James Duggar shadows sister Jill in Father’s Day Mail with heartfelt message for Jim Bob
James Duggar appeared to be the only Duggar kid to wish dad Jim Bob a happy Father’s Day on Instagram this weekend — as he seemingly threw shade at big sister Jill in the wake of her appearance in an explosive documentary revealing seedy “secrets” about their family exposed .
Happy Father’s Day to the man who has always been my biggest supporter. Pops, thank you for your endless sacrifices, your faith in me, you always point me to Christ and the countless memories we made together,” the 21-year-old wrote while sharing several childhood photos of himself with his father. .
Continuing his caption, James then appeared to be targeting his sister Jill, 32, who spoke out against their father in the Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, describing how he tried to stop her brother’s sexual assault on her Josh and her sisters, accusing him of refusing to pay her or her siblings for the family’s TLC reality series.
While James didn’t name Jill, he made it clear that he still considers his dad to be the “greatest dad in the world,” emphatically adding, “No matter what anyone says.”
James Duggar, 21, appeared to be the only one of the Duggar kids to pay tribute to dad Jim Bob Duggar, 57, this weekend during Father’s Day
“I’m thankful to call you my father, and I’m proud to be your child,” James wrote in the caption
Many accused the 13th Duggar child of throwing shade at big sister Jill Duggar Dillard, 32, in the caption
“I am grateful to call you my father, and I am proud to be your child. No matter what anyone says, you’re the best dad in the world!’ James, the 13th child of Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle Duggar, 59, moved on.
“Today, and every day, I celebrate you and the incredible father that you are. Love you a Ton!’ add hashtags, “#Father’s Day #bestfather.”
While uplifting on the surface, the message revealed an air of passive aggression toward Jim Bob’s critics following the release of the Shiny Family People: Duggar Family Secrets earlier this month.
The docuseries, available on Prime Video, delved into the Duggar family’s close ties to the Christian fundamentalist group the Institute in Basic Life Principles – or IBLP.
Among its many strict teachings, IBLP dictates that men are the heads of their households and women are generally not allowed to have power or be involved in much more than raising children and other household chores.
Jill Duggar Dillard, 32, was the only one of Jim Bob and Michelle’s 19 children to agree to be interviewed for Shiny Happy People.
Her account of her upbringing was decidedly unflattering — and mainly focused on Jim Bob for allegedly manipulating her and her siblings around appearing on and compensation for the original 19 Kids And Counting on TLC.
As such, many read James’s caption as an expression of animosity towards his big sister – despite the important role she had played in raising him, as seen in countless episodes of 19 Kids And Counting.
Jill got along with her little brother to attend his 19th birthday party in July 2020
Commenters on James’ post were quick to berate him for seemingly digging for Jill
‘This is pathetic. Jill actually raised you and yet you support and thank the man who hurt her over and over again. Shame on you,” one commenter chastised.
Happy Father’s Day to Jill who raised you. Not the cult leader father of yours,’ someone else scoffed.
‘LOL. Regardless of what anyone says. Dig straight to the only one who has the guts to stand up for himself,” another Jill defender echoed.
Jill was a regular in the comments of her little brother’s Instagram posts until May 13 – when James posted a video of him, along with siblings Jinger, Jeremy, Jana and Jason, making a pizza.
‘[H]i! Too much fun!’ she wrote.
Responding to an Instagram post James posted in late April in which he posed for cows — with the caption, “A wise man once said…”don’t get kicked by a cow” — Jill replied, “Haha good one bro.”
Jill also commented, “Looking good bro!” to a post James shared in mid-April.
Jill has regularly posted supportive comments on her little brother’s Instagrams
Things between Jill and James seemed tense following the June 2 release of Shiny Happy People — in which Jill shared less than flattering insider information about dad Jim Bob
In 2020, James and Jill at least had good terms for her to attend his 19th birthday party, according to a Instagram documenting the opportunity she shared on July 7 of that year.
Things seemed to sour between the siblings in the wake of the Shiny Happy People premiere.
Another source of tension may have been Jill’s announcement on May 31 that a telling memoir she co-wrote with husband Derick Dillard, 34, would be out in early 2024.
On June 2 — the day the docuseries came out — James posted a story with a cryptic quote attributed to English philosopher John Ruskin that read, “It’s okay to lose your pride over someone you love.” Don’t lose someone you love because of your pride.”