Where Are The Members Of The Duggar Family Now?

The following article includes references to child sexual abuse, religious abuse, eating disorders, homophobia, and transphobia.

When Discovery Health introduced viewers to Jim Bob Duggar, Michelle Duggar, and their congregation of kids in the 2004 special "14 Children and Pregnant Again!" it packaged the family as a modern-day marvel: How did Michelle keep so many children fed? And how were they so well-behaved?

As the family's size ballooned, their specials evolved into the more slickly produced TLC reality series "19 Kids and Counting." There was also an increased interest in the Duggars' lives away from the camera, including their involvement with Bill Gothard's Christian organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). Its legalistic teachings seemed to dictate all aspects of the Duggars' lives, from what they wore (modest clothing) to their education (Michelle homeschooled the children using IBLP materials).

The Duggars' religious beliefs have regularly come under scrutiny. After In Touch broke its 2015 story about Josh Duggar sexually molesting his younger sisters as a teenager, Gawker published an exposé about the IBLP teachings that might foster a home environment where sexual abuse is allowed to go unchecked. Josh would later be charged with possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material, ending the Duggars' reality careers in 2021. Two years later, the Prime Video docuseries "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets" promised to lift the lid on the seemingly toxic beliefs of the IBLP and the Duggars — but only a few family members participated in the project. So, what are the Duggars doing now that their daily lives are no longer being filmed?

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

The producers of "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets" scored big when they got Jill Duggar to open up about the IBLP and her family. "IBLP and the teachings draw in people like my dad, who want this control," she claimed. 

Jill was one of Josh Duggar's molestation victims, and in 2015, she, her parents, and another victim, Jessa Duggar, downplayed the seriousness of Josh's actions during a sit-down with Fox News host Megyn Kelly. "It's not something that I'm proud of," Jill later said of her participation. Her husband, Derick Dillard, also appeared in the docuseries and blasted Jill's parents for making her feel as though she had to do the interview to help the family save their imperiled reality TV career. It didn't prevent "19 Kids and Counting" from getting canceled, but the Duggars soon returned to TLC in a Josh-free show bearing a shiny new title, "Counting On." 

After filming a few seasons of "Counting On," Jill and Derick decided to quit. In "Shiny Happy People," Jill explained that one huge issue was that she and Derick had received no form of payment for their work — even though they'd filmed footage of the birth of their first child themselves. "We were taken advantage of," she claimed. According to Jill, Jim Bob Duggar was the only family member getting paid and wasn't willing to compensate the couple for their past work unless they agreed to keep filming.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know is dealing with spiritual abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

In 2013, Michelle Duggar was so against the idea of Jinger Duggar hightailing it out of Tontitown, Arkansas, and moving to an asphalt jungle that she spoke to Radar about Jinger's supposed noninterest in becoming an urbanite. On an episode of "19 Kids and Counting," Jinger had expressed an interest in living in a bustling metropolis like New York City. However, Michelle claimed, "Jinger meant she wanted to live 15 minutes from a Walmart." Jinger never moved to NYC, but she and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, eventually settled down in Los Angeles. "I love living in Los Angeles," Jinger told E! News in February 2023. "It's been amazing."

Vuolo, a former professional soccer player, moved to Cali to attend seminary school and later landed a job leading a Bible study class for college students at Grace Community Church. The couple also tried their hand at being podcasters for a short while, and Jinger's booked some public speaking events. One such event includes the 2024 Answers in Genesis conference, "Reclaim: Answers for Women — Overcoming the War on Women for the Glory of God," which appears to be centered around harmful anti-trans rhetoric. "As Christian women, we need to give practical, biblically sound answers to a culture that is quickly erasing what it means to be a woman," the website alleges. "We need to raise the next generation to hold fast to the foundational truths of gender that begin in Genesis." 

Though it's unclear where Jinger herself stands on LGBTQ+ rights, it seems some of her parents' teachings maybe did stick.

Jim Bob Duggar's mother, Mary Duggar, often appeared alongside her family members on their reality shows. In a 2017 episode of "Counting On," she supervised a few of her grandsons as they moved her log home closer to the Duggars' house. "Grandma Duggar" said that she was looking forward to living within walking distance of the rest of the family.

She also shared a close bond with her daughter, Deanna Duggar, who was the first family member to learn of Mary's tragic death in June 2019. "[Mary] slipped and fell into the pool and drowned," the Washington County, Arkansas, coroner told People. "Her daughter Deanna discovered her body and alerted authorities, who pronounced her dead at the scene."

After the sad news broke, many of the Duggar siblings took to social media to pay tribute to their beloved grandmother. "On her last morning spent here on earth I drove Grandma to church where she worshiped her Savior. Later that afternoon, she went to meet Him face to face! I'd say that's probably how she would've chosen to finish out the day if she got to pick," Jana Duggar wrote in part on Instagram. The Duggars also filmed a "Counting On" episode titled "Grandma Duggar Remembered," which included footage of Mary's funeral and the family's preparations for it. Deanna's daughter, Amy Duggar, didn't appear in the episode, despite filming with the rest of the family in the past. "It's ok to grieve in private," she tweeted the day after the episode aired.

