Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar raised 19 kids and his great-nephew, Tyler Hutchins, without going broke.
He dabbled in politics and reality TV, but real estate is where a lot of Jim Bob’s wealth comes from.
Jim Bob Duggar’s net worth is a hot topic these days as he is reportedly footing all of Josh Duggar’s legal bills stemming from his April arrest on child pornography charges.
Followers want to know how much Jim Bob Duggar is worth and how he earned money.
What is Jim Bob Duggar’s net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jim Bob Duggar has a net worth of $3.5 million. That is a pretty impressive number given he isn’t a huge star, but his name is well-known.
Coming from humble beginnings, Jim Bob literally built his life from the ground up. Throughout the years, he has mentioned that he grew up poor and that his father, Jimmy Lee (JL) Duggar, wasn’t a financially sound man. This affected him and likely was the catalyst for the reality TV dad to jump-start his goal to provide for a large family.
Where does Jim Bob Duggar get his money?
For starters, Jim Bob Duggar has a real estate nest egg. He buys properties and land for cheap and then flips them for a profit. He has passed this down to his children, and often, their first home is bought from him for a minimal amount, sometimes even just a dollar.
Over the years, he has bought and sold properties after making adjustments to them. Sometimes the profit is only a few thousand dollars, while other times, it is hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Reality TV was also a huge catalyst to help Jim Bob Duggar. He had two successful shows on TLC. 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On ran for several seasons and garnered him anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. During a typical season, roughly 10 episodes were a part of the lineup, bringing the total to around $400,000 per season. His children were not paid for appearing, which his daughter, Jill Duggar, revealed when she talked about receiving the pay she was due, which worked out to a little bit above minimum wage.
In 1999, Jim Bob Duggar was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives. After completing his term, he attempted a run for the U.S. Senate in 2002, which he lost. Then, in 2006, he attempted to run again but lost. Josh Duggar was posed to be his political prodigy until his scandals broke in 2015.
Overall, Jim Bob Duggar has accrued his wealth over various avenues. He is sitting with a $3.5 million net worth, but that is expected to change with the cancellation of Counting On and the mounting legal bills from Josh Duggar’s arrest.