Since 2015, there has been a cloud over the Duggar family.
For a while, they were reality TV royalty. 19 Kids and Counting brought in high ratings for TLC, and with the older children coming of age and moving into courtships and marriages, there was a lot of money to be made.
In 2015, things blew up for the family when a redacted police report was released to the public detailing what Josh Duggar did to five minor girls, four of whom were his sisters, nearly a decade prior.
The family attempted to spin things positively by using Jill Duggar and Jessa Duggar to do press, namely an interview with Megyn Kelly. Since they were two of Josh’s victims, it was thought they could save their show and come out the other side virtually unscathed.
And while things seemed to move forward with the girls doing okay, Jill delves into what it was like behind the scenes in the upcoming docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
Unfortunately, things weren’t as they seemed, despite TLC switching gears and spinning off Jill & Jessa: Counting On, which morphed into Counting On when Jill walked away in 2017.
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets clip sees Jill visibly upset
Although the docuseries isn’t due for a few days, clips are beginning to leak online.
One clip, shared by TikToker mrskickstand, shows Jill Duggar speaking out about the experience of doing the press following the police report leak in 2015.
With a trembling voice, Jill revealed that she felt the burden to fix things fell on her as the victim because she believed she was the only one who could help.
The clip of Jill and Jessa Duggar speaking to Megyn Kelly appeared on screen, where Jill specifically said no one asked them to do the interview, but that wasn’t the case.
She was clearly put into a place where she felt the burden was on her.
Derick Dillard calls Megyn Kelly interview a ‘suicide mission’
Derick Dillard sat next to his wife as she sat for the interview for Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets. He confirmed he was unaware of what happened to Jill Duggar at the hands of her brother when they became engaged.
He discussed the Megyn Kelly interview and likened it to a suicide mission for Jill, who put herself out there to take all the criticism while distracting people so the show could move forward. And if she was collateral damage, so be it.
This is likely why Derick and Jill chose to walk away from the show and the family in 2017. They have built their own life and have begun speaking out against some of the things Jim Bob Duggar did to them, like withholding money for filming they took part in.
Derick attended every day of Josh Duggar’s trial after he was arrested for having CSAM. He listened to all the testimony, saw all the evidence, and attended the sentencing.
The docuseries was filmed after the conviction, likely sometime last spring. There is more to come, especially with there being four parts.
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets airs Friday, June 2, on Prime Video.