Jill Duggar Dillard has made no bones about the rift between herself and other members of the Duggar family. The former reality star made notable allegations against Jim Bob about Counting On and other reality TV finances in recent months, and has made herself fairly scarce outside of major family events. She most recently revealed even her brother Josh is shunning her from prison, but apparently it’s not all bad news.
Jill Sent Josh A Card In Prison That Was Rejected
In a bombshell interview that touched on myriad topics, one small nugget of information didn’t stand out a ton in the conversation, but seems hugely germane in retrospect. Jill told GMA that she had reached out to her brother after he began his prison stint in 2022. She didn’t know what she was expecting. But it didn’t play out in a way that left room for much forward momentum.
I have [reached out to Josh]. One time. Just because I didn’t know what to do. I sent like a handmade Christmas card to him, but then it got sent back.
She theorized her brother isn’t accepting mail from her, per CNN. To note, Josh Duggar is currently serving a decade-long plus sentence at FCI Seagoville after being found guilty on charges of possessing and receiving child abuse materials. The former TV star has been in prison for over a year, and Duggar was recently denied a request for a new trial. The arrest and subsequent brouhaha came only a few years after a bombshell report that Josh had molested young women as a teenager, including some of his sisters, including Jill.
Interestingly, Duggar’s legal fees were allegedly paid for by Jim Bob and Michelle and many members of his family — his wife Anna counts among them — stayed by his side throughout the trial. Jill Duggar is seemingly not getting the same treatment for having written a book about the family.
In fact, some family members have flat out told her if she’s “trying to reconcile” she hasn’t been going about it in the correct way, writing a book and speaking openly about family business. Reportedly, her brother Jed even liked negative comments fans had about Jill. Jill herself has said she’s “estranged” from her family, though she meets with her mom on major occasions and she didn’t keep her parents away after the birth of her third boy in 2022.
How Do Other Duggar Family Members Feel After Jill’s Book?
Oppositely, Jill said that Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo have been supportive. Plus, some Duggar family members have openly stayed by Jill and Derick Dillard’s side. Cousin Amy and her mom Deanna were really helpful and watched the couple’s three kids so they could go out for a night on the town and have a ‘few uninterrupted moments’ amidst the whirlwind of the book release. (Counting the Cost has been on the NY Times Bestseller list for a few weeks now, and Jill has been doing press for the book.)
And the best news? Jill says there are even more family members who are supportive of the cause she and her husband Derick have taken up, but that she respects their need to “be careful” in the communities they live in.
I kind of refrain from saying specifically who is like in our corner and who’s still sorting things out. But other than just the positive feedback that I’ve had from one of my sisters, Jinger. She doesn’t care that I say anything, but she’s been very supportive and very positive. And then some of the other ones have been supportive behind closed doors. I just know for them and the space that they’re in, they have to be careful.
Obviously, Jill has been more outspoken about her famous family than many other members of the clan. Though she wrote a book like her sister Jinger, she’s been more outspoken about clashes with Jim Bob, while Jinger has focused more on IBLP issues and reminisced fondly of her Duggar childhood. We’ll have to wait and see what’s next for Jill, but given her book is still dominating the charts, there will doubtless continue to be interest in the coming weeks.