Jill Dillard

Jill Dillard
Dillard in 2007
Born
Jill Michelle Duggar

(1991-05-17) May 17, 1991 (age 33)
Tontitown, Arkansas, U.S.
OccupationTelevision personality
Years active2004–2017
Spouse
Derick Dillard
​
(m. 2014)​
Children3
FatherJim Bob Duggar
Relatives18 siblings including Josh, Jana, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy-Anna
Websitewww.dillardfamily.com

Jill Michelle Dillard (née Duggar; born May 17, 1991) is an American author and former television personality. She is known for her appearances on TLC as part of the reality television shows 19 Kids and Counting (2008–2015) and Counting On (2015–2017), and in the 2023 Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People, about her upbringing within Bill Gothard's financially and sexually exploitative Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) and Advanced Training Institute (ATI) organizations, for which her parents were important proselytizers.[1] As Jill Duggar, she also co-authored a book with her sisters Jana, Jessa, and Jinger titled Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships.[2] Her second book, Counting the Cost, was released in September 2023.[3][4]

Personal life

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Dillard was born in Tontitown, Arkansas, as the fourth child and the second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. On June 21, 2014, she married Derick Michael Dillard.[5] They have three sons together. In 2015, the Dillard family relocated to El Salvador to serve as missionaries with S.O.S. Ministries. Ten months later, they returned to the United States.[6][7][8] In 2021, Dillard had a miscarriage, followed by a stillbirth in 2024.[9][10]

Career

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Television

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Dillard began her public life as a member of the family featured in the documentary 14 Children and Pregnant Again (2004), which talks about daily life of the family from the "time they wake up" to the "time they go to sleep". The documentary aired on the Discovery Health Channel. Another documentary, Raising 16 Children was produced on the same channel in 2006, when her sister Johannah was born. This was followed by another feature, On the Road with 16 Children about a family cross-country trip.[11][12][13]

On September 29, 2008, 19 Kids and Counting (formerly 18 Kids and Counting and 17 Kids and Counting) began as a regular series based on the Duggar family.[14] The show was cancelled in 2015 following several scandals surrounding her brother Josh.[15] Another series, Jill & Jessa: Counting On, starring Dillard and her sister Jessa, premiered on December 13, 2015.[16][17] Jill and her family dropped out of the show in 2017.[18]

Books

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Dillard co-wrote the book Growing Up Duggar: It's All About Relationships, published by Howard Books with her sisters Jana, Jessa and Jinger.[19] It was released on March 4, 2014. Her second book, Counting the Cost, was released on September 12, 2023.[3][20]

Midwife

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In 2015, Dillard became a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) in Arkansas.[21] However, her mentor Vanessa Giron's license was revoked after being found negligent in a birth. Neither Dillard nor Giron are licensed midwives in the state of Arkansas.[22]

Sexual abuse survivor

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In June 2015 on The Kelly File, Dillard identified herself as one of the girls whom her oldest brother Joshua Duggar had molested as a teen. Dillard reported the abuse consisted of inappropriate touching while she was asleep, saying she did not know it had occurred until her brother confessed to her parents, and her parents then told her what had occurred. Dillard stated that the release of the police reports was a "revictimization", and she expressed concern that the police reports detailing her abuse being made public might discourage other families experiencing abuse from seeking help.[23][24][25] Dillard later stated that she regretted doing the interview with Megyn Kelly but that she had felt obligated.[26]

In 2017, Jill and her sister Jessa sued Springdale and Washington County officials for releasing the police reports. In February 2022, the judge dismissed the case, saying that the officials had broken the law merely out of negligence rather than intention and thus had immunity.[27]

References

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  1. ^ ""Shiny Happy People": The 8 most horrifying revelations from Prime Video's Duggar family doc". Salon. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Messer, Lesley. "Inside the Duggars' Relationship Advice Book", ABC News, February 20, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Duggar, Jill; Dillard, Derick; Borlase, Craig (January 16, 2024). Counting the Cost. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-6680-2444-7.
  4. ^ "Jill Duggar Tells Her Side of the Story". Vanity Fair. September 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Dennis, Alicia (June 21, 2014). "Jill Duggar Marries Derick Dillard".
  6. ^ "Derick and Jill Dillard say they're still in Central America, ask for prayers for their 'physical safety and spiritual protection' | Christian News on Christian Today". www.christiantoday.com. February 13, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Husband Derick Announce They Are Leaving for a Mission: We Don't Expect This to Be Easy". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  8. ^ "Baby Makes 3 on 19 Kids! Read All About Jill Duggar's Labor and Delivery". May 6, 2015. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  9. ^ Moore, Julia (October 4, 2022). "Jill Duggar Dillard Reflects on Miscarriage One Year Later: 'Feelings of Loss and Joy'". People.
  10. ^ "Jill Duggar Dillard and Husband Derick Reveal Stillbirth of Baby No. 5, a Girl: She 'Was Much Loved'". People.com.
  11. ^ "14 children and pregnant again". figure8films.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  12. ^ "Raising 16 children". figure8films.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  13. ^ "On the road with 16 children". figure8films.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  14. ^ "19 kids and counting". tv.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  15. ^ Rothman, Michelle; Messer, Lesley (July 16, 2015). ""19 Kids and Counting" Cancelled: The Duggars Speak Out". ABC News. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  16. ^ "Welcome Back Jill & Jessa". TLC. October 18, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  17. ^ Eglash, Joanne (November 17, 2015). "Jessa Duggar Uses Jana Duggar as Babysitter, but did Jana Act as Babysitter in Risky Home Birth?". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  18. ^ Schaffstall, Katherine (September 12, 2023). "Is Jill Duggar Estranged From Her Family? Everything She's Said Amid Book Release". InTouch Weekly.
  19. ^ Pierce, Susan (March 17, 2014). "In new book, Duggar daughters discuss boys, dating rules and growing up Duggar". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  20. ^ Hanson, Kait (September 13, 2023). "Jill Duggar Tells Her Side of the Story". Vanity Fair.
  21. ^ "Jill Duggar-Dillard is now a midwife! Husband Derick proudly shares the news". Christian Post. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  22. ^ Prakash, Alisha (April 25, 2016). "You Might Want to Read This Before Appointing Jill Duggar as Your Midwife". Redbook. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  23. ^ FoxNews.com (June 5, 2015). "Exclusive: Duggar sisters want to 'set the record straight'". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  24. ^ Keating, Caitlin (June 3, 2015). "Jill Dillard Speaks Out: Jessa and I 'Are Victims' of Molestation". People. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  25. ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (June 4, 2015). "Josh Duggar molested four of his sisters and a babysitter, parents tell Fox News". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 4, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  26. ^ "The True Story Behind Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets". Time. June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  27. ^ Wood, Ron (February 10, 2022). "Federal judge in Fayetteville tosses Duggar sisters' lawsuit over release of police records". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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