15 Creepy Facts About The Duggars You NEED To Know
For 10 seasons fans watched the Duggar family grow from 17 to 18 to "19 Kids and Counting" on their TLC reality show. They gained popularity as being family friendly and introduced strict Christian values to the reality TV mainstream, giving the religious types something to tune into. Well… you couldn't really imagine them watching the Kardashians every week!
The devout Baptists' lifestyle may have challenged popular society, but every week they brought in big ratings as TLC's number one show. Millions of people tuned in to see the huge family go about their daily lives and navigate relationships with one another while maintaining a conservative lifestyle. They received much backlash during their time on television and were catapulted into the limelight, but none of them were ready for their ultimate downfall when their scandal rocked the nation. No one, fans and foes alike, expected that this wholesome family had such scandals under their belt, especially of this magnitude. Here are 15 scandals that caused the undoing of one of America's favorite reality television families. If you weren't already pleased they are finally off of our TV screens then you will be after you read this.
15 Birth Control Causes Miscarriages
Understandably, we can only be responsible for ourselves and not for the decisions of others. However, if we surround ourselves with questionable characters, people will start to doubt our judgment.
Back in 2013 the Duggars' family friend Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries, went on record to admit that he cheated on his wife. He later resigned from his position, and the following year the Phillips family nanny, Lourdes Torres-Manteufel, filed a lawsuit against Doug accusing him of groping (and worse) on her. She said she was forced into a relationship with him, but Doug's attorney called the claims “false, defamatory, and made with malicious intent.
Another Duggars family friend, Bill Gothard, stepped down from his position as the leader of the Institute in Basic Life Principles. Bill faced a scandal when a number of women in his organization stepped forward and accused him of abuse. This was the same place that Josh Duggar went to receive treatment for his issues with underage girls. An investigation on Bill cleared him of doing anything wrong, but he did admit, “My actions of holding of hands, hugs and touching of feet or hair with young ladies crossed the boundaries of discretion and were wrong.”
13 Beer Protest
There's a long list of people who aren't happy with the Duggars, and animal rights organization PETA stands among the crowd. In 2015 Derick Dillard, husband to Jill Duggar, posted a video clip to Instagram of him sledding in the snow with his family. There was a cat at the bottom of the hill and he ran right into it, angering animal lovers worldwide, turning an afternoon of fun into a full-blown scandal.
PETA released a statement demanding that Derick apologize for his actions. "Might doesn't make right, but that's the message you have sent to scores of impressionable young children and loyal fans," Sarah Withrow King, PETA's Director of Christian Outreach, wrote. "I hope you'll publicly apologize for your actions, and remind your followers that Jesus' command to 'do unto others' includes all of God's creatures."
11 Josh Duggar gets caught
In one of the most shocking revelations in reality television history, it was revealed that Josh Duggar had fondled four of his younger sisters and a babysitter when he was 14 and 15-years-old. What disgusted the public even more, however, was when the Duggar parents admitted that they were aware of their son's actions but decided to handle it within their church and family, placing Josh in therapy to help him.
The accusations date back to 2002 and were even reported to the police. Josh admitted to his parents in 2002 and 2003 that he fondled young girls while they were both sleeping and awake, and his parents reportedly sent him away for treatment and he went to live with a family friend.
"Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends," Josh, said when he was 27-years-old. "I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling."
10 Wife Knew About It
Not only did the Duggars know about Josh's horrific indiscretions and kept it a secret, Josh's wife, Anna, was also aware of her husband's past. It isn't even as if it was a huge revelation that happened after she already said "I do." She was well aware that he inappropriately touched four of his sisters before they were married, and agreed to walk down the aisle anyway. Some people suggested, however, that there was pressure put on Anna within their religious community. Sources claimed that her parents urged her to accept Josh's proposal and marry him, even though she had serious reservations.
“It definitely wasn't portrayed in its entirety,” a close friend told PEOPLE. “I don't think she understood the entirety of what had happened. It was kind of something that was swept under the rug and nobody made a big deal out of it.”
9 Jill And Jessa Defended Josh
Two of the Duggar sisters, Jill and Jessa, were victims by their brother Josh and in an interview with "The Kelly File" defended him against the naysayers who think of him as a monster.
“I do want to speak up in his defense against people who are calling him names, some people are saying," Jessa said. "I'm like that is so overboard and a lie really. I mean people get mad at me for saying that but I can say this because I was one of the victims.”
Josh and his wife Anna released a joint statement to the media that read, "We pray that as people watch our lives they see that we are not a perfect family. We have challenges and struggles everyday. It is one of the reasons we treasure our faith so much because God's kindness and goodness and forgiveness are extended to us - even though we are so undeserving."
8 Josh Duggar Sued By Film Star
Josh's scandals began to spiral out of control, and just when everyone thought that they couldn't get any worse, they did. Adult film star and escort Danica Dillon filed a lawsuit against Josh, stating that he physically assaulted her during a naughty rendezvous gone wrong.
According to Danica, Josh paid her twice for two separate encounters. She said that it went beyond what they agreed to and she felt as if he had taken it way too far, and if needed, she would have her therapists testify on her behalf.
