For several months now, the feud between Derick Dillard and Jim Bob Duggar has been steadily intensifying.
Not surprisingly, Jill Duggar has chosen to side her husband in his escalating war against her father.
Duggar women are taught from a young age to be loyal to their husbands in all matters, and if Derick’s allegations of Jim Bob’s abusive tendencies are accurate, the decision of which man she should support in this conflict was probably a very easy one for Jill.
But even so, her actions have come with consequences that probably led her to wish her husband had never gone to war with the boss of the family.
For example, new evidence indicates that Jill’s siblings have completely cut ties with her and have decided to remain loyal to their parents.
Take a look:
On Her Own It appears that Jill Duggar is on the outs with most of her siblings at the moment.
Out In the Open And these days the members of the Counting On clan are no longer attempting to hide the deep rift that’s left them divided.
Almost a Milestone Jill celebrated her 29th birthday this week. “Happy 29th birthday to my beautiful wife @jillmdillard,” her husband, Derick Dillard, captioned this pic.
A Husband’s Love “She demonstrates genuine sacrificial love like nobody I’ve ever met. I’ll love you all my days, Jill,” Derick added.
Put to the Test (Getty) It’s an apt compliment, as Jill has sacrificed a great deal for her marriage in recent months.
On the Warpath Derick has been spilling her family’s secrets and attacking her father’s reputation since last year.
On the Outs Not surprisingly, the situation has put a major strain on her relationship with her parents. In fact, it’s been rumored that Jill is no longer on speaking terms with Jim Bob and Michelle.
Reluctant Well-Wishes Some members of Jill’s family offered her a happy birthday on social media, but notably, most of them did not. This photo was posted on the family’s “official” Instagram page, along with a boilerplate message.
Simpler Times (Image Credit: YouTube) “I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. You were the happiest little baby, and always had a smile on your face!” reads the caption, presumably written by Michelle.
Strange Praise “From the time you were young, you’ve always been outgoing and have made friends easily,” the caption continued. “You care deeply for others, and people feel this!”
Something Amiss The odd tone of the caption led many to the conclusion that Michelle made the post solely to keep up appearances.
Trouble In Duggar Land Even more telling is that most of Jill’s siblings failed to publicly acknowledge her birthday in any way.
Conspicuous Silence In fact, only Jessa and Jana Duggar took to social media to wish their sister Jill a happy birthday.
Signs of Tension This would be unusual in any year, but it’s especially strange right now, when the coronavirus pandemic has limited families’ abilities to celebrate birthdays in person.
Sisters No Matter What Jessa and Jana both made a point of celebrating Jill’s big day in their Instagram Stories, but her many other siblings who are on social media made no mention of her.
Choosing Sides This means, of course, that none of her brothers wished Jill a happy birthday, a fact that seems to corroborate the rumor that they’ve all sided with Jim Bob.
An Inevitable Divide (Getty) It’s not surprising, of course, that Derick’s actions would have created such a rift within the family.
Taking Shots at the Throne In all the Duggars’ time in the spotlight, no one who is closely connected with the family has been as critical of Jim Bob as Derick has been in the past six months.
Damaging Claims Derick has claimed that Jim Bob ruled his house like an iron-fisted tyrant, keeping the money his kids earned from their reality show so that he might exercise strict control over their lives well into adulthood.
Monstrous Jill was molested by her brother Josh when she was very young, and Jim Bob helped Josh hide his crimes. Derick alleges that the patriarch also forced Jill to continue filming after news of the abuse went public.
More to Come? Derick has promised to publish a tell-all memoir about the shocking things he’s experienced during his time with the Duggars.
Mad Dad Jim Bob, of course, is not excited by this prospect, and he’s reportedly planning to take legal action to prevent the book’s publication.
Torn Between Two Worlds It’s a difficult situation made all the more painful by the fact that Jill is stuck in the middle of this feud — and there’s no end in sight.
No Going Back Battle lines have been drawn, and Jill will almost certainly continue to side with her husband no matter what.
Drifting Away That means, however, that she’ll likely be forced to accept her siblings’ diminished role in her life and the lives of her children.