Jill Duggar Felt ‘Obligated to Help’ Family Amid Josh Duggar Molestation Scandal: ‘Shiny Happy People’ Revelations

Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Jill Duggar Felt 'Obligated to Help' Family Amid Josh Duggar Molestation Scandal: 'Shiny Happy People' Revelations

Peeling back the curtain. Jill Duggar is using her voice in the new docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. The 32-year-old is one of many former followers of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) featured in Prime Video's four-part series, which debuted on Friday, June 2. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's daughter appeared alongside her husband, Derick Dillard, and cousin Amy Duggar in the deep dive into the Duggar family's rise to stardom — and fall into scandal. "There's a story that's going to be told," Jill said in the first look at the series last month. "And I would rather be the one telling it." Jill and her siblings got their start on TLC in 2008 with the premiere of 19 Kids and Counting. The reality series gave fans a glimpse inside the lives of the Duggar family, who raised their children to follow strict fundamentalist beliefs and conservative lifestyles. After 10 seasons, TLC canceled the show in 2015 after Jill's brother Josh Duggar was accused of molesting several girls when he was a teenager — some of whom were his sisters. Jill and her sister Jessa Duggar were later identified as some of the victims, and they appeared on Megyn Kelly's show at the time to defend their family's name. [sendtonews type="float" key="0rIYQYditi-2829819-14453"] "This was something that's already been dealt with," Jill said through tears during the 2015 broadcast, claiming that she felt "revictimization" through the media frenzy surrounding the scandal. "We've already forgiven Josh. We've moved on." Looking back on the situation nearly 10 years later, Jill confessed in Shiny Happy People that she would've handled it differently. "I believe strongly that victims should always be protected. Victims should always be cared for," she said. Jill claimed she felt "obligated" to downplay her brother's actions for the sake of her family. "It's not something I'm proud of," she added. The Arkansas native — who shares three sons with Dillard — wasn't eager to speak about the 2015 controversy on camera. Elsewhere in the docuseries, she hesitated to address Josh's 2021 arrest and subsequent sentencing for receiving and possessing child pornography. The scandal prompted TLC to officially cut ties with the Duggars, axing the spinoff series Counting On. (Josh is currently serving time in a Texas prison and is expected to be released in October 2032.) Before Shiny Happy People premiered, producers Olivia Crist and Julia Willoughby Nason opened up about how they approached the sensitive topic of the Duggar family's reputation and their ties to the controversial IBLP world. "What we ultimately explore in the show is — there's the shiny, happy facade, and then beneath the surface is this insidious cult behind the family, called the IBLP," Willoughby Nason explained on the "Reality Life With Kate Casey" in May. "The Duggars are a jumping off point for us for a much, much larger story. ... This sort of structure is just ripe with abuse." The team hopes viewers come away with a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the Duggar brood and the lifestyle they follow. "A lot of things have been swept under the rug that should have been looked into," Willoughby Nason added. "I think once you watch the show, you know ... there's a lot that should have been looked into that wasn't." Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is available now on Prime Video. Scroll down for the biggest revelations:

Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video

Jill Duggar Felt 'Obligated to Help' Family Amid Josh Duggar Molestation Scandal: 'Shiny Happy People' Revelations

Peeling back the curtain. Jill Duggar is using her voice in the new docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. The 32-year-old is one of many former followers of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) featured in Prime Video's four-part series, which debuted on Friday, June 2. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's daughter appeared alongside her husband, Derick Dillard, and cousin Amy Duggar in the deep dive into the Duggar family's rise to stardom — and fall into scandal. "There's a story that's going to be told," Jill said in the first look at the series last month. "And I would rather be the one telling it." Jill and her siblings got their start on TLC in 2008 with the premiere of 19 Kids and Counting. The reality series gave fans a glimpse inside the lives of the Duggar family, who raised their children to follow strict fundamentalist beliefs and conservative lifestyles. After 10 seasons, TLC canceled the show in 2015 after Jill's brother Josh Duggar was accused of molesting several girls when he was a teenager — some of whom were his sisters. Jill and her sister Jessa Duggar were later identified as some of the victims, and they appeared on Megyn Kelly's show at the time to defend their family's name. [sendtonews type="float" key="0rIYQYditi-2829819-14453"] "This was something that's already been dealt with," Jill said through tears during the 2015 broadcast, claiming that she felt "revictimization" through the media frenzy surrounding the scandal. "We've already forgiven Josh. We've moved on." Looking back on the situation nearly 10 years later, Jill confessed in Shiny Happy People that she would've handled it differently. "I believe strongly that victims should always be protected. Victims should always be cared for," she said. Jill claimed she felt "obligated" to downplay her brother's actions for the sake of her family. "It's not something I'm proud of," she added. The Arkansas native — who shares three sons with Dillard — wasn't eager to speak about the 2015 controversy on camera. Elsewhere in the docuseries, she hesitated to address Josh's 2021 arrest and subsequent sentencing for receiving and possessing child pornography. The scandal prompted TLC to officially cut ties with the Duggars, axing the spinoff series Counting On. (Josh is currently serving time in a Texas prison and is expected to be released in October 2032.) Before Shiny Happy People premiered, producers Olivia Crist and Julia Willoughby Nason opened up about how they approached the sensitive topic of the Duggar family's reputation and their ties to the controversial IBLP world. "What we ultimately explore in the show is — there's the shiny, happy facade, and then beneath the surface is this insidious cult behind the family, called the IBLP," Willoughby Nason explained on the "Reality Life With Kate Casey" in May. "The Duggars are a jumping off point for us for a much, much larger story. ... This sort of structure is just ripe with abuse." The team hopes viewers come away with a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the Duggar brood and the lifestyle they follow. "A lot of things have been swept under the rug that should have been looked into," Willoughby Nason added. "I think once you watch the show, you know ... there's a lot that should have been looked into that wasn't." Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is available now on Prime Video. Scroll down for the biggest revelations:

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Keeping Josh's Molestation Scandal Quiet

Family friends Jim Holt and Bobye Holt recalled learning about Josh's molestation incidents when Josh was dating their eldest daughter, Kaeleigh, in 2003. According to the couple, Jim Bob and Michelle wanted them to keep quiet. 