"I tried to be seductive," Dillon said. "And then he was like, 'No, let's get straight to the point,' and [we] took our clothes off, took his clothes off, and he was very rough with me."
She sought $500,000 in damages but Josh said that he never hurt her at all. She later dropped her suit and agreed not to refile in the future.
7 Josh Used Ashley Madison
Website Ashley Madison gained popularity as the place to go for marrieds looking to secretly cheat on their spouses with others who were looking for the same clandestine rendezvous. In July of 2015 a team of hackers breached the site and stole the user data which was later released to the public. The list was massive and soon thousands of people including politicians, celebrities, and religious figures faced humiliation.
Of those listed, child m*lester Josh Duggar's name was found to be on the list not just once, but twice. That's right, Josh had two paid accounts with the website. Maybe he kept a backup just in case his wife found the first one? Whatever his reason, this was just the latest of Duggar's list of secrets that just kept unfolding and tarnishing his wholesome family name.
6 Clothing Ban
If you thought your parents were strict when it came to your wardrobe, you haven't met the Duggars. The kids had a slew of rules when it came to what they could and couldn't wear, and they followed their parent's every restriction. The girls weren't allowed to wear skirts that went above the knee, but most of the time they just opted for the longer variety.
As a rule, the family avoided beaches or any other areas that promoted bathing suits because they didn't want any of the children, especially the females, to show skin. The Duggar parents didn't want their little girls to "defraud men" and turned to the Bible for guidance, citing Deuteronomy 22:5 which reads, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God."
5 Exploitation Of Fans
After being on TLC for so long, the Duggars cashed in on their reality show and following appearances. It's estimated that they were paid $25,000 to $45,000 per episode, meaning that the family made millions from their show.
So it's no surprise that fans were outraged when Jessa Duggar and husband Ben Seewald solicited money and gifts from the public when they found out that they were expecting. The family reportedly wrote on their blog, “For readers who have asked about sending gift cards to the Seewalds, Jessa told us that her favorite stores are Target and Walmart.” People accused them of being frauds and trying to exploit fans even though they were making money from their television appearances. Others accused them of going broke, but the family is far from having money problems.
4 Pants On Fire
Another case of the Duggars lying? What? No…
In the midst of Josh Duggar's unfolding scandal, Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard declared on their family blog that they were going on a missionary trip to Central America. The couple reached out to the fans asking for help to fund the trip, but it didn't take long for criticism to overshadow their news.
“God has put a desire in our hearts to serve Him internationally for longer than the typical short-term mission trip," they wrote. "It's something we've prayed about together in an effort to seek God's plan for our lives in His service."
People accused the couple of defrauding their fans because even though they told everyone they were going out on a long-term missions trip, they returned home after only two months. It was also revealed that the couple weren't cleared to be missionaries through their church because they never completed the necessary classes. Some people who donated wanted their money back and the Dillards were more than happy to issue those refunds.
3 Spare The Rod
The saying goes "spare the rod, spoil the child," and according to a police report, Jim Bob and Michelle took that Biblical proverb seriously. The parents were also accused of providing insufficient living conditions for their family early on as they lived in a three bedroom house with 18 people. Both parents are licensed real estate agents, leaving many to believe that they knew that their living conditions violated Arkansas law. Those who looked into the Duggars' lifestyle suggested that the close quarters for the children aided in the child scandal case of four of their daughters by one of their sons, and was a clear case of child endangerment. For some time, the public took to social media to call for charges to be filed against the parents who they said are partially responsible for what happened to their children.
2 Teaching Evolution Causes Racism
Jessa uploaded a video to her YouTube account of her husband, Ben Seewald having a discussion with his friend, Dante Berry, about racism and Christianity. Both men agreed that racism in faith is "from the devil," but Ben suggested that the teaching of evolution tells people that one group can grow and develop to be better than another and fuels a racist heart.
“There's been a lot of, like, tension in America,” Ben Seewald said, “between, like, blacks and whites, and in the media, too. There's been all these reports and, like, 'race war' and, you know, going on and everything, and these killings and people saying, 'Hey, we're trying to start a race war?' How should we respond to that as Christians?”
“That's right, there's no room for racism in Christianity,” said Seewald. “That all comes from the devil. That all comes from, like, this false religion out here, evolution, that stuff? Teaching that, like, some people are 'more evolved?'… In Christ, we're all one. Man looks at the outward, while God looks at the heart.”
1 Wives Should Always Comply With Husband's Needs
The Duggars make sure they let it be known that intimacy before marriage is a no-no, but many were shocked at Michelle's comments about what goes down in the bedroom after a couple exchanges vows.
While dishing out marriage advice on "The Today Show," Michelle discussed how a wife should satisfy her husband's needs, especially in the bedroom. “In your marriage there will be times you're going to be very exhausted,” she said. “Your hubby comes home after a hard day's work, you get the baby to bed, and he is going to be looking forward to that time with you.… Anyone can fix him lunch, but only one person can meet that physical need of love that he has, and you always need to be available when he calls.”
Outrage ensued among viewers who took to social media to accuse Michelle of advocating slavery. Now, that's a bit of a stretch from what she actually said, but to suggest that wives need to be ready for their husbands every time they want to get busy isn't a popular idea either.