Amy Duggar hasn’t been afraid to share her ideas about aunt Michelle and uncle Jim Bob Duggar — and now she’s opening up about her relationship with cousin Jana Duggar.
“I actually hope to the nice Lord above that she is joyful and thriving and dealing by way of no matter she’s skilled, however I’ve no contact along with her,” Amy, 36, revealed in a Self-importance Truthful interview revealed on Wednesday, June 28, noting that Jana, 33, nonetheless lives on her dad and mom’ property in Arkansas.
“Anybody that lives at dwelling with anybody within the IBLP, you’re beneath their management, so I don’t know if she’s essentially allowed to [contact me],” Amy added, referring to the Institute in Primary Life Rules, the fundamentalist Christian motion to which Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle, 56, subscribe.
Jana is the eldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle, who rose to fame on the TLC collection 19 Children and Counting. The household’s spinoff present, Counting On, was canceled after the couple’s eldest son, Josh, was arrested on little one pornography fees in early 2021. Josh, 35, was discovered responsible on two counts of receiving and possessing little one pornography in December of that 12 months and later sentenced to greater than 12 years in jail.
Information Licensing / MEGA ; Courtesy of Jana Duggar/Instagram
Amy and a few of her kinfolk have since denounced their upbringing, most not too long ago in Prime Video’s Shiny Completely satisfied Folks. Jana didn’t take part, however Amy and cousin Jill Duggar spoke out towards IBLP within the docuseries, whereas Jinger Duggar opened up about her expertise within the January memoir Turning into Free Certainly: My Story of Disentangling Religion From Concern.
“[My upbringing] was constructed on concern, manipulation, management and superstition, so all these issues mixed in how laborious it’s for youths to depart or adults to depart — anybody, actually,” Jinger, 29, completely advised Us Weekly forward of her e book’s launch. “When you hear the teachings, you’re not speculated to depart from these.”
Amy, for her half, stated that the household’s remedy of Josh after his arrest was the “final straw” for her. “I can’t think about defending a predator,” she advised Self-importance Truthful. “I feel that’s the lowest of low, [and] there’s no going again.”
After Shiny Completely satisfied Folks‘s launch, Jim Bob and Michelle slammed the collection, calling it “unhappy” in a press release shared through their web site. “Like different households, ours too has skilled the fun and heartbreaks of life, simply in a really public format,” the pair wrote earlier this month. “This ‘documentary’ paints a lot and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized means as a result of sadly that’s the route of leisure nowadays.”
Courtesy of Jana Duggar/Instagram
They continued: “We’ve got all the time believed that the perfect likelihood to restore broken relationships, or to reconcile variations, is thru love in a non-public setting. We love each member of our household and can proceed to do all we are able to to have an excellent relationship with every one.”
Amy, nonetheless, was not impressed by their response. In a TikTok video shared days later, she slammed Jim Bob for allegedly defending Josh after he was accused in 2015 of molesting a number of underage ladies whereas he was a youngster. His sisters Jill and Jessa have been later recognized as two of the victims.
“When you’re not going to guard these stunning daughters from a predator that was residing inside your private home and also you knew about it, and also you’re gonna sweep it beneath the rug and your mentality is kinda simply to brush it off and to cover it and to lie, not solely do I not respect you anymore, however I additionally don’t wish to offer you a proper to get to know my little one,” Amy stated in her add. “As a result of I’ll defend my little one in any respect prices.”
Years after the 2015 scandal, Jim Bob claimed that he couldn’t recall the small print of Josh’s alleged admission that he’d touched the victims. “We have been shocked this had occurred however we have been grateful he got here on his personal and advised us,” he stated in November 2021 whereas testifying on behalf of Josh in his little one pornography trial.