Jessa Duggar: I’m Finally a Minister’s Wife!

Well, it looks like this is a very big week for Jessa Duggar.

Not only did her chronically-unemployed husband, Ben Seewald, finally get a job, he chose one of the few professions that Jim Bob Duggar actually approves of!

Yes, on Monday, it was revealed that Jessa is now the wife of an ordained minister.

A Duggar fan page shared the above photo on Instagram on Monday.

The pic was captioned, “Ben has been ordained as a Pastor,” and it was reportedly taken at a celebration party following his final commitment ceremony.

No one is wearing a mask, but that’s not much of a shock

We’ve known for quite some time that most of the Duggars think the coronavirus is a hoax.

Neither Jessa nor Ben has commented on the news, so we don’t know exactly when Ben was ordained or what the process of becoming a minister entailed.

But we certainly know what religion he’s ordained in.

The Duggars are Independent Baptists, and you can be sure Jim Bob wouldn’t tolerate his son-in-law becoming ordained in any other faith.

We wish we could tell you more about what Independent Baptists believe, but they’re a secretive bunch.

The “independent” refers to their refusal to affiliate themselves with any other Baptist denomination.

And in addition to attending church services each week, the Duggars engage in weekly “private worship” sessions.

What goes on there? Nobody knows.

But it’s a safe bet that there’s a good reason that what’s discussed in these sessions remains a secret.

After all, the Duggar beliefs that we know about are appalling.

We can only imagine about the stuff they feel the need to hide from the public.

Those who are familiar with his past say that Ben’s family isn’t quite as conservative as the Duggars (is anyone?).

But Jim Bob doesn’t tolerate much in the way of dissent, so you can be sure that Ben has adopted many of the Duggars’ beliefs and customs.

In addition to being Independent Baptists, the Duggars are adherents of the Quiverfull movement, which was founded by disgraced former pastor — and Jim Bob mentor — Bob Gothard.

Before he was forced to step down amid sexual harassment allegations, Gothard — yes, that’s really his name — came up with the idea that it’s the duty of all Christians to have as many children as possible.

Clearly, Jim Bob fell in love with the idea, and the rest — as they say — is history.

Fortunately, Ben seems to be slightly more sane than Jim Bob, and at somewhat less obsessed with procreation.

And we’re guessing he’ll be a better pastor than Gothard.

Hell, he would pretty much have to be.

Anyway, our congratulations go out to the Seewalds.

We have no idea what sort of ideas he’ll be spreading, but at least Ben isn’t unemployed anymore!

Jessa Duggar: Derick Dillard Is a LIAR! He WAS Invited to Christmas!

Earlier this month, the Duggars celebrated Christmas the same way they do everything else:

In large numbers, and with an ignorant disregard for how anyone else in the world might be affected by their actions.

The Duggar Christmas party attracted negative press for all kinds of reasons, not the least of which was that the Duggars gathered in a group with no concern for social-distancing and not a mask in sight.

Maybe they decided to celebrate the birth of their savior by sending a few people to the afterlife, of maybe they just believe the coronavirus is a hoax.

This is Jim Bob Duggar we’re talking about, so neither explanation would surprise us.

Another major reason that the party drew so much attention was Jim Bob and Michelle’s insistence on making out the entire time.

This might not have been so weird, were it not for the fact that everyone was stone sober, and their kids watched and cheered them on. Icky, no?

Anyway, believe it or not, this family holiday party in Northwest Arkansas (or “NWA” as the Duggars obliviously refer to it) has now sparked a third mini-scandal.

This one involves the absence of Jill Duggar and her husband, Derick Dillard.

If you’re a follower of the Counting On clan, then you’re probably aware that Derick has been feuding with Jim Bob for quite some time now.

The situation is so bad that Jill has reportedly cut off contact with much of her family.

Some fans speculated that Derick and Jill were invited, but chose not to attend.

One decided to go straight to the source and ask Derick, who was quick to set the record straight:

“No, we were not invited or told about it,” he responded.

Now, that’s a pretty serious accusation, as it shifts the blame for the Duggar Civil War toward Jim Bob and Michelle.

Not surprisingly, Jim Bob has remained mum on the subject.

In fact, he really hasn’t said a word about his feud with Derick the entire time it’s been going on.

