Derick Dillard has said he and Jill Duggar would consider filming Counting On again — and revealed why they decided to walk away from the show back in 2017.
In a new interview, Derick explained what led to the couple’s departure and said they would consider returning if they “had a say” in what was included in their contract.
Why did Derick Dillard and Jill Duggar leave Counting On?
According to Derick, he and Jill were not compensated for appearing on Counting On. They received stipends for food and travel, but didn’t make a salary. Jill’s dad, Jim Bob Duggar, was allegedly the only member of the family with a contract.
Derick previously said that the show “was presented to us kids as something that was done as a ministry that TLC periodically subsidized in the form reimbursements for things like gas, restaurants, travel, etc… but not any actual pay on top of that.”
Fans have debated what the Duggars made for filming Counting On for quite some time. Viewers assumed the children featured in the show got a portion of the money, but Derick claims that was not true — at least for him and Jill.
He said he was unsure whether other members of the family were paid.
“We were strongly discouraged from talking to other family members about payment or lack thereof,” Derick explained. He maintained that because there was no compensation for filming, he and Jill had to rely on fundraisers for their mission trips.
The couple chose to walk away from Counting On after it was made clear that they would not get paid for filming. The decision came after the couple had shared their wedding, the birth of their children, and their time in the mission field on the show.
Derick said in his latest interview that the couple would consider filming the show again — but only if they had more of a say in the contract.
“We would only consider doing filming if we had a say in the terms of our arrangement,” he said.
Derick and Jill may not have the option to return, however, after Derick burned bridges with TLC in 2017 by making transphobic comments about Jazz Jennings, star of the network’s show I Am Jazz.
What are Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard up to now?
Currently, Derick is halfway through law school. He has been working to get his degree while Jill raises their two boys as a stay-at-home mom.
Jill regularly shares updates on social media about the adventures the family goes on, including the ones she handles solo.
Since she’s been married, Jill has bucked many of the traditions of her conservative family. She chopped her hair shorter than ever, changed up her wardrobe, and developed a close bond with her cousin Amy Duggar King.
Jill even enrolled her oldest child in public kindergarten in the fall, which was a surprise since all 19 Duggar kids were homeschooled. Jill’s brother Josh and his wife Anna, the only other Duggar couple with school-aged children, homeschool.
Counting On returns Tuesday, July 7 at 8/7c on TLC.
Please come back can’t wait to watch show again and see you all soon.