‘19 Kids and Counting’ is an American reality television series that documented the life of the extensive Duggar family. The reality series was very popular among audiences, earning a reception that made it one of TLC Network’s most popular shows, that was until its cancellation in 2015. As fans and viewers would learn, the conservative Duggar family hid dark secrets from their formerly adoring public.

Despite an apparently scandalous end to ‘19 Kids and Counting’, neither the Duggar family nor TLC was prepared to end the entertainment, and through popular demand, returned to television in the form of a spin-off, ‘Counting On’.

Once again led by the patriarch of the Duggar family, Jim Bob, the controversial though popular family returned to entertain their many followers. Consisting of Jim Bob and his wife Michelle Duggar, along with their 19 children, the Duggar family drew viewers’ intrigue yet again, as ‘Counting On’ continued the family’s former glory.

As the years passed, the Duggar children effectively grew up in front of the camera, each earning their respective fame as reality television stars. Of particular note though, the eldest Duggars who were all born by the time the Duggar family earned their fame, drew the most interest. Sadly, some of the older siblings attracted attention for scandalous behaviour, while others earned the curiosity of viewers.

Unfortunately, the Duggar family secrets would yet again be exposed, with some of the children, in particular Jill and Jinger Duggar, speaking out against the lifestyle their parents adopted. As before, the Duggars’ now ruined reputation again led to the cancellation of the series that ended in 2021.

Regardless, some fans continue to show their support for the most beloved members of the family, keeping up with them through their social media portals, and of course the latest Amazon Prime documentary series, ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’.

The new documentary, intent on spilling all the rotten details of the family, would once again bring the older siblings into the limelight, and as such, many have been wondering how Jill Duggar is doing today.

What To Expect

Diving into Jill’s life, both past and present, taking a brief look at her early life as she appeared in ‘19 Kids and Counting’, unfortunately also discussing the tragic abuse she experienced at the hands of her brother Josh. The discussion will include Jill’s views on her abuse, while also exploring the full events and consequences.

Following this, the discussion will take a closer look at how Jill Duggar’s love life took shape, as she later married Derick Dillard. After briefly revisiting Jill’s romance with Derick, and diving into their marriage, we will also discuss the couple’s difficulties, especially the disagreements they had with Jill’s family.

We will continue by taking a look at how life continued for Jill, sharing her latest inspirations after Jill adopted a new look. We will also be discussing her departure from the show, and her reactions to the latest release of ‘Shiny Happy People’.

A Conservative Early Life

Born on 17 May 1991, in Tontitown, Arkansas, as Jill Michelle Duggar, the second daughter and fourth child of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Jill was raised under strict, conservative beliefs. As Jim Bob and Michelle would explain during the filming of the earliest Discovery Health documentaries, they wanted God to choose how many children they should have.

It quickly became apparent that the Duggars led a strongly religious-inspired lifestyle, adhering to extreme practices and elaborate beliefs that would eventually earn them fame as a curious intrigue surrounding their expansive family. Though they identified as Independent Baptists, many viewers considered the Duggars followers of the Quiverfull movement; despite denying any association with their religious inspirations, people nonetheless believed that the Duggars’ principles and lifestyle are quite similar and thus related to the Quiverfull movement.

The Duggars would later be inspired by the shamed minister Bill Gothard, conforming to the beliefs described as part of Gothard’s Institute In Basic Life Principles and The Advanced Training Institute’s teachings. Jim Bob and Michelle acted as advocates of their chosen conservative lifestyle for the many years they spent chasing fame on reality television.

As can be expected, the Duggar children were raised within the strict confines of their parents’ lifestyle choices. Some of the principals include being socially reserved, and as such all the Duggar children are homeschooled. They also have to adhere to chaperoned courting, an ideology that enforces that romantic relationships can only be formed with the consent of the family patriarch, and under his observation. All forms of media were also reserved from the family, limited to only a few monitored programs deemed as acceptable entertainment.

Other rules of conformity also require that men keep to strictly masculine styling, wearing their hair short and appropriate clothing. Women also had to conform to strict rules, guided by the preservation of feminine purity. They had to sport longer hairstyles and were strictly forbidden to wear revealing clothes, such as tank tops, and skirts that rise above the knee.

Jill lived her early life as part of the Duggar family, raised with these strict beliefs along with her many siblings. She made her first television appearance in 2004 at the age of 13, as the world looked in on the family’s everyday life in the Discovery documentary ‘14 Children and Pregnant Again’.

In 2006, Jill once again starred in two more reality television productions, the first, ‘Raising 16 Children’, aired shortly following the birth of Johannah, her then-youngest sister. This was soon followed by the release of ‘On The Road With 16 Children’, which documented a family holiday drive across the US.

