Fans of the Duggar family have noticed that trouble has been brewing between many members of the family and Jill Duggar for quite some time now. However, since the family hasn't addressed the fractured relationship, fan theories have run rampant across the internet about what could have caused Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, to separate themselves from the rest of the group.
Jill recently opened up to YouTube about exactly what happened with her family, and it doesn't sound like it's been easy. Happily, it does sound like most of the family is working toward healing together.
"There's been some distancing there. We're not on the best terms with some of my family," Jill explained. "We've had some disagreements, but we're working towards healing definitely and restoration, but we're having to kind of just take some time and heal."
Jill also added that she genuinely hopes the relationship she had with her family can be repaired.
Jill and Derick are also focused on doing what is best for themselves and their own family:
"We're doing what's best for our family right now and just working through, it I guess. We are praying and trusting God that like the timeline is his and what that looks like and everything. So we definitely appreciate your prayers, and we don't want to go into detail."
While Jill was reluctant to explain any more about what she's going through with her family, she did offer more details about why she and Derick left 19 Kids and Counting:
"We left the show three years ago because basically, our family goals that we had for ourselves didn't align with what we found out."
"We ended up finding out that we didn't have as much control over our lives as it related to the show and stuff as we felt like we needed. We had to make a decision at that time to kind of put the show aside just to pursue our own goals."
Jill and Derick have two sons together, Samuel and Israel. It sounds like the couple were concerned about what being on TV might mean for their children, and they don't have any plans to return to a reality series with Jill's family or on their own.
Derick explained, "We will not go back on the show under the circumstances that we were under at the time that we left. Meaning just as a family, we have to be able to make decisions that allow us to navigate our lives and have the information and control so that we know whether or not we can even plan anything."
Ultimately, it sounds like the decision to leave the show was really about the couple's hope to be able to control their own lives.
"Right now we have no plans to join back into the show or anything," Jill said. "We don't regret leaving the show. We feel like it was the best thing for our family."
While the Duggars haven't addressed the family's falling out with Jill and Derick, the people of Reddit have definitely stepped in to fill in the details themselves.
For starters, Derick has been enrolled in law school for quite some time, and some fans of the family think that he's in school for one specific reason.
The reason? To be able to sue Jill's dad, Jim Bob Duggar. While the theory is pretty interesting, bringing it to reality is … unlikely.
"If you told me that he went to a lawyer to sue TLC, they said he didn't have a chance and wouldn't take the case, and he decided to go to law school to sue them on his own, I would believe you," commenter PhoenixForce888 said. "I absolutely think he has some beef with JB, but his recent round of responding to year-old tweets makes me think he blames TLC for not paying his medical bills with Sam when he feels they should've."
Jill and Derick have also bucked many of the family's traditions. For starters, the pair shared that Israel is enrolled in traditional school this year, which means he won't be homeschooled like Jill and all 18 of her siblings were. While some fans believe the decision was Derick's, it's likely that Jill and Derick made the decision about their son's education together.
Whatever is or isn't going on with Jill and Derick, it's clear that their fans are supportive.
One person commented, "I give Jill a lot of kudos for being brave to do this. I can't imagine how hard it would be to Fall From Grace as the Duggar Golden Girl to being an outcast. And I do appreciate Derek seeming to support her through this. I bet her rift mainly comes from her dad and Jessa. Jessa seems fully devoted to the show and is relishing her time as the golden daughter. I do wonder about Jill's relationship with Joy Anna since she was her sister mom and joy now seems to be stepping away. I hope Jill can bring some of her siblings with her as she tries to break away!"
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