TV fans are about to learn more about the troubled Duggar family.
There are two exposes currently in the works, and neither sounds like it will be friendly toward one of television’s most notorious big families. First up, the limited docuseries “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” seeks to pull back the curtain on some of the scandals about the Duggars, including Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s affiliation with the controversial Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) church.
The Duggars rose to fame with their TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” which premiered in 2008. Fans couldn’t help but marvel at the overly large family who espoused traditional values and mostly rejected modern society, including mainstream TV, music, dating, and even women wearing pants.
But then the family’s reputation went down in flames following the sexual abuse scandal involving the eldest brother, Josh. He admitted to sexually abusing five girls, including his own sisters, prior to the beginning of the show. His behavior was allegedly covered up by his church and his parents. The news led to TLC canceling “19 Kids and Counting.”
Some Duggar family members came back for the spinoff series “Counting On” beginning in 2015. Then TLC canceled that as well after Josh was arrested for child pornography possession in 2021. He was later found guilty and sentenced to 12.5 years in prison last May.
“Shiny Happy People” shines a light on practices within the strict IBLP faith the Duggars followed. Their daughter Jill, who is now a married mother of three, participated in the documentary and plans to reveal some of the family secrets.
“There’s a story that’s going to be told,” Jill says in the series trailer, “and I would rather be the one telling it.”
Jill says in the Amazon series that she worries about people who were influenced to join IBLP because of her family. The church’s head and founder Bill Gothard resigned from the organization in 2014 following more than 30 claims of sexual harassment from former employees.
Now, Jill has personal reasons for telling the truth about her family.
“I believe strongly that victims should always be protected. Victims should always be cared for,” Jill says in the docuseries. “You’re out there, your story’s out there. … I’d rather have some say in what that looks like.”
Jill also discussed the infamous interview she and her sisters participated in on Fox News after the news about Josh came to light in 2015.
“In hindsight, I wouldn’t have done the Megyn Kelly stuff. I felt like I was in a place again of like bearing the burden and the weight of just — even though you volunteer, it’s like you feel obligated to help,” she said in the second episode of “Shiny Happy People,” per The L.A. Times.
FOX News Channel via Getty Images
During the interview, Jill and her sister Jessa referred to Josh’s behavior as “mild.”
“It’s not something that I’m proud of,” Jill said in the new documentary. “If I hadn’t felt obligated to like, one, do it for the sake of the show and two, do it for the sake of my parents, I wouldn’t have done it,” she said of her statements about her brother.
The reality star said the sisters did the interview and downplayed Josh’s behavior in part because they believed the show would continue if they did. “Yes, we were taken advantage of,” Jill said.
During the new docuseries, Jill also restated her allegations that she never got paid for participating in “19 Kids and Counting” or “Counting On” as she felt she deserved.
Per The L.A. Times, the reality star said she “never received any payout.”
“No check, no cash, no nothing. For 7.5 years of my adult life, I was never paid,” Jill said, laying blame on her father Jim Bob for promising her funds that never materialized. She had camera crews present at major life events including her wedding and the birth of her first child but claims she didn’t get paid for drawing in a viewing audience of millions.
“Shiny Happy People” is not the only place where Jill is speaking out. The 32-year-old star will also release a new book called “Counting the Cost,” which will reportedly reveal “the unedited truth about the Duggars,” according to People.
“Jill Duggar and her husband Derick [Dillard] are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans,” the book’s description says. The new book is due out in January 2024.
“For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members — they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets,” the description says. “Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.”
Jill shared more on her Instagram page while announcing the upcoming book. She said the tell-all “is meant to reflect a story that has been difficult, yet hopeful.”
“The challenges we have faced, including lack of respect for boundaries, greed, manipulation, and betrayal, are not that much different than what many people in our audience have faced,” she wrote. “However, 15+ years of reality television, undergirded by secrecy and lies, is tantamount to pouring gasoline on the fire of our struggle.”
The Dillards say “time, tears, truth, and therapy” helped them move forward through “our painful journey as part of the reality-show-filming Duggar family.”
“Though we would have never chosen this path, and it has cost us dearly, we want to use our voice to show others that there is hope beyond the pain,” the social media post said.