By 2008, the Duggar family had earned their own, dedicated television series, then known as ‘17 Children and Counting’, which continued to grow as Jim Bob and Michelle welcomed more children into the world. For several years, the series would continue to grace our televisions, and viewers watched as the Duggar children aged in front of the camera.

Unfortunately, ‘19 Children and Counting’ was cancelled in 2015, following Joshua ‘Josh’ Duggar’s confession to sexually abusing five girls, four of whom were his younger sisters. The revelation and truth about the eldest Duggar sibling surfaced shortly before the show’s cancellation. At the time, Jill turned 24 and had embarked on her adult life, though it would be revealed that the allegations against Josh started before ‘19 Kids and Counting’ first aired.

On 21 May 2015, In Touch Weekly Magazine published a 2006 police report that would reveal that Josh sexually abused five girls in 2002 and 2003. According to the report, Josh would inappropriately touch the girls while they were asleep, and on occasions while they were awake. At the time, Josh was 14 and 15 years old, and according to the gossip article, was never properly prosecuted for his crimes. By 2015, the limitations had already expired, and in 2016, the case turned cold.

In the wake of the 2015 revelations, many more of Josh’s secret scandals would surface, including accusations that an adult film star was his paid mistress. Fans of ‘19 Children and Counting’ did even more digging into Josh’s past, stumbling on old footage from the earlier documentaries in which Josh jokes about incestual sex. This video quickly went viral, and fans were appalled by the true nature it revealed in Josh Duggar’s character.

Instead of prosecuting their son, the Duggar family heads, Michelle and Jim Bob tried their best to protect Josh, who was admitted into several religious institutes to help him overcome his disgusting habits. Following the revelation, the Duggars would accuse the gossip publication that ran the story of obtaining the police report illegally, though their claims were refuted and later dropped.

Josh published a public apology, stating that he acted inexcusably, and resigned from both the show and his position at the Family Research Council. Despite the Duggar parents’ attempt to save their son, and the show, fans drew up a petition on Change.org, calling for the cancellation of the series. The show was immediately removed from viewing on all the networks where it was available, and all affiliated advertisers also withdrew from the show.

In June 2015, while appearing on Megyn Kelly’s Fox News talk show ‘The Kelly Files’, Jill identified herself as one of Josh’s victims, though it seemed as if she wanted to defend her brother. For the most part, Jill stated that she never knew about the abuse until her parents informed her about her brother’s behaviour. Jill would later state that she regrets doing the interview, but details concerning Josh’s case suggested that his victims were aware of what happened to them.

Anna, Josh’s wife, stated that she knew about Josh’s crimes two years before she married him, solemnly believing that the multiple rehabilitation programs Josh attended changed his life. The Duggar family recalls this as a dark time in their life, motivating them to achieve a deeper relationship with God.

Josh faced new charges in 2021, this time in regards to child pornography found in his possession, and was sentenced to twelve years in prison. It seemed that all the help in the world could not change Josh.

Of course, the latest revelations aired in the documentary ‘Shiny Happy People’, created even more shockwaves among gossip publications hungry for the truth about the Duggar family. Among these revelations, fans would learn that Josh’s habits started when he was twelve, and that he would keep his sins a secret under his parents’ guidance – Josh was instructed to only reveal his felony behaviour to girlfriends after marriage.

Naturally, Jill also revealed greater insights on ‘Shiny Happy People’, and had quite a lot to say, especially concerning her past trauma. Among some of her confessional insights, Jill revealed that she, along with her sister Jessa, was pressured into defending Josh during their ‘Kelly Files’ interview by Jim Bob, told that it would be in the better interest of the family, and the show.

Jill also confessed that her father, Jim Bob, tricked her into staying on with the show longer than she wanted to, by making her sign a contract under fraudulent invitation. Jim presented the contract to her the day before her wedding, and as Jill explained, she signed it believing it to be related to marital documents. Unfortunately, she signed to appear in more episodes, along with her husband, Derrick Dillard.

Despite the cancellation of ‘19 Kids and Counting’, Jill would once again make an appearance in the spin-off series, ‘Counting On’. That was until 2017, when Jill and her family decided to walk away from reality television completely.

Before returning to television, Jill and her sisters, Jenna, Jessa and Jinger, co-wrote the book ‘Growing Up Duggar: It Is All About Relationships’. The book documented most of their lives as part of the Duggar family, and was published in 2014, a year before the true scandals would become public. With the show cancelled, Jill attempted to move on with her life, even becoming a midwife in late 2015 but failed to become certified.

