The Duggars are no strangers to criticism, but Jana Duggar is usually above the fray. Fan-favorite Jana usually gets a lot of positive comments — people call her down-to-earth and normal, since she doesn’t seem caught up in fame like some of her siblings. Unfortunately, a recent Instagram post has the former Counting On star in hot water.
On June 30, 2025, Jana posted a reel showcasing a trip home to Arkansas to see her 19 Kids and Counting family. After marrying Stephen Wissmann in August 2024, Jana moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, to live with her husband. In June, Jana and Stephen visited Arkansas to spend some quality time with her parents and siblings. Her video shows the family playing basketball, going out to eat, and attending a rodeo.
While fans enjoyed seeing Jana with her family, they couldn’t help but criticize her choice to go to the rodeo. “Country music is so wholesome but rodeos need a second thought,” one person wrote.
Rodeos, which are popular in Arkansas, typically feature a variety of contests that feature animals, including barrel racing, bull riding, and steer wrestling. Animal activists have spoken out against rodeos for a long time, with PETA calling rodeos “nothing more than manipulative displays of human domination over animals, thinly disguised as entertainment.”
In Jana’s video, it’s clear the weather was terrible at the rodeo because the arena was a muddy mess. Someone commented on this aspect of the video specifically, writing: “There is no way I would run barrels or rope in the arena that flooded. Could not take the chance of hurting my horses. Yikes!”
Other people expressed their disgust with rodeos in general. One commenter wrote, “Watching animals in pain for human entertainment is just sad.”
“How anyone considers rodeos entertainment is beyond me,” a commenter chimed in. In response, another person wrote, “agree its such torture.”
For someone who usually gets positive comments, Jana is probably surprised by some of the backlash she’s facing. Although she hasn’t responded to any of the comments, hopefully she’ll see them and consider whether she should promote rodeos in the future.
