Summary
- Some of the Duggar kids have spoken out about their harmful upbringing, with Jill Dillard having the harshest accusations against her dad, Jim Bob.
- Jill detailed in her book that her dad sent her an itemized bill for expenses incurred throughout her life, totaling $134,000.
- Jill couldn't argue with her father about the expenses and TLC couldn't help since they had already paid the family via Jim Bob, leaving Jill owed nothing.
When it comes to the Duggar family, it seems like the drama is never-ending. As more Duggar kids grow up and start their own lives, more details have come about how the family raised their now-20 children (19 biological plus one adopted relative). That has led to many of the Duggar kids airing their complaints about their childhoods through books, interviews, or simply a lack of acknowledging their parents publicly.
For Jill Dillard, starting her own family became a struggle when her dad seemingly refused to relinquish control over not only his daughter's marriage but also her finances. It turns out Jim Bob even billed his daughter for raising her, in a move that fans found to be quite petty.
Jill Dillard Has Been Vocal About Issues Between Her And Dad Jim Bob Duggar
After years of watching the Duggar kids growing up on television, viewers might be surprised to learn that more than one Duggar kid has spoken up about how harmful their upbringing was.
The siblings who have spoken out have shared different stories about how their childhood impacted them, and some have more complaints than others, though Jill has hinted that other disgruntled siblings have yet to speak out publicly.
Jinger Vuolo, for example, recalled a relatively happy childhood, while also decrying the use of what she felt were poorly interpreted Biblical passages to control children. In Jill Dillard's case, her accusations against her parents—and specifically her dad Jim Bob—are much harsher than her siblings'.
Jill recalled how she was paid a meager salary during her time on Counting On and 19 Kids and Counting, and her dad apparently didn't see a problem with that. While she has since financially recovered from that, things are not great with her family relationships, and that detail became very clear in Jill's book.
In Jill Dillard's Book, She Claims Her Dad Sent Her An Itemized Bill For Raising Her
Jill Duggar Dillard wrote a book about her experiences titled Counting the Cost. The highly-rated book was released in 2023 and has earned Jill plenty of attention—almost as much as her Amazon Prime interview on Shiny Happy People.
While Jill had hinted at all kinds of issues at home and with her dad growing up, as well as after she married and moved out, the book laid many purported facts bare. One such fact was that Jim Bob caused issues between Jill and her husband; after reading about Derick drinking alcohol, Jim Bob pressured Jill to have him sent to a rehabilitation facility.
The ironic part, aside from the fact that Derick is not an alcoholic, was that it was the same center Josh Duggar was sent to—a place that was clearly not effective at helping him with his teenage issues that later turned into heavier crimes.
But Jim Bob did do worse, at least by Jill's estimation. In her book, she apparently noted that her father sent her an itemized bill when she tried to confront him about finances. In a YouTube clip, @RealAlexClark explained that Jim Bob defrauded Jill out of $134,000 by claiming that she owed him expenses.
The issue was that he charged his daughter for 'expenses' incurred during her entire life, from assumed market rent (while she lived at home) to the purchase of a car to an 'allowance' for shopping at Goodwill.
Showing a screenshot of Jill's book, RealAlexClark pointed out that the itemized list included such expenses as utilities ($600 for each of the three years counted), a $15,000 harp, furniture ($5,000), eating at home each day for 12 years ($13,140), Jill's midwife education ($5,000) and more.
It's unclear how the expenses were calculated since some of the timelines were 12 years while others were two or three. Jill Dillard likely lived at home for a total of 23 years (she married Derick in 2014).
Jill Fought For Her Earnings From Reality TV, But TLC Couldn't Do Anything
Any reasonable parent understands that the expenses incurred from raising children shouldn't be passed on to said children. Yet in Jim Bob's case, it seemed Jill Dillard couldn't argue with her father, and it turned out TLC wouldn't help either.
The children were never specifically paid for their time on reality TV, with TLC reportedly saying they could do nothing about Jim Bob Duggar not paying his kids because TLC had paid the family via Jim Bob.
That meant the Duggars, as a whole, had already received their cash, and Jill wasn't owed anything. And unlike other child actor situations, reality TV doesn't have the same protections for underage people as the rest of the industry.
Commenters on the video from @RealAlexClark pointed out that Jill could probably sue her father to get her money, but it seems she hasn't done that, at least not yet.
In any case, commenters thought Jill should create her own itemized bill for her father, including day care, chores, and other tasks around the house. Viewers of the family's show will recall that the older children (largely the daughters) provided most of the childrearing for their younger siblings through a 'buddy' system.
On that same note, any child in the Duggar household who cooked meals, cleaned, performed household repairs, or taught their siblings during homeschool lessons could also draft an invoice to send to their father.
Of course, despite her book and interviews, Jill Dillard maintains that she has a decent relationship with her mom and most of her siblings. She doesn't have much of a relationship with her dad anymore, but that's understandable.