Currently, Jill has chosen to continue her career as an author, as her latest book, ‘Counting the Cost’, will be released in September 2023.

Jill and Derick

While most of the details about their romance is shrouded in obscurity, Jill and Derick shared a great deal of their love life with the audiences of ‘19 Children and Counting’, and later again in ‘Counting On’. From their initial courting, of course under the strict rules posed by Jim Bob, the couple’s wedding, and even the birth of their firstborn son, Israel, includes some of the life events Jill and Derick shared with the cameras.

Details about how Jill and Derick initially met remain vague, but following their courtship, the couple married in 2014, and have remained happy together since. There have hardly ever been rumours or suggestions of a split between them, and Jill often shares her marital experience and advice on her personal family vlog.

Among some of the advice Jill presented to her followers, she stated that a healthy, regular sex life would prove to be very beneficial for married couples, suggesting that they need this romantic time together up to five times a week.

The couple has since welcomed two more children to their family, sons Samuel, and the latest addition, Frederick. Sadly though, Jill experienced a miscarriage shortly before announcing her pregnancy with Frederick. About the miscarriage, Jill stated that she was heartbroken and will miss her child, but believes that she’s living blissfully in heaven. Although they could not tell the gender yet, Jill and Derick chose the name River Bliss for their deceased baby, as it best represented the child’s purpose.

As if suffering the loss of a child is not enough, the Dillard family would continue to experience difficulties, specifically with Jill’s family. While the show seldom played host to any on-screen disputes or drama, plenty of strife took place once the cameras stopped filming.

Aside from being bullied into appearing on “Counting On’, Jill also revealed on ‘Shiny Happy People’ that neither she, nor any of her siblings got paid for their participation on any of the shows. The blame for this, however, could squarely fall on Jim Bob.

As Jill confessed, for the first seven years of her adult life, she never received any payments, and after calling out TLC, she was directed to her father. Producers informed Jill that they paid the family, and should she have any further inquiries, she should speak with her father, Jim Bob.

According to a 2021 report, Jim Bob earned up to $850,000 per season, and he was the sole proprietor of the Duggar family’s finances, and as such was responsible for paying each of the family members. Jill included in her revelations that Jim Bob offered to pay Derick, her husband, $10 an hour for his appearance on the show.

Naturally, this caused plenty of arguments, and as Jill stills holds up, she never saw any money whatsoever. This, coupled with the lack of creative control Jill had over ‘Counting On’, which was supposed to strictly document the older Duggar siblings’ lives, her father’s manipulation, and their exclusion from important family events and announcements, was simply too much.

In 2017, three years before ‘Counting On’ would be removed from the air, Jill and Derick decided to part ways with the show, even going so far as to create a rift in the family, separating the Dillards from the Duggars. While this caused its fair share of drama on the series and amidst the Duggar family, fans and viewers were sad to see Jill leave.

Unfortunately, it would take several years before fans would learn the truth about why Jill left the show, and all of the previously mentioned reasons she explained on ‘Shiny Happy People’, were the motivation she needed to take back full control of her own life.

Now, following the birth of her youngest child, Frederick, Jill is planning on living life on her own terms while still honouring the religious teachings from her youth, by being the best mother and wife in her capabilities. Other than that, Jill wrote her personal memoir, and no doubt, there will be plenty of revelations about the Duggar family contained in its pages. Sadly, fans would have to wait until it hits the shelves before diving further into the cult-like life of the Duggars.

Conclusion

While things may have always seemed rosy and shiny within the Duggar household, the focal point of the reality television series ‘19 Children and Counting’, the truth showed their adoring public that dark secrets can lurk in anyone’s closet.

From sexual scandals to fraudulent manipulation, the Duggars have many secrets, but unfortunately for those intrigued by the lives of the Duggars, the shows, including ‘Counting On’, have been completely removed from the air.

The only mention fans can now find of the Duggars are, of course, the Duggar sisters’ publications, and the Amazon Prime documentary series, ‘Shiny Happy People’.

If this interests you, feel free to dive into the darker side and story behind the once-successful Duggar family.

Glen Brittner

“Hoarders” fans and members of the general public have been haunted by the mysterious death of Glen Brittner since August 2015, when he was found dead after a grisly home invasion. The businessman appeared in the show’s third season, and tugged on the public’s heartstrings after revealing that his hoarding obsession began when his wife passed away. The “Hoarders” crew helped Glen get his home back on track after it was overrun by rodents; it turns out that the widower had bought a few to raise as pets, while underestimating how quickly they’d multiply.

