Why Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Have Been Accused of Scamming Fans for Money
The Duggars have been on our radar for years thanks to the show that catapulted them to fame, 19 Kids and Counting. Nowadays, the kids we remember as young teens are all grown up — and their families and children are featured on their own show titled Counting On. There is one famous Duggar who’s missing from the new show, however, and that’s Jill Duggar. While she and husband Derick Dillard used to be affiliated with TLC, Derick’s controversial and inflammatory Twitter activity got them kicked off the network.
Since Jill seemingly doesn’t work and Derick goes to law school, fans have wondered how the Dillards make their money. And it seems many have even accused them of scamming fans over the years. Here’s why.
Jill and Derick were blasted by fans for requesting donations for their missions trips
The Duggars are known for being ultra-religious, and they also share their mission trip adventures with their followers, too. Such is also the case for Derick and Jill. Unfortunately, Derick and Jill’s missionary work has come under fire by fans, as The Hollywood Gossip notes they’re not licensed missionaries and aren’t sponsored by the church to do such work. Because the church wasn’t giving them money to accomplish their missionary goals, the Dillards took to the internet to ask fans for their donations.
CafeMom notes one of the tactics the Dillards used to try and attain donations was a $1 per day pledge from fans. As they wrote on their family blog at the time, “A monthly pledge of $1 a day can help cover the cost of meals we serve to children every week. We invite you to partner with us in this next chapter of our lives, as we return to the field.” The Hollywood Gossip notes many fans blasted them on Twitter for this, though. “Will you be soliciting money from your fans?” one Twitter user asked. Since the uproar, it seems the Dillards have taken down their donation links on their blog, too.
Jill and Derick were also accused of misusing the money they did receive
Fans who believed in Jill and Derick’s mission did indeed donate to their cause — but the couple were then accused of misusing the funding they received. OK! Magazine notes fans were confused when they noticed Jill, Derick, and their son, Israel, traveling around when they stated they would be in Central America for their trip.
The publication notes an angry fan wrote on social media, “You left in July for missionary work and in the three months you have been back twice and airfare is thousands! Now you are staying for a month to enjoy family and friends? You are not missionaries; you are grifters asking people for money so you don’t have to work.” Ouch.
It seems the fan may have had a point, though, as many wondered how Jill and Derick were getting the money to travel to Amy Duggar’s wedding as well as Michael Bates’ wedding. Derick vaguely addressed the issue and stated that all of this time spent traveling was planned ahead of time — but even so, he didn’t mention the money.
Jill is also constantly posting sponsored content to Instagram
The mission trip drama has long past, but fans think the Dillards are strapped for cash based on how much sponsored content Jill posts to Instagram. She’s posted photos of her wearing 3130 Clothing, Citrus & Lemon, and Oliver & Otis, and we’ve also seen her partnering up with various food and drink companies, too. There’s certainly no shame in a partnership, but her multiple sponsored posts in a row have fans wondering if she really believes in the products she’s pushing forward or if she’s just strapped for cash.
No matter what’s going on behind the scenes, it seems like Jill and Derick’s financial situation isn’t too bad. The couple recently had a new house built and are excited to move in. And while many fans questioned how they had the finances to build themselves a new home, it seems Arkansas is quite cheap when it comes to property ownership, so that certainly helps.
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