But when a fan asked Jessa Duggar about the situation on her YouTube page, Jill’s younger sister gave a very different account of how it all went down.

“How is that a Duggar family Christmas, when your sister and your brother-in-law are not there because your family has ostracized them?” the fan asked

They probably didn’t expect a reply to such a personal question that broaches such a touchy subject.

But remarkably, Jessa was quick to offer her side of the story

“Nobody is ostracized,” she wrote.

“The Dillard[s] were invited, but chose to celebrate the holiday with Derick’s family.”

There’s not a lot of room for interpretation here, as both sides are claiming to present the incontrovertible facts of the situation.

That means that someone here is flat-out lying.

So has Jill joined the Dark Side and teamed up with Jim Bob and Michelle?

Or is she simply trying to keep up appearances in the hope that both sides will eventually work this thing out?

We don’t know — but Derick has been remarkable candid throughout this ordeal.

And something tells us Jim Bob is not the type to reach out and extend an olive branch.

Jessa Duggar Outrages Followers with This Parenting Fail: Watch!

The Duggars are interesting because … well, they’re interesting for a number of reasons, and pretty much none of them are good.

But one remarkable thing that we’re going to touch on today is that even though their whole thing is having oodles and oodles of kids, they’re really not all that great at raising them.

Sure, they’ve kept them alive, and they’re physically healthy for the most part.

But really they’ve failed their children in so, so many ways.

Jim Bob and Michelle didn’t do much of anything when they found out their oldest child, Josh, was molesting their younger daughters.

They denied all of the kids a real education, instead homeschooling them with weird Bible lessons, and they’ve really pushed their own agenda on them so that they’re all following in their “get married quick and have so many babies” footsteps.

For example, Justin Duggar just turned 18 earlier this month, and he’s already engaged.

It’s just a lot to take in, the great big mess that is this family.

And that’s why it’s not even a little surprising that we’ve got yet another Duggar parenting fail to talk about today.

OK, so Jessa Duggar has three children: Spurgeon, who is five years old, Henry, who is 3, and little Ivy who had her first birthday back in May.

She recently shared a video of them building a fort with couch cushions, which is admittedly pretty cute.

The video focuses on Ivy, who is trying to talk to Jessa, but Spurgeon and Henry are sitting in the background, trying to sound of the words on the tag for the couch.

But then Henry pulls out a toy gun, points it at Ivy’s head, pulls the trigger and says “Bang!”

And that’s the part that some people are taking issue with.

As one person wrote in the comments, “Teaching your kids young that guns are toys is exactly how 91 Americans die from firearms every day. Gun violence is the second leading cause of death in children, aged 10-19 in the US.”

This person shared more statistics about gun violence and children, but you get the gist.

Another point made was that “All it takes is an unlocked box for a kid to find a gun and pull the trigger … The point is that kids won’t associate something as harmful or dangerous is they get to use them for play.”

“But can a 5-year-old distinguish a toy gun from a real one? Definitely not every time because we’ve all seen the tragic stories on the news.”

These are all solid arguments, right?

But since this conversation did take place on Jessa’s Instagram, most of the people involved with the conversation were fans, and most Duggar fans are fans because they share similar beliefs and points of view.

So basically most people defended Jessa, claiming that it’s no big deal for her kids to have a toy gun, and that they’re just having fun.

But as one critic sarcastically remarked, it’s “So fun watching him point the toy at his sister’s head.”

You can watch the video in full below: do you think there’s an issue with it?

Jessa seewald couch fort video

Duggar Swimsuits: A Deep Dive Into the Fundie Fam’s Most Ridiculous Poolside Attire!

If you know anything about the Duggar family, you know that they have all sorts of ridiculous rules for pretty much every aspect of life.

And of course, the two sets of guidelines that are most commonly discussed online have to do with premarital sex and “modest” attire.

The Duggar courtship rules and the Duggar dress code are inherently linked, as they both serve the purpose of discouraging any sort of “impure” thoughts that might cause young couples to jump the gun and sample each other’s wares before exchanging vows.

When Jim Bob’s daughters get married, it’s their husbands who get to decide what they wear in public, but until that point, the dress code is unforgivingly rigid.

Duggar girls and women are expected to dress “modestly” at all times, even while engaged in sports and other outdoor activities.

