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Jill Duggar’s Update on ‘Complicated’ Relationship With Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar


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Jill Duggar rarely spoke out on her relationship status with her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar.

The former 19 Kids and Counting star is the fourth child of Jim Bob and Michelle, and has had a complex relationship with her parents and been estranged from them for years.

When answering a question from a fan during an Instagram Q&A about her current relationship with her family, Jill, 33, described it as “complicated.” However, the Counting On alum explained they are working on repairing the relationship.

Jill Duggar
(L-R) Jessa Duggar, Jinger Duggar, Jill Duggar, and Jana Duggar visit “Extra” at their New York studios at H&M in Times Square on March 11, 2014 in New York City. The ’19 Kids and…


D Dipasupil/Getty Images

“I feel like we are in a rebuilding phase now, with healthy boundaries still in place,” Jill stated on Instagram.

The former TLC star noted she has been making time to see her parents. “We try to hang out whenever it works well, and we have the [mental] bandwidth to navigate things,” Jill remarked.

Jill married prosecuting attorney Derick Dillard back in 2014. The pair share three sons: Israel David, 9, Samuel Scott, 7, and Frederick “Freddy” Michael, 2.

In September 2023, the Arkansas native released a book titled Counting The Cost, which Dillard also helped write. In the book, the couple detailed what went on behind the scenes of the show and the toxic culture in which Jill was raised.

Jill spoke to Good Morning America and discussed the book and her tumultuous relationship with her parents. When asked if she was estranged from her parents, Jill responded, “Oh yeah, for sure.” Jill also claimed she was sexually abused by her brother Josh Duggar who is currently in prison for child pornography charges and said it hurt her how her parents protected him. “There’s like one point where I call my dad out about it and say you treat me worse than you treat my brother,” she stated.

In April, the couple shared the devastating news about their daughter Isla Marie’s stillbirth with the public. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard,” the reality TV personalities wrote via a joint Instagram post. “Jill was 4 months pregnant (due in August) when we found out that our baby died in utero.”

The family paid a visit to her gravesite last month. Jill shared a video on Instagram documenting the experience, which included laying fresh flowers by Isla’s marker to honor her Jill’s parents were not in attendance.



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