"'So, when were you gonna tell us?'" Jim — a former Arkansas state senator — remembered asking. "And Michelle says, 'We weren't gonna have them tell you guys at all. We were gonna have Josh confess to Kaeleigh once they were married.'"

Jim claimed he encouraged the Duggar patriarch to turn Josh into the authorities. Jim Bob brought his son to a state trooper, who did not take immediate action. The minister later learned that the trooper in question was friends with Jim Bob.  

(Josh is currently married to Anna Duggar, whom he wed in 2008. They share seven children.)

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Inside the IBLP Lifestyle

Amy explained that she had a slightly less strict upbringing than her cousins, who had no TV or radio and were required to follow IBLP modesty rules. She remembered hearing the phrase "be fruitful and multiply" as early as age 12 despite the religion's repressive approach to sexuality. Elsewhere, Amy recalled her family holding a bonfire in which they burned "everything Disney and worldly." 

Jill, for her part, expressed that she felt like kids in her family had no voice. According to the doc, IBLP parents often opt for corporal punishment and homeschooling in order to enforce authority. 

The series explores the practice of "Blanket Training," in which parents place their infant on a blanket with a toy just out of reach. The baby faces consequences — often physical ones — if they try to touch the toy.

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Jill Felt 'Obligated' to Do Megyn Kelly Interview

While hesitant to discuss Josh's past molestation — of which she was a victim — Jill confessed that she wishes the situation was kept more private. "In hindsight, I wouldn't have done the Megyn Kelly stuff," she said of the 2015 TV interview. "I felt like I was in a place again of, like, bearing the burden and the weight ... you feel obligated to help."

Dillard told the cameras that his wife was "basically being called on to carry out a suicide mission" by participating in the broadcast with her sister Jessa. 

"It's not something that I'm proud of," Jill added, remembering how the scandal was minimized during the sit-down. "If I hadn't felt obligated to like, one, do it for the sake of the show and two, do it for the sake of my parents, I wouldn't have done it."

Jill claimed that "there was an awareness" that her family would continue to film for TLC despite the scandal. She said that while she didn't want to participate in Counting On, she felt like she wasn't given a choice.

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Jill Was 'Never Paid' While Filming Reality TV

When Jill and her husband exchanged vows — and had their first kiss — in 2014, more than four million viewers tuned in for the very special TLC episode. Jill claimed in the doc that she unknowingly signed paperwork extending their contracts shortly before their wedding. 

"I just saw the signature page. ... We were literally running through the kitchen, and it was like whoever you could grab on the way through. I didn't know what it was for," she recalled. 

At the time, the couple didn't realize that the papers Jim Bob presented to them were "a commitment of [our] life for the next five years to the show."

Jill went on to claim that she "never received any payout" for her work on either one of her family's shows. "No check, no cash, no nothing. For seven and a half years of my adult life, I was never paid," she alleged. "We were taken advantage of."

The pair claimed they asked TLC for compensation after the birth of their first son was filmed. According to Jill and Dillard, the network said they paid the family — so the money went to Jim Bob. 

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Why Jill and Derick Left TLC

Tensions rose when Jill and Dillard were on a mission trip in El Salvador and asked to return to film in the U.S. After initially saying no, they were reminded of the contract they signed before their wedding. 

"My dad sends us the signature page along with just the obligation of the contract. I was like, 'Somebody forged my signature.' ... That's not what I thought I was signing," Jill said.

The twosome were allegedly offered a small sum from Jim Bob to be convinced to film: $10 per hour. When they tried to speak to the network about payment, Jim Bob's manager said he would have to be present for any contract discussions.

Jim Bob allegedly considered giving the older Duggar kids a lump sum for their work that amounted to near minimum wage. "In order to receive that, you had to sign another deal with my dad [and] his production company, Mad Family Inc.," Jill claimed. "It would be [for], like, forever. We were automatically like, 'We're done.'"

Jill and her husband officially left Counting On in 2017 before its 2021 cancellation.

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Escaping the Family's Control

Jill told the cameras that her father controls "a lot of things in the family." Under IBLP teachings, men are viewed as the authority of the house — but ultimately, men remain under the control of the pastor. 

Jill confessed that her relationship with her family got even rockier after she left reality TV behind, claiming that she once again approached TLC about contracts. She alleged that her family not only signed for her, but that they also identified some of the adult Duggar children as minors. 

When asked how she's begun to take back control of her own life since her TLC departure, Jill explained: "Eventually you start making your own decisions, like the nose ring that I got, and it's piece by piece. Little by little ... [you] do what you need to survive."

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Amy and Jill Are Outsiders to the Family

Both Jill and Amy — and their respective husbands — noted that they feel like they're on the outs with the Duggar machine, often learning family news via social media or other news outlets. 

Amy, however, asserted that she couldn't be more proud of her cousin for reclaiming her independence. "[It's a] night and day difference," she said of Jill's demeanor.