This creates major problems in the warmer months, expecially when swimming is on the agenda.

Fortunately, the Duggars have come up with all sorts of hilarious solutions for this very specific conundrum.

Take a look:

1. Showing Some Skin

Jill duggar swimsuit picture
The Duggars have very strict rules regarding the type “modest” attire that Jim Bob’s daughters are permitted to wear. These rules apply even when grown Duggar women go swimming. Here, Jill Duggar models some modest, Duggar-approved swimwear.

2. Jill Duggar in Swimsuit

Jill duggar in swimsuit
Of course, Jill is somewhat on the outs with her family these days, and that gives her a lot of freedom with regard to what she wears.

3. Jill Duggar: Check This Out!

Jill duggar check this out
In fact, Jill is not only rocking racier swimwear, she’s selling it through her Instagram page!

4. Jill Duggar Swimsuit Photo

Jill duggar swimsuit photo
You can bet Jim Bob is not a fan of his eldest daughter’s new look!

5. Jill Duggar Rocks Swimwear

Jill duggar rocks swimwear
In order to fully appreciate how far Jill has come, we have to take it all the way back to the beginning, to the time when America first became aware of the ridiculous Duggar swimwear rules.

6. The Duggar Dictionary

Duggar dictionary
The first time the family went to the beach on 19 Kids and Counting, producers even offered a helpful primer on the Duggars’ bizarre guidelines.

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Jessa Duggar Slammed For "Force-Feeding" Daughter: She Could Have Choked!

Another day, another Duggar parenting controversy.

This one involves Jessa Duggar, who is widely considered to be one of the least controversial of Jim Bob and Michelle’s daughters.

Unlike her sisters Jill and Jinger, Jessa seems uninterested in rebelling against Jim Bob, and she’s mostly willing to play the role of the dutiful Duggar daughter.

But while she’s probably receiving a lot of praise on the home front these days, Jessa is still subject to criticism online.

As you’re probably aware, mom-shaming the Duggars remains a very popular pastime in certain corners of the internet.

While Jessa might steer clear of scandal as much as possible, she’s still a Duggar, which means everything she posts online will still be scrutinized and dissected by critics.

Don’t get us wrong — most of the flak the Duggars receive is well-deserved.

After all, these are the people who continue to defend Josh Duggar and all of his appalling misconduct.

But sometimes, folks dig a little too deep in their eagerness to talk trash about Jim Bob’s offspring.

We understand this impulse, as Jim Bob is a vile human being — but that doesn’t mean all of his kids are.

The desire to find fault in everything the Duggars do leads to the situation like the one Jessa currently finds herself in.

It seems she and her kids took a little field trip to Jim Bob and Michelle’s “big house” this week in order to “taste test” the produce grown by Jana.

Jessa documented the occasion for YouTube, and some viewers were not thrilled with what they saw.

“You want to try a tomato, sister?” Jessa says to 1-year-old Ivy in the clip.

“Here, let me wipe it off. Here sis, you try this. Try that and let me know how it tastes,” she continues.

At that point, Ivy takes a bite and is visibly disgusted by the taste.

“She thought it was going to be a grape, instead it was a tomato. Taste it Ivy, it’s yummy,” Jessa goes on.

It’s a pretty innocuous interaction that’s no doubt familiar to most parents.

Toddlers are typically reluctant to try new foods, and it’s up to their parents to convince them to expand their palettes.

But for some reason, YouTube commenters took major offense to the scene, and some went so far as to accuse Jessa of putting her daughter’s health at risk.

“Literally terrifies me watching Ivy eat that tomato. Huge choking hazard,” one person commented.

“Yikes she sounds like an elementary school bully forcing a kid to eat something gross. ‘Eat it, Ivy!'” another wrote.

“Bro is she trying to intimidate her own baby lol,” a third joked.

“Oh my god that was the most aggressive way I’ve ever heard an adult talk to a toddler. You know she doesn’t understand what you’re saying Jessa?” a fourth person asked.

We can see how some might feel that Jessa was a little too aggressive in her effort to get Ivy to sample the tomato.

But at the same time, it seems ridiculous to assert that she was putting her daughter’s life at stake by encouraging her to take a bite.

As we always do in situations like this one, we’d like to encourage you to bear in mind that there are many, many legitimate reasons to make fun of the Duggars — so you really don’t need to resort to mocking them for things that normal people do on a daily basis.