Almost eight years have passed since the fateful day Glen was found dead by one of his employees. As of August 2015, the former hoarder was living alone in his Antelope Valley home, which also served as the headquarters for his business, Domestic Water Delivery. Glen was found with his hands and feet tied together with zip-ties and a bleeding head wound; strangely enough, his wheelchair was nowhere to be found.

Glen was alive when found, but in critical condition and unable to speak. After ten days in a coma, he passed away surrounded by heartbroken friends and family. Authorities had reason to believe that at least two men were involved in the home invasion, and had taken TVs, power tools, and $2,000 that Glen kept in a safe.

The plot thickened when detectives became involved in the case, and learnt that Glen was well-known for his generosity, and often offered strangers a meal or a place to stay at his home. A popular theory was that Glen had been taken advantage of by one or more of the very strangers whom he sought to help, as the businessman wasn’t known to be on bad terms with anyone.

In November 2016, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department offered an attractive $20,000 reward to anyone who could come forward with useful information. Glen’s family members, such as his son Derek, also spoke out, with the latter saying: “Learning that my dad was attacked in his home shattered our family.”

Physical evidence was recovered from the scene, but the authorities needed help determining who may have been at Glen’s home. Glen was last seen at about 10 p.m. the night before the attack, and was found twelve and a half hours later in critical condition. There was no sign of a forced entry into the home, so it’s very possible that Glen had inadvertently invited his attackers in.

Glen had been living in the neighborhood for 30 years, and was a well-known member of his community thanks to his water business, which he inherited from his father. If clients couldn’t pay for the water – which came from a well on his property – Glen would reportedly allow them to pay off their debt by working at his business, or even take water if they promised to pay him later.

As Glen’s case generated more public interest, other details of his personal life were revealed. The entrepreneur loved working on motorcycles, camping with his relatives, and bonding with his grandchild, Emmett, who was just two years old when the home invasion took place. At the age of 18, Glen suffered the first important loss in his life when his father committed suicide. In 1998, his wife died of massive heart failure at the untimely age of 39.

Glen’s mental health spiraled following the death of his wife, until the “Hoarders” crew helped him get rid of the 2,500 rats living on his property. Even so, the Californian often suffered from loneliness, and would invite strangers to his home to help them out, and no doubt for company.

“This man suffered a terrible and tragic death that shouldn’t have occurred,” Capt. Steve Katz told reporters of the LA Times. “I think someone took advantage of his trust.”

In 2018, more of Glen’s family members came forward with a public appeal for information. Despite the $20,000 cash reward that had been offered two years prior, nobody came forward or offered any helpful leads.

In an official statement to authorities, Glen’s brother Gary declared: “People should come forward with information to protect themselves and the community from the murderers… How could someone be so cowardly and vile as to attack and beat to death a nearly 60-year-old crippled man?”

Other “Hoarders” stories that ended in tragedy include Laura’s case. A terminally ill cancer patient, Laura appeared in the show’s third season, and had so much accumulated clutter in her home that she could only sleep on the sofa. During the heartbreaking episode, one of Laura’s daughters, Michelle, confessed to feeling that her mother was ruining their lives due to the amount of junk they lived with.

Laura broke down crying at one point during the clean-up process, believing that if the home environment improved, so would her fractured relationship with her family. Michelle added that she had struggled with various health issues such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and a myriad of allergies, due to the shoddy condition the home was in.

At the end of the episode, Laura’s family was much more hopeful for the future. However, the hoarder’s health declined after filming, and she died before her story aired.

Last but not least is Augustine’s story. Her hoarding was so bad that her son, Jason, was taken away by Child Protective Services, and never allowed to return to the home. Although Jason wasn’t living in the same state at the time of filming, he returned years later, and helped his mother clear her home out. Unfortunately for Jason, his mother confessed during a follow-up special that she hadn’t been trying to keep the house clean since the “Hoarders” crew left.

We don’t know exactly what happened between Jason and Augustine, but at the end of her section in the follow-up episode, it was revealed that he hadn’t come back since the initial clean-up, and had no plans on doing so. In 2010, he also shared a sad Facebook post in which he revealed how his childhood had been negatively impacted by his mother’s hoarding addiction.

As hoarding disorder is classified as being part of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) spectrum, it’s common for hoarders to slip back into their bad habits after getting help. Perhaps what makes Glen’s case even more heartbreaking is that he had genuinely moved on from his disorder, and was trying to start over. Although the authorities have stopped actively investigating the case, those close to Glen will always keep his memory alive.

Megan Danielle

Millions of viewers tuned in to the Season 21 finale of “American Idol” on 21^st May 2023. Many were rooting for young Georgia native Megan Danielle to win the coveted $250,000 and recording contract; however, the talented brunette lost out to Iam Tongi, despite wowing the crowds and judges with her performances throughout the evening.

