These days, the name Duggar is synonymous with scandal.
It’s something of an ironic turn of events, as the family was initially marketed as the most wholesome thing on television.
Josh Duggar’s sex crimes are obviously chief among the awful acts that the Counting On clan has been associated with.
But that ugly episode was neither the first or the last time that the Duggars would endure some serious damage to their squeaky clean reputation.
Take a look:
All Too Human
The Duggars often take pride in their moral virtue, but as longtime fans know, they’re not always as ethically flawless as Jim Bob would have us believe.
The Worst of the Lot
First up is the now-infamous Josh Duggar sex scandal. In May of 2015, the world learned that Josh molested five young girls — four of whom were his sisters — while still in his teens. To make matters worse, his parents helped him evade prosecution.
More From Josh
Shortly after that scandal went public, Josh was busted using an affair-facilitating website to try and cheat on his wife. What a guy.
Consent? The Duggars Don’t Know the Meaning of the Word!
Perhaps behavior like Josh’s is inevitable in a culture as relentlessly patriarchal as the one the Duggars live in. In 2016, Michelle Duggar penned an open letter in which she basically said women need to have sex with their husbands on command, even when they’re “exhausted” after a long day. “Anyone can fix him lunch, but only one person can meet that […] need of love that he has, and you always need to be available when he calls,” Michelle wrote.
A Heavy Hand
Not only have the Duggars advocated extreme corporal punishment such as blanket training, a police report from the Josh investigation noted that Jim Bob and Michelle admitted to hitting their kids with some frequency.
Speaking of Hands …
Remember when Jim Bob and Michelle got all handsy on a mini-golf course so they could demonstrate the joys of marriage to their kids? If not, it’s probably best to keep it that way.
Hypocrisy Now
Of course, Michelle’s views on premarital chastity are admittedly new. Prior to getting married, she and Jim Bob engaged in all sorts of activities that are off-limits to their kids. Michelle even used birth control, something she would disown her daughters for now.
D-Bag Derick
Speaking of not practicing what one preaches, Jill Duggar’s husband, Derick Dillard, prides himself on following in the example of Jesus, yet also revels in bullying transgender teens on social media. That habit got Derick fired from Counting On.
Infi-Dill-ity
On top of that, Dillard has been accused of cheating on Jill during his VERY brief time working as an on-campus youth minister at an Arkansas college. You can bet he won’t be working with young people again anytime soon.
The Cash Grab
Losing your sole source of income with two kids to support is bad. Asking the public for handouts because you don’t feel like looking for work is worse. And that’s exactly what Jill and Derick did after he got fired and she quit the show as a gesture of solidarity.
Dilly Dilly
Jill and Derick have been doing this sort of thing for a long time. Shortly after they got married, they raised money for a missionary trip, stayed home, and kept the cash. Stand-up folks!
The Problematic Dillards
The list goes on and on for Derick and Jill, and we could really just devote the rest of this list to them. Instead, we’ll just remind you that they wormed their way into a missionary program for which they were dangerously unqualified and proceeded to mock Zika victims while living in an area affected by the disease.
One More Thing …
Oh, and Jill has been accused of endangering lives by working as a midwife despite lacking the proper licensing. Okay, NOW we’re moving on …
Jessa’s Turn
Earlier this year, Jessa Duggar was accused of plagiarizing recipes and passing them off as her own on her website. [Checks notes] Aaaaand, it turns out Jill did that, as well. Damn, do better, Jill!
Missed Kiss
There’s nothing actually wrong with this one, but apprently it pissed people off, so we’ll mention it. When Jessa and Ben Seewald got married, they opted to have their first kiss behind closed doors instead of in front of their guests. It’s official, Jessa is far superior to Jill.
Jessa’s Mess
Jessa’s “scandals” are all along these lines. She’s taken flak for things like posting photos of her messy house, but it’s looking more and more like she might be the most relatable of Jim Bob and Michelle’s kids.
The Pants Dance
On the topic of perfectly normal behavior that pissed off Duggar nation, Jinger Duggar started wearing pants shortly after marrying Jeremy Vuolo. The only thing shameful about that is that Jinger was raised in a culture where she had to get married before she could start wearing pants.
Busted
Of course, Jinger is no stranger to actual scandals. A 2016 episode of Counting On, featured a storyline in which she flipped and sold a car. It was later revealed the whole thing had been staged.
Centers of Compassion
Sadly, the Duggars have been doing that sort of thing for years. Back in their 19 Kids and Counting days, the entire family went to the Compassion Center in Springdale, Arkansas to donate food … which they took back as soon as the cameras were no longer rolling.
The Culture of Duggar
Of course, many would say the biggest Duggar scandal of all is the manner in which they raise their children. And nowhere are the family’s archaic, foolish ideas more apparent than in their homeschooling curriculum, which teaches children that victims of sexual assault are often to blame for their attackers’ actions. We can’t with these people …