Jessa duggar slammed for force feeding daughter she could have c

Duggar Daughters Ditch the Dress Code: Check Out Their Most Revealing Pics!

The ladies of the Duggar family are known for subservience and commitment to their parents’ strict set of moral guidelines.

But they’re also young, famous women — women branching out on their own in a world where female independence is valued much more than it was in the day.

And the daughters of Jim Bob and Michelle seem to take pleasure in expressing their newfound freedom through fashion.

The acts of sartorial rebellion began when Jinger Duggar started wearing pants, and it’s been escalating from there.

Granted, we have a very long ways to go still.

Rebellion is usually modest in Duggars’ world. Still, progress is progress. See some of J-squad’s most revealijg outfits below:

UPDATE: We’ve added some of the latest risqué pics from the sisters’ social media pages … and wow. Just wow.

Looks like Jim Bob’s rules are officially a thing of the past!

1. The Swimsuit Issue

Jessa duggar swimsuit photo
Of course, Jinger’s not the only one who’s capable of flouting her family’s rules in extremely mild fashion. Here, Jessa Duggar rocks the fundamentalist version of swimwear.

2. Workout Skirt

Jessa duggar pumps iron
And there was a time when Jessa stuck to her family’s “modest” dress code even while working out. It’s worth noting, however, that she’s actually baring some calf here, which makes this quite a racy get-up by Duggar standards.

3. The Pants Dance

Jinger duggar and her gun
Think Duggar fans were upset to see Jinger carrying a gun? Ha! It was her PANTS that caught them off-guard, as Duggar women typically favor floor-length skirts no matter what sort of activity they’re engaged in.

4. Liberated Jill

Jill duggar wearing pants in a school
These days, the Duggar gals are allowed a bit more leeway, as evidenced by Jill’s decision to rock pants in public — while addressing a group of young women, no less!

5. Short Stuff

Jinger duggar shorts
Much of that freedom is due to the 2017 Jinger Rebellion, which culminated in the new mom publicly sporting shorts.

6. Jinger in Tights, Jill in Jeans

Jinger in tights jill in jeans
Recently, Jill and Jinger posed for a pic together, and fans were quick to notice that the sisters were defying their parents by wearing jeans and tights, respectively.

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Duggar Family Tree: How Many Courtships, Marriages, and Grandkids Are There?! [UPDATED]

Large sections of the Old Testament are devoted to genealogies – lengthy lists of couplings and the biblically-significant offspring that they begat.

Given the Duggars’ love for the Good Book, we’re sure someone in the family has compiled a similar compendium of the courtships and marriages that led to the creation of Jim Bob and Michelle’s many granchildren.

It might seem like it would take a monastic scholar to keep track of the rapid expansion of the Counting On clan, but we tried. We tried.

THG has managed to create a complete list of the #LittleDuggars without locking ourselves in an abbey with a quill and parchment.

But that’s not to say it was a simple task.

After all, Jim Bob and Michelle have a lot of kids, and those kids are very dedicated to the task of populating Northwest Arkansas with Duggars.

So sit back, grab a Duggar-friendly snack (might we suggest a jar of pickles?) and explore the family tree of TV’s most beloved Baptist brood.

[The Duggars keep breeding, so we keep updating! Scroll down for the latest on TV’s most fertile family.)

1. Meet the Duggars

Duggar family photo a classic
The Duggar family seems to get bigger by the day. In fact, the Counting On clan has welcomed so bundles of joy in the past decade that some fans might find it difficult to keep up.

2. Humble Beginnings

Michelle and jim bob 1984
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar had their first child, Josh, in 1988. Needless to say, they didn’t stop there.

3. Fame Comes Calling

Duggar family picture
The family first rose to national prominence with a series of Discovery Health and TLC documentaries that mostly focused on Michelle’s last five deliveries.

4. A Bunch of Stars Are Born

Michelle duggar and jim bob duggar in silver dollar city
Viewers couldn’t get enough of the wholesome Arkansas clan, and it wasn’t long before the Duggars had their own show.

5. On the Grow

The duggar family photo
Initially titled 17 Kids and Counting, the series documented the adventures and unorthodox customs of the still-expanding Duggar clan.