Megan donned an eye-catching blue dress for her first performance of the night, an incredible cover of Keith Urban’s “God Whispered Your Name”. The show’s judges – Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan – were blown away by her soulful vocals, with Katy complimenting Danielle’s artistic growth and newfound abilities.

“It’s a version of you that’s always been inside of you, and it’s so comfortable and proud of how far you’ve come and I think our job here is done because that’s the gift,” Katy declared.

Later, Megan sang Journey’s “Faithfully”, her debut single “Dream Girl”, and a duet with Lauren Daigle. Throughout the night, she was showered with praise, with Luke Bryan describing one performance as “beautiful from top to bottom”.

As is the case with every season finale, netizens took to social media platforms almost immediately when the results were announced to voice their discontent. However, many criticized Megan’s debut single and blamed it on her not winning, with one Instagram user writing: “This performance was painful to watch. From her audition to all of her other performances… I don’t feel her at all in this song and thus [sic] is her ‘new’ already? She looks like she doesn’t truly want to be singing this.”

Meanwhile, Megan’s fans felt that Iam didn’t deserve to be the winner. “He [Iam] is someone that you would see playing in a coffee house or something similar… he was voted on for his story and his heart instead of his talent… he has talent just not at the level of Meghan [sic], too often Idol is a popularity contest!!” one disgruntled Instagram user commented.

Megan is no stranger to talent shows, as she was also in Season 18 of “The Voice”. The brown-eyed brunette became part of judge Kelly Clarkson’s team, following a heartfelt rendition of “Remedy” by Adele. During the Battles stage of the competition, she covered the Dixie Chicks’ “On Top of the World” and won against Samantha Howell, soon becoming a fan favorite. Similarly, she fought for a spot on the show against CammWess in the Knockouts stage, and was later saved by Kelly during the Live Playoffs.

Ultimately, Megan was eliminated in the semifinals after a lackluster performance. She was just 17 years old At the time, and would take a break from TV for the next few years until her grand comeback on “Idol”.

The Christian singer-songwriter was born in Douglasville, Georgia in November 2003. Her parents, DJ Phillips and Monica Page separated during her childhood, with Monica becoming Danielle’s primary caregiver. Her father, who is the owner of Phillips Electrical, has always worked in the residential and small commercial electricity sector.

Many details of Megan’s personal life and education remain a mystery, but we do know that her boyfriend, Levi Walker, is her number-one supporter, and will surely remain at her side while she works on taking her promising career to the next level.

Iam Tongi

Next up we’ll discuss Iam Tongi, the unlikely winner of this year’s “Idol”. At just 18 years old, the Hawaii native has been considered a force to be reckoned with since his audition, a performance of James Blunt’s “Monsters” that quickly went viral and racked up millions of views on YouTube.

“I really love performing live,” Iam told HollywoodLife. “It just feels good when I’m on that stage and the lights and I just close my eyes and get into that feel. When other people witness that and also can connect to it’s just crazy.”

Iam, who moved to Seattle in 2020, suffered the devastating loss of his father a few months before his “Idol” audition; after that airing, Iam shared a photo of his father’s graveside and captioned it: “I got that golden ticket dad, wish you were here.”

The high school senior, who has made history as the first Hawaiian to win the talent show, is also the first non-country singer to take the first place since 2020. Iam, who’s of Tongan, Samoan and Irish descent, hails from the small town of Kahuku and was forced to move with his family when they were “priced out of paradise”.

Iam studies at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Washington, and previously auditioned for “Idol” when his father was alive. Despite not passing the initial screening, he was encouraged to keep working on his music by his father, who always had high expectations for him.

The Hawaii native is aware that his father wasn’t a perfect man, but has said that he was the best father he knew, adding: “I want everyone to know that he’s a tough guy. He always told me the truth, he always loved me. And I always loved him too.”

Interestingly, Iam often loses his voice before performing, and makes sure to wear a warm scarf around his neck and drink plenty of fluids to avoid that from happening. Before being crowned the winner of the 21^st season, he also performed his original single “I’ll Be Seeing You”, which he dedicated to his father.

With over 335,000 followers on TikTok and another 615,000 on Instagram (and counting), the future is looking bright for Iam. Despite being accused by some of Megan’s fans of using his father’s death to his advantage in order to win the public over, many others felt that the high school senior was deserving of the prize.

Just a couple of days after winning, Iam’s original single was #1 on iTunes USA and #36 worldwide. Although we don’t know what the future holds for him or Megan, both are reportedly planning on doing as many live shows as possible, while they work on original music.