The Duggar Family's Tragic Story Explained

This article includes mentions of child sexual abuse.

Dubbed "Shiny Happy People," the Duggars have long boasted about Christian family values. They famously have 19 kids thanks to openly forgoing birth control. They've encouraged their children to adhere to strict courtship rules, like going on dates with a chaperone to discourage physical contact. But despite all the Duggars have done to try to live upright lives, they've still been touched by tragedy, proving that it's inescapable for everyone.   

Since they came on the scene, the Duggar family has faced plenty of controversies. For example, kids from the clan have left the family, and multiple children have broken their family's strict rules (for most families, breaking a rule isn't the end of the world, but it's a serious offense for the Duggars). But that just scratches the surface of what sadnesses have impacted the famed TLC tribe. Here are the tragic details about the Duggar family. 

Josie Duggar has struggled with her health since birth. Michelle Duggar delivered the 19th of her 19 children at just 25 weeks gestation, making her a preemie, and she spent six months in the neonatal intensive care unit before she was healthy enough to go home.

Josie had more health issues when she was five. On an episode of "19 Kids and Counting," audiences saw Josie suffer a seizure. "[James Duggar] asked [Josie] a question, and she didn't really respond. She was just sitting there, staring, and then started jerking," Jana Duggar said of the medical emergency, as reported by People. As Michelle said, "One of the little glitches for Josie is that if she runs a fever, she does have the tendency to have febrile seizures," adding that it could happen in an instant. The Duggars have become much more private in recent years, but Josie seems to be doing well today.

After the Duggar family had ascended to reality TV royalty status, deeply troubling reports about Josh Duggar, the oldest of the 19 children, surfaced. InTouch Weekly reported that when Josh was younger, he sexually abused his siblings. According to a source, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were made aware of the abuse and then contacted local police. "I saw and read the report and it clearly stated that Jim Bob brought his son Josh into the Arkansas State Police and spoke to a state trooper about Josh's involvement in alleged inappropriate touching with a minor," the source said.

In the wake of the story, multiple family members released statements, including Jim Bob and Michelle, Josh, and Josh's wife, Anna Duggar. None of the statements directly addressed what Josh had done, but they all indicated that he had made a severe error when he was a teenager, and all statements claimed that Josh had atoned for his wrongdoing. Some of Josh's sisters were among the victims, and in the wake of the information becoming public, they spoke out. In an interview with Megyn Kelly, Jill Dillard (née Duggar) said, "I see it as a re-victimization that's 1,000 times worse — because this is something that was already dealt with. We've already forgiven Josh. We've already moved on," as reported by CBS News. Jessa Seewald (née Duggar) added that she didn't consider her brother a pedophile or a molester, saying, "I can say this because I was one of the victims."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

Sadly for the Duggar family, Josh Duggar's issues didn't end in 2015. In 2021, a jury found Josh guilty of possessing child pornography. After pleading not guilty to all charges, Josh faced up to 20 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. "We appreciate the jury's lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury's verdict, and we intend to appeal," Josh's attorneys said to NBC News following the verdict. Months later, in 2022, Josh was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined just over $50,000. Anna Duggar, Josh's wife; Jim Bob Duggar; Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar); and Jason Duggar attended the sentencing. Josh has tried to appeal the charges against him multiple times since 2021, but each time, courts have denied his appeals.

Upon the conviction and sentencing, multiple members of Josh's family publicly responded to the news. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar stated that they would continue praying for and loving their son. At the same time, Josh's cousin, Amy King, wrote an open letter to Anna via Instagram, encouraging her to divorce Josh for the sake of their children. Josh's sister, Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar), had some particularly poignant words. "We are thankful to God for exposing Josh's actions and to a legal system committed to protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty in this case. We are grateful for justice. We are praying for further justice, vindication, protection, and healing for all those who have been wronged," she said on Instagram.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Unfortunately, Josh Duggar's actions had a massive impact on his entire family. In addition to the trauma the victims of his abuse endured, Josh's family lost a major part of their income as the Duggars' reality show ,"19 Kids and Counting," was canceled as a result of the scandal. In 2015, TLC announced that it would no longer film episodes of the popular series. "We are deeply saddened and troubled by this heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family and victims at this difficult time," TLC said in a statement regarding the cancellation, as reported by the Washington Post. At the time, the Duggars were earning tens of thousands of dollars per episode for the series.

The Duggar drought didn't last too long on TLC, though. Soon after "19 Kids and Counting" was canceled, the network announced that it would be airing "Counting On," a spin-off series that ostensibly followed Jill Dillard (née Duggar) and Jessa Seewald (née Duggar), but essentially showed the lives of everyone in the Duggar family aside from Josh. In 2021, however, Josh proved to be the family's Achilles heel once again; in the wake of his child pornography conviction, "Counting On" was canceled. "We are forever grateful for our film crew and so many others behind the scenes who have become like family to us over the years. The wonderful experiences that filming has provided us will be treasured always," Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said in a statement after the second cancellation was announced.

Jill Dillard (née Duggar) has been unafraid to make her own decisions, even if those choices differ from what her family members would do. Unfortunately, making some of those decisions has changed Jill's relationship with the rest of her clan. The discord between Jill and the other Duggars began around 2017 when she and her husband, Derick Dillard, left "Counting On." Jill and Derick shared in a 2020 interview with People that their decision to leave stemmed from an inability to take advantage of different opportunities if they went against the Duggar family's goals. "It didn't go over very well with anyone. By that point we'd had enough. We knew we had to pull out completely to reevaluate and get our bearings," Jill said of her and Derick's decision to exit the series.