Even after Josh Duggar's molestation and cheating scandals tarnished his family's reputation in 2015, there was no shortage of young women willing to hitch their wagons to the Duggar gravy train. Those who were rewarded with weddings that were filmed for "Counting On" included Kendra Caldwell, who married Joseph Duggar in 2017. The following year, Lauren Swanson tied the knot with Josiah Duggar, and Abbie Burnett said "I do" to John David Duggar.

Because TLC shared Justin Duggar and Claire Spivey's courtship announcement on its website in September 2020, it seemed that the network planned on eventually filming their nuptials. At the time, Justin was just 17 years old. "God brought Claire into my life and I wasn't really expecting it, but he brought her along right when I needed her," he said. The couple wed in February 2021, and TLC canceled "Counting On" four months later in response to Josh's arrest. So, if the network filmed any footage of the couple's wedding, it never aired.

Jedidiah "Jed" Duggar and Katey Nakatsu got married in early April 2021, just weeks before Josh's arrest. "We have enjoyed quietly developing our relationship over the past year and every moment together has been amazing!" Jed wrote in part on Instagram. His twin, Jeremiah Duggar, announced his engagement to Hannah Wissmann in January 2022, and the couple tied the knot two months later. This has left Jason, James, and Jackson as the only unmarried adult Duggar sons, as of this writing.

In 2001, Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that they believe the Bible encourages them to spank their children (via QuiverFull). Michelle later explained on her Parentables blog that her family's infamous ban on pants and immodest clothing is also biblically inspired. But after a few Duggar daughters got married and moved out from under Jim Bob's umbrella of authority, the sinful allure of skinny jeans and sweatpants simply became too strong. For Jinger Duggar, trading jean skirts for actual jeans felt so monumental that she warned her parents that the wardrobe change was incoming. "When I first started wearing pants, I had conversations with them," she told People. In a YouTube video, Joy-Anna Duggar discussed her decision to give pants a chance, telling her viewers that it was something she and her husband spent a lot of time praying about. After a few years of Bible study, she, too, was ready for an inseam.

Jill Duggar told her YouTube subscribers that she similarly spoke to her husband, Derick Dillard, when she decided to start rocking pants and get her nose pierced. In 2020, Jill further shocked her Instagram followers by revealing that she'd enjoyed a piña colada of the non-virgin variety. "The Bible is very clear about drinking, and it simply says that alcohol is not a sin," Jinger told People. Oh, and Jinger also revealed that she no longer views dating and birth control as being worldly evils.

The Duggars avoid the hassle of booking commercial flights for over a dozen people (and having strangers gawk at them) by having a few pilots in the family who can fly their large clan to religious conferences and speaking events around the country. John David Duggar — Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's second-oldest son — is one of the members of the family who has obtained a pilot's license, but his love of taking to the sky almost ended in tragedy in October 2021. 

The Humphreys County Sheriff's Department in Waverly, Tennessee, told The Sun that John called 911 after crash-landing a Piper PA-30 plane with some family members onboard. "A family from Arkansas ran out of fuel and landed in a field," a spokesperson for the department said. However, People spoke to another rep who stated that John, who is also a certified flight instructor, blamed the scary incident on "double engine failure," not a failure to make sure that he had an adequate amount of fuel prior to takeoff.

John later revealed that his wife, Abbie Duggar, and their little girl, Grace, were passengers at the time of the crash. "An emergency landing or any kind of plane crash is a scary thing, but it's exactly what pilots are trained for. We are so thankful for God's protection, as we all walked away without injuries when this happened," John and Abbie said in a statement to Celebuzz.

Six months after Josh Duggar's 2021 arrest, Jim Bob Duggar announced his candidacy for the Arkansas State Senate. "Now more than ever, we need a bold voice that is pro-family, pro-business, pro-gun and pro-life," he wrote in part on Facebook. He finished third in the Republican primary. His son, Jedidiah Duggar, had made his own bid for political office the year prior. Jed labeled his Democratic opponent, Megan Godfrey, a "Liberal Princess" in a mailer that he sent out during the 2020 race to represent District 89 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. "People can try to diminish and erase girls by calling us names. We'll keep responding with dignity, bravery, and kindness," Godfrey tweeted in response to the attack. She ultimately defeated the younger Duggar.

Jim Bob was previously a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002, and he launched a failed U.S. Senate campaign in 2002. In his campaign platform, he argued that rape and incest should be punishable by death.

Meanwhile, Josh once had a political career as the executive director of FRC Action, the lobbying branch of the Family Research Council. In that capacity, Josh spoke out against the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide. In 2015, the man who is now spending over a decade in prison away from his children told CNS News, "Every single child deserves a mother and father." A few weeks later, Josh's molestation scandal would force him to resign from the FRC.