Jill Duggar Reveals She Was Never Paid For Counting On
Counting On is one of many reality TV shows on TLC that is hard to tear yourself away from. It's a spin-off of 19 Kids and Counting, which featured the super-religious, conservative Christian Duggar family, including husband and wife Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children. Counting On follows the lives of the older Duggar children as they embark on new relationships, marriages, and raising children of their own (via TLC).
While living life in front of TV cameras seems pretty daunting, most reality TV stars are compensated enough to make the endeavor worthwhile. But it seems that wasn't the case for the second-eldest Duggar daughter, Jill. In a YouTube video that Jill Duggar and her husband Derick Dillard posted on September 30, Duggar revealed that she wasn't paid for her time and contributions to Counting On until she got an attorney involved (via CheatSheet). Even at that, Derick implied Jill never received the full amount she may have been entitled to.
Jill Duggar had to hire an attorney to get paid for her time on Counting On
Since Jill Duggar and her husband Derrick Dillard left Counting On in 2017 (via In Touch), fans have wondered how the stay-at-home mom and her law student husband have been making ends meet. In the recent Q&A session on YouTube, Jill explained she and her husband have no debt and said they stick to a budget, but noted they are living off savings and the supplemental income Jill earns through YouTube, blogging, and social media (she most recently shared a sponsored post for a women's swimwear company on her Instagram). Jill must have realized that math wasn't adding up for viewers because before moving on to the next question, she took a moment to confess she was not paid for her time on Counting On.
Duggar stated, "So also, up until around the time we left the show, we hadn't been paid for anything. Of course, there were perks that came along with filming. If you were traveling... they might cover those expenses. But we hadn't been paid until we were really pressing about it and ended up getting an attorney involved." Husband Derrick added, "Basically, once we got an attorney involved, we were able to recover a portion of what Jill should've been paid... In the end, it probably ended up being a little more than minimum wage at most." Well, if it's any consolation, spilling tea like that is sure to at least earn these two some extra YouTube views.