No mixed messages. Amy Duggar penned a strongly worded note about protecting her peace before appearing in the bombshell trailer for a Duggar family exposé.
“We are here to remind you that toxic is TOXIC,” the 36-year-old captioned an Instagram post on Thursday, May 18, posing for a selfie with her mom, Deanna Duggar. “You are allowed to walk away from people who belittle you, lie to you and continue to hurt you. Even if those people tell you they ‘love you.'”
Amy added: “Ask yourself this question. Are their actions proving that they love you? Sometimes it’s so hard to take a stand especially when they might just be family members. But if you don’t set boundaries then nothing will change.”
The Arkansas native — who frequently appeared on 19 Kids and Counting with her cousins, uncle Jim Bob Duggar and aunt Michelle Duggar before its cancellation — later shared a glimpse of the upcoming Prime Video docuseries, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
“There’s a story that’s going to be told,” her cousin Jill Duggar says in the teaser. “And I would rather be the one telling it.”
The four-part series set out to investigate the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and its ultra-conservative teachings, which are followed by Jim Bob, 57, Michelle, 56, and their 19 children. The family rose to fame thanks to their TLC reality show — but their time in the spotlight has been tinged with controversy.
The Duggars’ original show ended in 2015 after 10 seasons amid Josh Duggar‘s molestation scandal. News broke at the time that Josh, now 35, abused several girls when he was 14 and 15 years old. Jill, now 32, and her sister Jessa Duggar were later identified as victims.
Despite the scandal, TLC continued working with the Duggars. The spinoff series Counting On began in 2015 but was later canceled after Josh was arrested in April 2021 on child pornography charges. The network officially cut ties with the family two months later.
Josh was found guilty on two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 151 months in prison last year. Us Weekly confirmed in March that his sentence was extended, with an expected release in October 2032.
As scandal continued to surround the Duggar family, Amy remained outspoken about her upbringing — and claimed she was “sickened” with her relatives’ response to Josh’s arrest.
“I have so much to say leading up to the sentencing and I’m not afraid anymore,” she tweeted in May 2022, calling Jim Bob and Michelle’s eldest son “sinister.”
After Josh’s sentencing, Amy issued an even more impassioned statement. “Twelve and a half years isn’t enough. But I hope that every single second he’s there feels like an eternity,” she said.
Jill, meanwhile, has been candid with fans about setting boundaries with her extended family after leaving Counting On in 2017. Both she and Amy were supportive of Jinger Duggar earlier this year when she published her book Becoming Free Indeed, which pulled back the curtain on IBLP and the lifestyle encouraged by the organization.
“SO PROUD OF YOU!” Amy gushed over her cousin in a January Instagram comment. “FREEDOM LOOKS BEAUTIFUL ON YOU!🥰.”
Shiny Happy People premieres on Prime Video June 2.
