Long before Josh Duggar got arrested on child pornography charges, Jill Duggar cut ties with the family that raised her to accept abuse from men, and to feel guilt and shame any time she received unwanted attention.
And we’re sure the events of the past month only confirmed to Jill that she made the right decision.
But just because Jill had the good sense to distance herself from her family, that doesn’t mean this has been an easy time for her.
She’s still grappling with the knowledge that her brother might be headed for a 40-year prison sentence.
Of course, Josh is also the man who molested Jill and her sisters when they were children, so the mother of two is probably experiencing a confusing mix of emotions right now.
And the Duggars knew about the charges against Josh way back in November of 2019, so Jill’s been going through all of this for 18 months.
Did the knowledge of Josh’s many misdeeds factor into Jill’s decision to break free from her toxic family?
We may never know for sure, but one thing is for certain:
The situation seems to be causing her major stress.
Like the rest of her family, Jill has been largely steering clear of social media in recent weeks.
She hasn’t been avoiding Instagram and other platforms entirely, but she has been posting less frequently.
Earlier this week, however, Jill shared a video on Instagram Live in which she opened up about a health issue she’s been experiencing.
Jill surprised fans by revealing that she’s been suffering from what appeared to be stress-induced acne.
“I had some really bad breakouts, maybe from hormones, stress, or possibly hand lotion that was getting on my face when I was sleeping, and my breakout was really bad,” she told her followers.
“My face was really crazy and we were going to have family pictures made and I was super concerned about it.”
Now, Jill has been known to occasionally profit from sponsored content posts, and despite the confessional nature of her latest video, it’s one that she was paid to post.
From there, Jill launched into an endorsement of a facial cleanser that cleared up her acne in a matter of weeks.
She shared a series of before-and-after photos as proof and informed her followers that she could “definitely tell a difference.”
The photos she posted — assuming they’re undoctored — serve as compelling evidence that Jill’s miracle cure is quite the product.
But fans seemed less interested in this medical breakthrough than in the causes of Jill’s breakouts.
Is the stress she’s experiencing a result of Josh’s arrest and upcoming trial?
Again, it’ll probably be quite some time before Jill feels that she’s able to speak freely about these matters, but her initial comments on the subject confirm what fans had already suspected:
Namely, that Jill is having an enormously difficult time processing the events of the past month.
“We’re very sad about the whole thing, it’s horrible. It’s all very sad,” she and Derick said in a statement issued shortly after Josh’s arrest.
“Josh’s wife Anna is pregnant with their seventh child, I cannot imagine how she is feeling,” the couple continued.
“Obviously if there is anything there related to child pornography, we hope that justice is done,” Derick added.
“We’re sad for Anna, put yourself in her situation and imagine how you would feel if that happened with your family member,” Dillard went on.
“I imagine it would be really hard.”
Obviously, that’s a massive understatement.
We join Jill and Derick in their hope that justice will be served, and we hope that all those who have been victimized can begin to experience a modicum of peace.