Earlier this month, the Duggars celebrated Christmas the same way they do everything else:
In large numbers, and with an ignorant disregard for how anyone else in the world might be affected by their actions.
The Duggar Christmas party attracted negative press for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which was that the Duggars gathered in a group with no concern for social-distancing and not a mask in sight.
Maybe they decided to celebrate the birth of their savior by sending a few people to the afterlife, of maybe they just believe the coronavirus is a hoax.
This is Jim Bob Duggar we’re talking about, so neither explanation would surprise us.
Another major reason that the party drew so much attention was Jim Bob and Michelle’s insistence on making out the entire time.
This might not have been so weird, were it not for the fact that everyone was stone sober, and their kids watched and cheered them on. Icky, no?
Anyway, believe it or not, this family holiday party in Northwest Arkansas (or “NWA” as the Duggars obliviously refer to it) has now sparked a third mini-scandal.
This one involves the absence of Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard.
If you’re a follower of the Counting On clan, then you’re probably aware that Derick has been feuding with Jim Bob for quite some time now.
The situation is so bad that Jill has reportedly cut off contact with much of her family.
Some fans speculated that Derick and Jill were invited, but chose not to attend.
One decided to go straight to the source and ask Derick, who was quick to set the record straight:
“No, we were not invited or told about it,” he responded.
Now, that’s a pretty serious accusation, as it shifts the blame for the Duggar Civil War toward Jim Bob and Michelle.
Not surprisingly, Jim Bob has remained mum on the subject.
In fact, he really hasn’t said a word about his feud with Derick the entire time it’s been going on.
But when a fan asked Jessa Duggar about the situation on her YouTube page, Jill’s younger sister gave a very different account of how it all went down.
“How is that a Duggar family Christmas, when your sister and your brother-in-law are not there because your family has ostracized them?” the fan asked
They probably didn’t expect a reply to such a personal question that broaches such a touchy subject.
But remarkably, Jessa was quick to offer her side of the story
“Nobody is ostracized,” she wrote.
“The Dillard[s] were invited, but chose to celebrate the holiday with Derick’s family.”
There’s not a lot of room for interpretation here, as both sides are claiming to present the incontrovertible facts of the situation.
That means that someone here is flat-out lying.
So has Jill joined the Dark Side and teamed up with Jim Bob and Michelle?
Or is she simply trying to keep up appearances in the hope that both sides will eventually work this thing out?
We don’t know — but Derick has been remarkable candid throughout this ordeal.
And something tells us Jim Bob is not the type to reach out and extend an olive branch.