It’s been nearly two weeks since the premiere of Amazon’s controversial Duggar documentary series, Shiny Happy People.
And as expected, the project has led to even deeper rifts within the already-divided family.
Jim Bob Duggar’s beliefs and abuses are thoroughly explored in the series, and the father of 19 is clearly not happy about being exposed.
Along with wife Michelle Duggar, Jim Bob has harshly criticized Shiny Happy People, accusing the filmmakers of gross exaggerations and flat-out lies.
Unfortunately for Jim Bob, two members of his family participated in the film and confirmed that many of the most unsettling claims about life in the Duggar household are sadly true.
One such whistle-blower was Amy Duggar, the courageous niece of Jim Bob’s who has long been skeptical of her famous uncle’s need for complete authority over his children.
Amy made a strong case against Jim Bob in the film, and now she’s expressing her disappointment with his complete dismissal of the project.
“I feel like this is the moment where [Jim Bob and Michelle] could have said, like, ‘We made mistakes,’ right? I mean, it’s for the whole world to see,” Amy said in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight Canada (via People).
“The entire world is seeing this documentary. Or I hope so. And for me, I was just like, It’s your chance to kind of be humble about it,” she continued.
“And instead, not once did they mention the survivors, not once did they show any kind of turmoil or… it’s like they don’t believe it.”
Amy went on to rail at Jim Bob for his lack of compassion for his victims — even though it was his own daughters who suffered the most as a result of his actions.
“They just, like, are living in like, you know, their head in the clouds and not really thinking of the people that are actually hurting that went through hell, including their own daughters,” she added.
“You know, it’s just really sad. And for me, it is gaslighting. It’s just completely being narcissistic about it.”
From there, Amy predicted that Jim Bob and Michelle “will not change,” as they’ve been taught that they’re never wrong, as long as they “believe a certain way.”
“The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love,” Jim Bob and Michelle said in a statement after Shiny Happy People was released.
“Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format,” the couple continued.
“This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
Yes, Jim Bob puts scare quotes around “documentary” because he refuses to acknowledge that any of the claims made in the series are factually accurate.
So yeah, Amy is almost certainly correct in her assertion that her abusive uncle will never change.
Amy Duggar: Jim Bob Doesn’t Care That He Ruined His Daughters’ Lives! was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.