Several of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 kids have strayed from their conservative family’s rules through the years.
Jim Bob and Michelle raised their children in a devout Baptist home, following strict guidelines that included dressing modestly and “courting” future spouses while accompanied by a chaperone on romantic outings.
Since many of the Counting On alums grew up, they’ve deviated from a handful of the conservative family’s rules they were raised to not only follow but uphold.. Jinger Duggar, for her part, started wearing pants after marrying Jeremy Vuolo in 2016.
“I knew [my family] deeply cared about their convictions, and I didn’t want to hurt them now that I didn’t share those convictions,” Jinger wrote in her 2021 memoir, The Hope We Hold, coauthored by Vuolo. “I felt emotional as I worried that my parents would think I didn’t appreciate how I was raised.”
Jinger’s small rebellion is one that many of her sisters joined in on as they became adults. Keep scrolling to see how some of the Duggar siblings defied their parents’ house rules:
Jinger Wears Pants
After tying the knot with Vuolo in November 2016, Jinger “felt no inner conflict” when she became interested in wearing pants, she explained in her 2021 book. Growing up, she and her sisters were taught to practice modesty by wearing skirts and dresses. In adulthood, Jinger realized that she could follow her own version of modesty, even if it deviated from her family’s expectations.
“We could come to different conclusions about Scripture but still love one another,” she wrote.
Jill Drinks Alcohol
The Counting On alum, who began to distance herself from the rest of her family after leaving the TLC series in 2017, sparked controversy online when she posted a photo of a “date night” with her husband, Derick Dillard. On the table beside her plate, Jill had a glass of water and a piña colada.
In 2014, Jill and Jessa told Us that the family abstains from drinking alcohol.
Amy Wears Bikinis
Unlike the children of her uncle Jim Bob, Amy had a more lenient upbringing. Her appearances on the TLC series through the years set her apart from her more conservative cousins — and her social media use still catches viewers’ attention. While on her honeymoon with Dillon King in 2015, Amy raised eyebrows in a strapless blue bikini.
Joy Hugs for More Than Three Seconds
During her courtship with her now-husband, Austin Forsyth, Joy-Anna admitted to breaking quite a few of her family’s traditional guidelines. Not only did the Arkansas native miss curfew while chatting on the phone with Austin unsupervised, but during a 2017 episode of Counting On, she fessed up to “going over the three-second hug” before marriage.
Josiah Goes Unchaperoned
The Duggar children are expected to have a third party join them on their dates during their courtships — but Josiah seemingly threw that rule out the window. In 2018, he took a trip to the Silver Dollar City amusement park in Missouri with then-fiancée Lauren Swanson, and the couple appeared to fly solo. The pair tied the knot that June.
Jill Has a Nose Ring
When fans started to notice a small stud in Jill’s nose in her social media pics, they wondered how the statement jewelry passed the strict Duggar code.
Derick Dillard Dances
Growing up, the Duggars weren’t allowed to listen to secular music or dance in the house. Derick married into the family when he wed Jill in 2014 and was caught busting a move at a fun outdoor party three years later.
Jessa Speaks Unsupervised
Before they tied the knot in 2014, Jessa and Ben Seewald would often sneak away for nightly phone calls — privately — while their relationship blossomed.
Jill Uses Birth Control
During a 2020 YouTube Q&A, Jill and Derick revealed that they weren’t quite ready to keep expanding their family after welcoming sons Israel and Samuel. “We use birth control, but we prefer to use non-hormonal birth control methods,” Jill explained at the time, later noting that “adoption’s always had a special place in our heart.”
Josh Is in the News
In 2015, 19 Kids and Counting was canceled after Josh was accused of molesting multiple girls when he was 14 and 15 years old. The same year, he admitted to cheating on his wife, Anna.
Scandal followed Josh six years later when he was arrested in Arkansas and booked on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. His trial began in July 2021. Nearly one year later, Josh was sentenced in May 2022 to 151 months in federal prison for his crimes.
Jinger Celebrates Halloween
In October 2021, Jinger posted a photo via Instagram of her and her husband trick-or-treating with friends.
In a blog post from a decade earlier, Michelle wrote that the family “do go to pumpkin patches and corn mazes [but] we don’t do the Halloween thing” — which might be why fans were surprised to see Jinger dressed as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.
“Congratulations!,” one social media user wrote. “Finally being expressive and free.”
Jinger Opening Up About Her Mental Health
In her 2023 memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, Jinger spoke about having anxiety after moving away from her family following her marriage to Jeremy Vuolo.
“Not long after we settled into our new life, I found myself feeling anxious in social settings, including church,” she wrote. “While I was genuinely excited to go to church on Sundays, I worried about the relational side of things. I had attended church nearly every Sunday since I was born, and I didn’t remember ever feeling this way. … I had visited all kinds of churches throughout my travels, and I had never felt anxious because I was with my family. They were my security blanket. In Laredo, my family was hundreds of miles away.”
The former TLC star also recalled how she chose to speak up — and break the Duggar mold — in her marriage despite being raised to be more passive. She remembered that for the first year of her life in Texas with Vuolo, she “never expressed an opinion.” Her upbringing taught her that she “needed to perform” for her future spouse in order “to keep him faithful” — but Vuolo was different.
“He gently encouraged me to speak my mind and let him know if I didn’t agree with something — and to not apologize for that. He didn’t want me to perform or be fake. He wanted me to be myself. More than once he said, ‘Jing, you’re not a Stepford wife,’” Jinger wrote. “The first time he said that, I asked, ‘What’s a Stepford wife?’ When he explained the concept, I realized … He wanted me to think for myself and figure out what my convictions were and what I liked and disliked.”
Jana, Jill, Jinger, Joy-Anna, Jessa (and Even Mom Michelle!) Wear Pants
In April 2023, the Duggar sisters all met up at a coffee shop, and every adult woman avoided skirts. From loose cargo pants to ripped jeans and even leggings, the only Duggar girls wearing skirts were the teenagers.
Jana Shows Some PDA
In an August 2024 YouTube video, Jana and two of her sisters drove to Nebraska to visit her now-husband, Stephen Wissman, at work. When they were reunited, the couple ran toward one another and shared a big front-facing hug. Back in Wissman’s car, the twosome held hands while driving.
Jason Has a Dance Floor at Wedding Reception
Jason married Maddie Grace in October 2024 after a two-month engagement. During their reception, which was held in Maddie’s native Tennessee, they were the first Duggar couple to have a dance floor for guests.
“I went up to him at one point and I said, ‘Bro, do you have any idea what you go into at this wedding?’ And he said, ‘No, but it’s wild,’” Vuolo joked on an episode of his and Jinger’s eponymous podcast. “And then, I said, ‘Dude, you just need to know, like, they don’t dance. This is the first dance floor at a Duggar wedding.’ And he had no idea. He was like, ‘Whoa, that’s crazy.’”
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