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Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar don’t approve of the new docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which promises to expose the secrets of their family. The couple, who introduced their big conservative family to the world with their now-canceled TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, released a statement on their website on June 1 and slammed the four-part docuseries, which debuted June 2 on Prime Video. “The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love,” Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle, 56, said.
“Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format,” the statement continued. “This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
The Duggar documentary offers insight into Bill Gothard‘s strict religious organization, The Institute of Basic Life Principles (BLP), that the family touted on their former reality show. Jim Bob and Michelle’s daughter, Jill Duggar, 32, speaks in the doc about her brother Josh Duggar, 35, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison in March 2023 for child pornography charges.
In their statement, Jim Bob and Michelle mentioned how they’re estranged from several of their children, including Jill, who have moved on from some of IBLP’s conservative rules. “We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting,” the Duggar parents said.
“We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one,” they added. “Through both the triumphs and the trials we have clung to our faith all the more and discovered that through the love and grace of Jesus, we find strength, comfort, and purpose.”
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets uses the Duggar family as a vessel to share the larger idea of IBLP and how its teachings have infiltrated society, from everyday families to America’s top civil institutions. The doc’s co-producer, Blye Faust, told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Jill will earn “respect” for discussing her controversial family in the episodes. “We didn’t even know what she would be saying and how much that she would be divulging and she really came through — honestly and raw,” Blye said.
In the doc, Jill shares how she was molested by her brother Josh when she was younger but was guilted into defending him with her other sisters. She also reveals she was “prepared to testify” against Josh during his 2021 child pornography trial. Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is streaming now on Prime Video.
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