It’s not really a secret that Jim Bob Duggar keeps Amy away from his kids, even though they’re her cousins. He’s a toxic, controlling douchecanoe.
But now, fans are wondering — or at least hopeful — if one major life milestone has set things right and softened Jim Bob’s stance.
Somehow, Amy Duggar King is the "black sheep" of the Duggar family. Not notorious child-molester Josh, but sweet cousin Amy.
The 33-year-old hasn’t really done anything deserving of exclusion except not be a diehard member of a fundamentalist cult.
But in Jim Bob Duggar’s eyes, the fact that Amy chooses to be part of the real world instead of an insular fringe community makes her dangerous.
After all, if his adult children see that Amy is a good person even though she watched TV and associates with normal people, they might want to, too.
Obviously, Amy’s pariah status has only ever gone so far.
The only times that the Duggar children are seen associating with Amy have been in group settings, but they do get to hang out.
Apparently, this dates back to when Amy was a child and never allowed to be alone with her cousins, lest her non-Duggar-ness rub off on them.
(Again, and we won’t joke about this, but Amy was not the relative who should not be alone with family members)
There’s a degree of palpable absurdity to the extent of Jim Bob’s ban.
For example, Amy is next door neighbors with Joy-Anna Duggar, but if they hang out together, it’s never posted to Instagram.
She associates with Jill and Derick Dillard despite Derick’s ongoing feud with Jim Bob.
But maybe things are changing enough for Amy to hang out with her cousins without a supervisor.
Until very recently, Amy didn’t even engage in the favored Duggar passtime of popping out babies as quickly as you can come up with J-names.
But last October, that changed when Amy welcomed her first child with her husband, Dillon.
Precious baby Daxton is adorable. But is his cuteness enough to mend fences in the family?
If you look at the Duggar family’s social media … it’s certainly possible.
"We loved spending time with little cousin Daxton King!" the Duggar family’s Instagram expressed weeks ago.
The post noted: "It’s hard to take turns when you’re holding a baby that is so precious and CUTE!!"
"You’re doing an incredible job as a new mommy @amyrachelleking!" the post praised.
"We can’t wait to snuggle with sweet Dax again," the caption concluded, "and watch him grow!"
Now, it’s possible that this post was just a false flag — propaganda to make things appear more harmonious than they are.
So much of the Duggar brand is focused upon making them appear less extreme and cruel than they actually are.
This is because the whole point of the show — aside from further enriching Jim Bob — is to make their fundamentalist lifestyle seem palatable.
It could be that Daxton is a crucible who is bringing the extended family closer together. Only time will tell if all of this good will is just for show.
