salvador occurred in 2015 during the height of the Zika outbreak. Fans weren’t just worried about the couple’s son Israel living in the new country – they were also worried that Derick and Jill might conceive again, which would put the unborn baby at a huge risk for birth defects due to the Zika virus.

While some wondered if they were on birth control while living in Central America (it wouldn’t be the first time a Duggar family member broke that rule), others feared they were actively trying to have another baby.

She might be jealous of Jessa

Sibling rivalry is pretty common, especially between sisters. Since Jessa has always been considered the “pretty” one in the family, many fans assume that Jill is jealous of her younger sister. And it’s not like Jessa was easy to get along with while the girls were growing up – Jana once said that Jessa was the “mean” sibling and even earned the nickname “fundie Regina George.”

Social media makes it look like the sisters are super close. But that doesn’t mean there are no hard feelings lurking beneath the surface.

Is she really a midwife?

No one questions Jill Dillard’s experience with children and childbirth. But some fans wonder if she’s even qualified to deliver babies as a midwife. One source says that Jill isn’t officially a trained medical professional, but rather is a CPM (certified professional midwife), which is essentially like a fake midwife. Yikes.

How is her marriage?

Rumors of trouble in the Dillard’s marriage have been swirling lately, but Jill vehemently denies that anything is wrong. She even posted romantic photos of the couple having a date night and sharing an awkward kiss. So either they’re deeply happy and in love, or about to get divorced. It all depends on who you believe!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Brfr9NTA-1w/

Best in Entertainment