Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derick Dillard may no longer be stars on TLC’s Counting On, but they are counting on YouTube revenue. The couple recently created an account on the social media platform to share parts of their daily lives as well as answer fan questions. Given drama between the Dillards and Duggar patriarch Jim Bob, friction has been rumored with the family for a while, but now Jill and Derick are touching on what’s going on a little more.
In a brand new Q&A, Jill and Derick Dillard talked quitting Counting On. They also finally admitted that there is definitely distance between the Duggars and the Dillards and they are not talking about the social distancing kind.
Yes, there’s been some distancing there. We’re not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements, but we’re working toward healing definitely and restoration, but we’re having to kind of just take some time and heal. And just doing what’s best for our family right now and just working through it I guess. It’s difficult, but we’re praying and trusting God that like the timeline is his and what that looks like and everything. So, we definitely appreciate your prayers, but we don’t want to go into detail too much. That’s where we are at with that.
However, Derick Dillard is and has been quick to point out that they do show up for major family events and are not out of the family loop entirely. Everyone involved seems to be trying to some extent, though the Dillards mention if people aren’t seeing them at big events on Counting On – things like weddings or funerals or major family get togethers – that’s most likely because they are being cut out of the show. Which makes sense, given they quit the series altogether.
It’s been rumored that Jill and Derick Dillard had “distanced” themselves from the rest of the Duggar clan for a while. This grew to be more of a talking point for the fanbase after Derick had addressed some of the rumors related to he and his wife’s alleged issues with the show earlier in 2020. Derick has been more blunt about the drama with Jim Bob and the Duggar clan, saying his family felt attacked when they tried to leave the show and using a bunch of adjectives such as "humiliated" to describe his experience on Counting On. He says less in the new Q&A, but is it a huge shock that drama on a reality series can sometimes bleed into real-life familial relations?
The couple had previously said that it was possible they could eventually return to the world of Counting On, but clearly this video stresses that if they were to rejoin it would need to be on their own terms. Given the distance between Jill and Derick Dillard and her family right now, I would not count any of those chickens before they hatch.
Meanwhile, Counting On is continuing its run on TLC with a lot of the other Duggar clan attached. These days, Jana, John and Abbie Duggar, Jessa and Ben Seewold, Jinger and Jeremy Vuolo, Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth, Joe and Kendra Duggar, and Josiah and Lauren Duggar are still on board, with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Josh’s wife Anna and a slew of kids also appearing. On the other hand, the rumor mill has indicated that Jill and Derick may be looking to travel abroad again, which may square with some of the reasons there were issues with Counting On to begin with.
Season 11 of the TLC series recently wrapped, but we’ll keep you posted when the network announces (likely) Season 12. For now, check out what’s headed to TV with our fall premiere schedule.
