It’s been several years since Derick Dillard was fired by TLC and cut ties with his in-laws, but as the recent Amazon documentary series Shiny Happy People reminded us, he still gets asked to comment on the lives of the Duggars.
At one point, Derick threatened to sue TLC and alleged that his father-in-law, Jim Bob Duggar, keeps all the money that his family earns from the show.
The accusation raised a lot of questions about the nature of Jim Bob’s relationship not only with Derick, but with all of his sons-in-law.
After all, JB has feuded with just about all of them at one time or another.
That makes sense, as Jim Bob is an abusive father, and some people won’t stand for such things.
And while he seems to favor some of his daughters’ husbands over others, we’re not sure if the term “favorite” really applies to any of these gents.
Here’s a brief rundown of Jim Bob’s fraught relationships with the men who married into his family:
A Tough Nut to Crack
We’ve known for quite some time that Jim Bob Duggar doesn’t get along with his sons-in-law. But now, there’s reason to believe the situation is far worse than anyone thought.
The Firebrand
It was Derick Dillard who shined a light on that fact in comments he made on Twitter back 2019.
The Set-Up
In October of that year, a fan asked Dillard about why Jim Bob gets “all the money for the show and doesn’t give any to his children?†Derick took the bait in spectacular fashion.
Knocked Down
“I don’t know. You would have to ask him that,” Dillard replied.
Throwing Shade
From there, Derick accused Jim Bob of negotiating for the entire family without letting anyone else in on the details. The implication seems to be that Derick blames Jim Bob for the fact that he was fired by TLC.
The Real Reason
Of course, we all know that Derick was actually fired for bullying fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings on Twitter, but that didn’t stop Dillard from claiming that he wasn’t fired and suggesting that the network is in cahoots with Jim Bob.
Sure They Did
“@TLC has issues,” he wrote back. “They begged us not to quite (sic) filming, but then didn’t want to talk directly with us about why. If money is all they care about, then it’s going to catch-up with them – you must care about ppl. All I’ve got to say is, they better lawyer-up b/c a storm is inevitable,†Dillard wrote.
Conspiracy Theory
Derick then stated his belief that “all TLC is worried about is making that money” and suggested that Jim Bob and TLC have worked out an arrangement where they can each blame each other for their more controversial decisions.
A Complex Accusation
In other words, TLC gets to blame Jim Bob when the Duggar kids complain that they’re not getting rich, and Jim gets to blame TLC when someone like Derick gets fired.
Putting Food on Other People’s Tables
It’s a little confusing, especially since Derick is simultaneously claiming that he WASN’T fired, but the takeaway is, Dillard was forced to work as a Grub Hub driver while Jim Bob was still making bank as a reality star.
Significant Silence
Interestingly, neither Jim Bob nor TLC responded to Derick’s inflammatory remarks.
Enough to Go Around
The situation led to a great deal of speculation regarding Jim Bob’s relationships with his other sons-in-law, and while Derick is at the top of JB’s sh-t list, the patriarch has saved some wrath for his other daughters’ husbands, as well.
No Friend to Ben
After Jill married Derick, the next Duggar daughter to get hitched was Jessa, who now has four kids with husband Ben Seewald.
Lying Low
Jim Bob was not a fan of Ben’s at first, particularly as the guy seemed to have no interest in working. As far as we know, Ben is still unemployed, but it seems he’s decided the best way to keep the peace is just to get out of his father-in-law’s way.
The Rebel Settles Down
Next in line was the family rebel, Jinger Duggar, who married Jeremy Vuolo in 2016.
Big Problems
Jeremy and Jim Bob butted heads from the very beginning. Vuolo’s courting of Jinger was documented by TLC, and it was the first time that JB openly disapproved of one of his kid’s suitors.
Not a Fan
You name it, Jim didn’t like it. He hated that Jeremy was a former pro soccer player, and he REALLY hated the fact that he intended to take Jinger away from Arkansas.
Globetrotters
In the early years of his marriage, Jeremy has continued to incur Jim Bob’s wrath. First, he and Jinger moved to Laredo, Texas.
Heathen Jeans!
Shortly thereafter, Jinger started wearing pants in direct defiance of her family’s strict dress code, which requires women to wear long skirts at all times.
Daring to Do Their Own Thing
The Duggars weren’t thrilled with the way Jeremy encouraged Jinger to disregard the rules of her upbringing, but the worst (read: most liberal) was yet to come.
Out In LA
In 2019, Jeremy and Jinger moved to Los Angeles so that he could study at an area divinity school. Despite the wholesome intentions, Jim Bob was not pleased.
Not a Fan of La La Land
Eventually, he got over it, and the entire family visited Jinger and Jeremy last month. But when the Vuolos first made the move, Jim Bob was reportedly so upset that he cut off all contact.
Lesson Learned
Apparently, Jim Bob learned a hard lesson from the Jinger situation, because when it came time to marry off Joy-Anna Duggar, he hand-picked the son of a local religious leader.
Jim Bob Accepts a Proposal
Austin Forsyth still had to prove himself — insiders say Jim Bob demanded that he flip a house to demonstrate his earning potential before proposing — but it seems that JB stands by his decision.
Making Do
Austin may not be perfect, but at least he won’t be suing the family cash cow or moving one of Jim Bob’s girls to some sinful coastal city!