6. Overlapping Generations

Josie duggar image
That expansion occurred in more ways than one, as Jim Bob and Michelle welcomed their youngest child (Josie Duggar, now 9) AFTER welcoming their first grandchild.

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The Duggar Courtship Race: How Soon Will Justin Duggar Marry Claire Spivey?

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that Justin Duggar is courting Claire Spivey.

Fans only learned about the relationship last week, but already, many of them are asking the same question:

When are Justin and Claire going to get married?

For the answer, we look to previous Duggar courtships.

As you know, Counting On is basically the reality TV equivalent of Game of Thrones:

On each show, there are roughly four million characters, and it’s often difficult to keep track of who’s doing what … or whom.

The Duggars take a slightly more conservative view on coupling than the residents of Westeros, but all the same, courtships, weddings, pregnancies, and births are a big part of what keeps their core audience tuning in.

So here’s a rundown of what some of Jim Bob and Michelle’s kids (including Justin) are up to these days.

Don’t worry – unlike Thrones, the Duggars won’t be leaving your TV screen anytime soon. Not as long as they continue to make sure Earth’s population growth continues unabated.

1. Justin and Claire: A New Beginning

Claire spivey and justin duggar photo
For the most part, all Duggar courtships are the same. But in several key ways, Justin and Claire are in uncharted territory.

2. The Young Ones

Justin with claire on instagram
For one, they’re very young, even by the standards of a Duggar couple. Claire is 19, and Justin is only 17.

3. Across State Lines

Justin looks at claire
On top of that, this is an interstate love affair (Claire lives in Amarillo, Texas), and it seems that most of the courting happened remotely during the cornavirus pandemic.

4. Freedom!

Justin duggar with claire
These days, Justin is living with Claire and her family in Texas — which must be quite frustrating for his older siblings who had to be chaperoned by Jim Bob during their courtships.

5. The Big Day

Justin looks at claire
Duggar courtships almost always result in marriage, and Justin and Claire are several months into this thing. So it’s not surprising that fans are dying to know when they might tie the knot.

6. Predicting the Future

Claire spivey with justin duggar
Duggar weddings are massive affairs, so the nuptials will likely be delayed as a result of the pandemic. Still, the best way to figure out a timeline for these two is by looking at past Duggar courtships.

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Where Do the Duggars Live? Tour All Their Homes (And Find Out Who Lives In a Windowless Warehouse)!

Where do the Duggars live? For many fans of the famous and controversial family, the Duggar homestead is a familiar sight.

Jim Bob and Michelle built a 7,000-square foot Arkansas pad with the proceeds from their first TLC specials way back in the day.

Thirteen years and three more kids later, the house serves as the setting for two reality shows – and very large family gatherings. 

Of course, 13 years is a long time and much of the younger Duggar generation has grown up and moved into homes of their own.

Some of the adult Duggars are just starting out – while some are already living the good life on some very enviable property.

Others … well, not so much. Sit tight, we’ll get to that shortly.

The folks at celebrity gossip magazine In Touch took a look at all of the Duggar homes, and you might be surprised by what they found.

So where do the Duggars live? Take a look:

1. The Compound

Dh 1
Every Counting On fan is familiar with the massive Tontitown property known as the Duggar compound. But these days, several of Jim Bob and Michelle’s kids have left the nest to establish homes of their own.

2. The Beginning …

Dh 17
The Duggars’ story begins here, in this much more modest home in nearby Springdale, Arkansas. Not the kind of place in which you would want to raise 19 kids.

3. A Humble Start

The duggars in 2004
When the Duggars made their TV debut on Discovery Health, the network helped them with construction costs for their new home in Tontitown. Execs also filled up the family’s pantry, something Jim Bob and Michelle had difficulty doing in those days.

4. The Living Room

Dh 16
The Duggars love the great outdoors (especially their big backyard) but when they’re inside the compound, this sprawling living room — with its sky-high ceilings — serves as the site of more Counting On scenes than any other.

5. The Master Bedroom

Dh 15
And this — as they used to say on MTV’s Cribs — is where the magic happens. Jim Bob and Michelle’s bedroom has been the site of an awful lot of baby-making.

6. The Master Bath

Dh 14
And this is the bathroom off of Jim Bob and Michelle’s room. We’re guessing this was roughly the size of the living room in their first house.

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