This week, Jill Duggar described dad Jim Bob’s efforts to sabotage her marriage.
His goal, she explained, was to keep her filming 19 Kids and Counting and then on Counting On.
After all, that’s how Jim Bob — and only Jim Bob — made a lot of money, she and Derick have explained.
Between Jill’s interview and the upcoming release of her memoir, Jill’s infamous parents have something to say.
Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar issued a statement to People in response to Jill Duggar’s interview and upcoming memoir.
“We love all of our children very much,” they claimed.
“As with any family,” the Duggar parents noted, “few things are more painful than conflicts or problems among those you love…”
“We do not believe the best way to resolve conflicts, facilitate forgiveness and reconciliation,” Jim Bob and Michelle listed.
They continued: “Or to communicate through difficulties is through the media or in a public forum.”
The infamous couple concluded: “So we will not comment.”
That lack of a “comment” sounds a bit like commentary to us.
If Jim Bob and Michelle had simply said we love our daughter in our own twisted, misguided, ultimately harmful way, but we have no further comment, that would be one thing.
But no. They decided to list the various reasons for which they felt that public commentary was inappropriate. Folks, that was public commentary in and of itself.
Simply put, they announced to the world that Jill is airing her grievances in the wrong “forum.”
Where exactly, we wonder, should a public figure expose the egregious wrongdoings of her toxic parents?
That’s not how this works.
We have no doubt that Jim Bob and Michelle would prefer for Jill to speak to them in private.
But that defeats the whole purpose of exposing their grift and their malice.
And it would give them the opportunity to once again pressure her into silence. When horrible parents like these two spend most of your life wearing someone down into an obedient incubator, they expect you to obey — at any age.
In fact, that is part of what Jill addresses in her book — and what she touched upon during her interview this week.
Being raised with the toxic notion that she must obey and “honor” her father at any age caused tremendous problems in her married life.
The cult expected her to seek Jim Bob’s blessing for any life choice. And he certainly wasn’t giving her the go-ahead to quit filming the show that was lining his pockets.
That said, we shouldn’t expect Jill to expose too much in this book. It sounds like the main focus will be upon the pressures and deception surrounding reality TV.
Jim Bob and Michelle are awful in so many ways that it could fill multiple books.
However people may feel about Jill and her siblings, they had an unenviable childhood. They — like all people — deserved better than what the Duggar household did to them.