Since leaving TLC's Counting On in 2017, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have distanced themselves from her big family. Here's all they've said about the strained relationship.
Jill Duggar and husband Derick Dillard are on their own.
The spouses have not only cut ties with the TLC reality series that launched them into the spotlight, but they've also distanced themselves from her larger-than-life family after the couple's autonomy was "taken away" from them.
Jill has opened up about her decision to leave Counting On (the spinoff of 19 Kids and Counting) back in 2017 and how it put a strain on the dynamic between her and her parents in the years since.
As the 29-year-old explained in a recent interview with People, she and Derick "didn't have as much control over our lives" as they wanted. Jill and Derick had to prioritize their kids, 5-year-old Israel David and 3-year-old Samuel Scott.
The strict filming schedule may have come at much too high a cost, especially considering Jill claimed that she wasn't paid for her time on the reality show until she lawyered up.
It seems like tension has been mounting with her parents ever since.
Read everything Jill and Derick have said about their separation from the rest of the Duggar clan.
On Why They Wanted to Leave Counting On: Jill and Derick got candid on YouTube on Oct. 7, revealing why they parted ways with the spinoff two years after its premiere. "We found out we didn't have as much control over our lives as it related to the show and stuff, as we needed. We had to make a decision at that time to kind of put the show aside just so like to pursue our own goals and everything. That's when we made that decision," Jill explained. "It was just a good decision for us."
On How They Ultimately Made the Hard Decision to Quit: Derick confessed that it was a tough choice to break away from the show. He said, "We were kind of put between a rock and a hard place where we had to choose between our family goals over filming and it really felt like it was in the best interest as a family to pursue our family goals." Jill called it a "difficult" choice as well.
On How The Departure Impacted Their Family Connection: Jill admitted that leaving TLC really affected the relationship they had with the Duggars. "There's been some distancing there," Jill added. "We're not on the best terms with some of my family. We've had some disagreements, but we're working towards healing definitely and restoration, but we're having to kind of just take some time and heal."
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On The Deeper Reason They Cut Ties with Jill's Family: On Oct. 21, Jill went into detail about how helpless she felt in her own life. She said that plans made by her and Derick were always at the whim of the network or her family. "Our control to choose what jobs we were allowed to accept and even where we were allowed to live was taken away from us," Jill told People.
On How The 19 Kids and Counting Rules Limited Their Lives: Derick explained how the strict rules and goals of the show affected the couple at the start of their marriage. The 31-year-old law student said, "The first few years of our marriage, we spent time and money working towards opportunities only to hit a dead end when we'd be told, 'Well, you're not allowed to do that.'"
On The Duggars' Reaction to Their Departure: Once Jill decided to leave Counting On, she told her family the news, and it wasn't exactly taken in stride. "It didn't go over very well with anyone," she admitted. "By that point we'd had enough. We knew we had to pull out completely to reevaluate and get our bearings."
On Hiring an Attorney to Get Paid for Reality Shows: The couple claimed on Oct. 22 that they weren't initially paid for their TLC appearances, despite being at the center of the spinoff. People reported that her father, Jim Bob Duggar, took in most of the $25,000 to $45,000 fee per episode. In order for Jill to get what she believed she was owed, she had to hire a lawyer. "That's when we got an attorney involved and finally recovered some of the money," the mom of two said. "It was a process." TLC declined to comment when contacted by E! News.
On Their Fight to Get Paid for the Show: Derick hinted that although they recovered some money from the Duggars, they could be entitled to more. He said on YouTube that they've received what's probably the equivalent of minimum wage, adding, "But we were able to recover at least something."
On Whether Jill Hopes to Reconcile Her Relationship With Her Fam: It sounds like Jill is open to making up with her parents and her 18 brothers and sisters. She told People in October, "I never expected this to happen or for it to get to this point." The 29-year-old added, "But I'm realizing I can't put a timeline on healing. I love my family and they love me. I really just have to follow God's lead and take it one day at a time."
On Oct. 21, a Duggar family spokesperson told E! News in a statement, "Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out. We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly!"
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