However, Jill has been plenty busy since leaving "19 Kids and Counting." In 2023, her memoir, "Counting the Cost," was published, and it revealed even more about the issues she's had with her family, particularly with her parents and finances. Jill shared in the book that she believes her family earned around $8 million in total from their stint on reality TV, but that she and Derick were only given $175,000 after leveling complaints, an amount that Jill does not think is fair. Though there have previously been signs Jill is headed toward a reconciliation with her family — she, Derick, and their children spent Christmas with the Duggars in 2023 — her relationship with them still has not been fully restored.

The Duggar family, quite obviously, have many children. While none of Jim Bob and Michelle's children have nearly as many kids of their own as their parents, many of them are steadily growing their families. Jill Dillard (née Duggar) has three boys with her husband, Derick Dillard, but they've experienced tragedy in trying to have more children. In 2021, she shared that she miscarried a child soon after learning she was pregnant, and in 2024, Jill suffered another heartbreaking loss, which she shared on social media. "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the stillbirth of our beautiful baby girl, Isla Marie Dillard. Jill was 4 months pregnant (due in August) when we found out that our baby died in utero," Jill said on Instagram. Days after Jill shared the news of her stillbirth, she and Derick hosted a funeral. Many of Jill's family members were in attendance, including her parents.

Since the miscarriage, Jill and Derick have continued to honor their daughter's memory. Weeks after she died, Jill planted a pink rose bush in memory of Isla, sharing that the plant will bloom annually around the date of her birth. In October of that year, Jill shared a video of herself, Derick, and their sons visiting the cemetery where Isla was buried for the first time since her tombstone was placed. The family covered the grave site in flowers, some of which they handpicked from their home garden.

Jim Bob Duggar has lost multiple family members since becoming a public figure. In 2023, Tommy Lester, Jim Bob's maternal uncle, died suddenly, and it was quite a tragic and strange ordeal. Lester, who was 75 years old, died of a heart attack. His husband reportedly told the police that Lester had become sick the night before, but he did not want to see a doctor out of fear that he'd end up in a nursing home. He was pronounced dead at the scene. After Lester died, police went to Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's home to further investigate the death. While some sources claim that Jim Bob was Lester's next-of-kin, other sources are uncertain about why the police paid the Duggars a visit.

Making Lester's death even more tragic (and the police's visit to the Duggar home even more confusing), Jim Bob and his family hadn't been on speaking terms with Lester for years. As one source told The Sun, "Tommy removed himself from the family decades ago. Nobody kept in touch with him at all. All the family knows is that he was gay and was married. He separated himself from the family when the oldest Duggar children were young." Jim Bob and Michelle's niece, Amy King, reportedly confirmed that Lester and his family had long been estranged, with many assuming the rift was due to the Duggar family's stance on gay marriage.

Years before Jim Bob Duggar's uncle, Tommy Lester, died, Jim Bob's mother and Lester's sister, Mary Duggar, died. In the summer of 2019, the Duggar family shared the sad news of Mary's passing on their Facebook page. "We deeply appreciate your prayers for our family and all who loved Mary during this time," their message read. The family also created a special place on their website for fans to leave messages, encouraging people to share what they loved about Mary. Mary died at home, and according to Washington County Coroner Roger Morris, "It appears she slipped and fell into the pool," per USA Today.

Multiple Duggar children took to social media to honor their grandmother in the wake of her death. "She was a feisty, incredible woman who always took the time to talk about Jesus with everyone she knew! I know she was ready to check outta here and get her new body in heaven before the old one started giving her too much trouble!" Jill Dillard (née Duggar) said on Instagram. Shortly after Mary's death, the family gathered at what appeared to be the same church where many of the Duggars have gotten married to celebrate the matriarch's life. Many of the Duggar sons served as pallbearers, while Jim Bob and Michelle appeared to share some words with the crowd.

Miscarriage is a tragic reality that comes with trying to expand families, and multiple women in the Duggar family are familiar with that loss. As noted, Jill Dillard (née Duggar) has suffered a miscarriage, and three of her sisters have, too. In 2020, Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) shared that a year prior she had miscarried a child, a daughter she named Annabell. "I remember leaving our ultrasound appointment, sobbing and wondering how we were ever going to move forward, and so fearful of having to deliver her," Forsyth said on Instagram. "It hurts to look back at these pictures and remember the pain and heartbreak." Forsyth and her husband now have three children, two boys and a girl.

In 2020, Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar) opened up on an episode of "Counting On" about her miscarriage. After welcoming a healthy baby girl, Vuolo and her husband learned they were pregnant with another child, but after announcing their pregnancy to the Duggar family, Vuolo miscarried. "We went in and they tried to check for a heartbeat, but they couldn't find one. They did an ultrasound and said that we had lost the baby," Vuolo said on the episode, as reported by People. In 2023, Jessa Seewald (née Duggar) posted a video on YouTube detailing her experience with pregnancy loss after delivering multiple healthy babies. "At that moment I was just in complete shock. I didn't have words. I just immediately started crying," Seewald said of learning she had miscarried.

The Duggars have long taken stances that many people find controversial. They don't allow the women in their family to wear pants. They notoriously encouraged their children to abstain from most physical contact, including kissing, until marriage. Many of the Duggars don't use birth control or drink alcohol. However, the views upheld by the Duggar family were taken to a new level in 2023 when the documentary "Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets" premiered. The series framed the religious organization the Duggars are part of, the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), as a cult, claiming its views are radical and that its members are brainwashed. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar decried the series, writing on their website, "This 'documentary' paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that's the direction of entertainment these days."

One member of the Duggar family, however, patently disagrees. Jill Dillard (née Duggar), who, as noted, has a strained relationship with the rest of her family, has spoken out against the church, both on "Shiny Happy People" and in other interviews. "I really do think that IBLP is a form of a cult. I think that even if you remove the person in leadership, a lot of those same values and principles are still being taught, so it doesn't fix the problem," Dillard told People.