The Duggar family may not be the biggest family in the U.S., as the Bates also have 19 children. But they are definitely the most controversial. 19 Kids And Counting began airing on TLC in 2008 and led to the spin-off Counting On. Viewers learned more about Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's rules for their kids with every episode. And as the years have passed and the kids have grown up, they have talked about their challenging childhoods and young adulthoods.
Jill Duggar Dillard married Derick Dillard in 2014 and the couple has three sons. They have been honest in recent years about not loving reality TV. And they have also talked about their income, which might not be as high as people are expecting. Did Jill Duggar Dillard really make a low salary for 19 Kids And Counting, and are things better for her now?
What Did Jill Duggar Dillard Get Paid On 19 Kids And Counting And Counting On?
After so many years of starring on reality TV and being in the spotlight, Jill Duggar Dillard seems used to chatting about her life. Jill shared her exercise schedule and diet with fans on social media. And now that she isn't a reality star anymore, she talks openly about how little money she made while she was filming shows with her family.
Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar Dillard spoke in court in September 2021 because of a lawsuit that Joy-Anna, Jinger, Jessa, and Jill filed. They were upset because of the "emotional distress" that they faced due to their brother Josh's police report being shared publicly. And when Jill and her husband spoke in court, they talked about their reality TV money.
According to The Sun, Derick explained that while Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar must have been paid more than $10,000 for each episode, he wasn't given any money at all when he starred on 19 Kids And Counting. It's possible to assume that this was true for Jill as well.
Derick said that he did get paid for Counting On and his salary was $500-$1,000 for each episode. He said that Jill's payments weren't much higher and said, “Somewhere around the same, but more than me. I don’t know if it was $1,000 or what.”
Considering how many years 19 Kids And Counting and Counting On were on the air, it's unexpected to hear that Jill would be compensated so poorly. According to People, Jill said that after she quit Counting On back in 2017, "That's when we got an attorney involved and finally recovered some of the money. It was a process."
What Salary Does Jill Duggar Dillard Get Paid Now?
According to The Sun, Jill and Derick shared how much money they make now that they aren't on reality TV in the same court appearance.
But even though Jill has been making some money from social media and YouTube, it doesn't sound like it is very much. And it's definitely much lower than what many others make. This is surprising considering that Jill has 2 million followers on Instagram, and it seems like people in that follower category are compensated well.
Derick told the court that Jill advertised Modlily, a swimsuit brand, and was paid $2,000 for the social media post. The couple maintains a YouTube channel and Derick shared that they were only paid $800 for the month of April 2021.
Derick has been working other kinds of jobs in order to make enough money to support his family. He spoke about being employed by Walmart and a bank at different points in his life. He was also hired by Grubhub and delivered food but only made $800 monthly.
Jill told the court that she was paid $10,000 for her social media work in 2020. While that's definitely more than she made for YouTube in 2021, it still isn't anything close to what some influencers make.
Jill still has a popular Instagram account, YouTube channel, and blog, and it seems that she must be making some kind of income from these platforms. Jill blogs at Dillardfamily.com and talks about motherhood and also posts recipes like Butterscotch Brownies, Lemon Pepper Chicken, and Duggar's Taco Soup.
As for Jill's Instagram, she promotes products from time to time. She shared about Lumi Silk Co in her Instagram Stories and in a recent post, she talked about FEASTbox, a company that supplies food for gatherings.
In June 2022, Jill posted on her blog that Derick got a job in Oklahoma and would be working as a prosecutor. The couple must be doing okay financially now that Derick is getting a regular salary and they supplement that with earnings from social media and YouTube.
Jill Duggar Dillard and Derick Dillard aren't very active on YouTube, however. Their channel is called Dillard Family Official and has 110,00 subscribers. Their most recent video was earlier in 2023 and talked about discovering their family dog Fenna's breed. Their other videos are from 2022 and are about Derick graduating from the University of Arkansas School of Law, celebrating Christmas, and family trips to the beach and on the Oregon Trail.
There's also the possibility of Jill earning an income in another way in the future. Jill shared that she is a midwife on Instagram, according to The Sun. In February 2023, Jill said that she is a Certified Professional Midwife. She wrote, "I’m not currently practicing, but have been able to keep my license 'inactive' in case I want to pick it back up someday or work in the birth world again."
It seems like quitting Counting On was a great decision for Derick and Jill. When the show was taken off the air in 2021, they wrote a statement on their website. They said, "The pursuit of freedom and authenticity has been a growing theme in our lives. Our story is still being written, and this event is just one more step forward toward that goal."
Derick and Jill continued, "Our family’s departure from 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On has allowed us to make our own decisions, including the ability to have a choice in what we share. For now, we will move forward on our own terms, and we look forward to whatever opportunities the future holds."
