Duggar Secrets That Sparked Fan Speculation

When scandal led to the end of 19 Kids & Counting in July 2015, fans were worried they may never see the Duggar family again. Other's wondered what else the Duggar clan could be hiding….

Duggar family supporters were overjoyed in December 2015 when TLC decided to give the infamous family another chance. The show "Jill & Jessa: Counting On" however, came with strings.

Josh Duggar was barred from appearing on the show after his confession of molesting at least two of his sisters and cheating on his wife, Anna Duggar led to the canceling of the first show.

While the decision should have avoided more scandals, "Counting On" came with its own scandals. Needless to say, there are some secrets the Duggar family wished stayed hidden.

Josh Duggar's dark secret:

Josh Duggar confessed to cheating on his wife Anna after being exposed for signing up for Ashley Madison, a website that specializes in facilitating extramarital affairs. However, that is not the most disturbing secret he had hiding.

He also confessed to acting inappropriately with underage girls. A 2006 police report revealed that Josh was accused of molesting five underage girls as a teen including at least two of his sisters.

Josh is still an active member of the family:

Even though Josh was kept off cameras of "Counting On" he did attend all the Duggar weddings that the family showcased on the show. The cameramen use creative techniques to keep his face off camera.

Jim Bob and Michelle reportedly complied with the demands of the show as they felt fans would believe Josh was cut off from the family and repenting for his wrongs.

Derick Dillard's payment allegations

Derick Dillard, who is married to Jill Duggar, may have exposed a little too much when he turned to Twitter to complain about his paycheck. Dillard claimed TLC did not him or Jill for their appearances on "Counting On."

Apparently, Dillard felt TLC should foot the medical bills for the birth of his son, Israel. In March 2018, just five months after TLC revealed Dillard would no longer appear on the show, he took to the social media site to air his grievances in a now-deleted reply to a fan.

While Dillard might hold TLC responsible, fans of the show have a different theory. One Reddit user proposed the theory that Jim Bob gets the final say and may others agreed.

"I think Jim Bob largely still controls the money in terms of the show," stated the Redditor.

The intricacies of how Jill Duggar's son was born:

Normally Duggar births become a social media phenomenon and even TLC makes an announcement on their website. However, in July 2017, when Jill Duggar gave birth to her second son, Samuel was not publicized immediately.

Jill herself waited till July 25, 2017, to share the first photo of baby Samuel. The 17-day gap between the post and her delivery raised many questions and fan theories erupted. One theory was that Jill had difficult labor as Samuel suffered complications thus wanted to keep the details of Samuel's birth out of the "Counting On" show.

The idea seemed plausible since the sixth season of the reality show divulged very little information about the delivery and did not focus on it. Dillard later confirmed that Samuel spent "two weeks" in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Seems like Jill will be taking this secret to the grave.

Why Jill and Derick left the show:

Fans already knew that Derick was not returning to the TLC reality show “Counting On” in November 2017. However, they were left stunned when he confirmed that Jill was also leaving the show in December 2017.

Viewers speculate that Derick was fired from TLC after he made transphobic remarks about transgender reality star Jazz Jennings. However, the minister-in-training insists leaving was his decision.

"Unbelievable…'" Dillard tweeted in response to a Fox News article that claimed he was fired. "For the record, I was never fired. I just felt it best for my family to cut ties months ago, as we are heading in a different direction."

However, TLC released a statement suggesting the network cut him out. They tweeted:

"We want to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard has not participated in Counting On for months and the network has no plans to feature him in the future. We want to reiterate that Derick's personal statements do not reflect the views of the network. TLC is proud to share the story of Jazz Jennings and her family and will continue to do so."

Jill made an appearance in her sister, Jessa Duggar’s birth special in 2019. Fans speculate she may be returning to the show after all.

Jinger Duggar is rebellious

It’s no secret that Jinger's husband, Jeremy Vuolo and Jinger lead a less restrictive life than the other Duggars. Jinger has slowly moved away from her conservative upbringing since her marriage to Jeremy.

An example of her rebellion is seen when she ditched the Duggar family's strict dress code to don a pair of pants. As a result, rumors surfaced that Jim Bob despises Jeremy's different religious beliefs.

The theory was reportedly sparked after rumors claiming Jim Bob did not attend Jinger's gender reveal party in April 2018, however, this was untrue. Jim Bob and Michelle were both in attendance but chose not to post pcs from the party on social media.

Who foots the bill for their travels?

Fans have always wondered how the relatively who boasted their love for coupons in the first season of their show affords their many trips and vacations. It seems the large “Counting On” cast is always on the move with many vacations, trips to Texas and even visiting Central America.

In May 2018 Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo sparked heated debate amongst fans when they went on a babymoon at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina. At the time the hotel's website reportedly stated that the babymoon package was about $450 per person per night. It also required they stay at least two nights.

However, Jeremy revealed on Instagram that they did not foot the bill for the expensive babymoon. He wrote:

"Thanks to the generosity of dear friends, [Jinger] and I enjoyed some time away to relax before our little girl arrives."

One fan speculated that "their 'friend' is probably TLC" and other fans seem to agree with the sentiment. So far, however, no one has confirmed or denied the rumors.