James Duggar appeared to be the only Duggar kid to wish dad Jim Bob a Happy Father’s Day on Instagram this weekend – while seemingly throwing shade at big sister Jill after she appeared in a explosive documentary revealing shady “secrets” about her family revealed.
“Happy Father’s Day to the man who has always been my number one supporter.” Pops, thank you for your endless sacrifices, your faith in me, for always pointing me to Christ, and for the countless memories we share did,” the 21-year-old wrote, sharing several childhood photos of himself with his father.
James continued his caption and then appeared to take aim at his sister Jill, 32, who spoke out against her father in the Amazon Prime documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, detailing how he tried to kill the Covering up harassment by her brother Josh to her sisters and accused him of refusing to pay her or her siblings for the family’s TLC reality series.
While James didn’t mention Jill by name, he made it clear that he still thinks his dad is the “best dad in the world,” adding bluntly, “No matter what anyone may say.”
James Duggar, 21, appeared to be the only one of the Duggar children to pay his respects to his father Jim Bob Duggar, 57, this Father’s Day weekend
“I am grateful to call you my father and proud to be your child,” James wrote in the caption
In the caption, many accused the 13th Duggar child of casting shadows on big sister Jill Duggar Dillard, 32
“I’m grateful to call you my father and I’m proud to be your child. ‘No matter what anyone may say, you are the best father in the world!’ James, the 13th child of Jim Bob, 57, and Michelle Duggar, 59, continued.
“Today and every day I celebrate you and the incredible father that you are. ‘I love you very much!’ Adding hashtags: “#FathersDay #bestdadever.”
While the message seemed encouraging at first glance, it revealed a streak of passive aggression toward Jim Bob’s critics following the release of Shiny Family People: Duggar Family Secrets earlier this month.
Documentaries available on Prime Video explore the Duggar family’s close ties to the Christian fundamentalist group Institute in Basic Life Principles – or IBLP.
Among the many strict tenets of the IBLP is that men must be the heads of their households and that women generally have no power or be involved in much more than raising children and other domestic duties.
Jill Duggar Dillard, 32, was the only one of Jim Bob and Michelle’s 19 children to agree to an interview for Shiny Happy People.
Her account of her upbringing was decidedly unflattering — and aimed primarily at Jim Bob for allegedly manipulating her and her siblings into appearing on TLC’s original series, 19 Kids And Counting, in exchange for compensation .
As such, many interpret James’ caption as expressing animosity towards his big sister – despite the important role she played in his upbringing, as seen on countless episodes of 19 Kids And Counting.
Jill bonded so well with her little brother that she was able to attend his 19th birthday party in July 2020
The commenters on James’ post were quick to criticize him for appearing to lash out at Jill
‘That’s sad. Jill basically raised you yet supported you and you thank the man who kept hurting her. “Shame on you,” chided one commenter.
“Happy Father’s Day to Jill, who raised you.” “Not your cult leader dad,” scoffed someone else.
‘Lol. Regardless of what anyone may say. “A direct dig at the only one who has the guts to stand up for herself,” echoed another Jill defense attorney.
Jill was a frequent commentator on her little brother’s Instagram posts until May 13 – when James posted a video of him making a pizza with his siblings Jinger, Jeremy, Jana and Jason.
‘[H]I! too much fun!’ She wrote.
In response to an Instagram post James posted in late April in which he posed in front of cows — captioned, “A wise man once said… don’t let a cow kick you” — Jill replied, “Haha, fine , Brother.”
Jill also commented, “Looks great bro!” to a post shared by James in mid-April.
Jill has frequently posted supportive comments on her little brother’s Instagram posts
Things seemed strained between Jill and James after the June 2 release of Shiny Happy People, in which Jill revealed some unflattering inside information about dad Jim Bob
In 2020, James and Jill were at least on good enough terms for her to attend his 19th birthday party, according to an Instagram post documenting the occasion, which she shared on July 7 this year.
Things seemed to go wrong between the siblings after the premiere of Shiny Happy People.
Another source of excitement may have been Jill’s May 31 announcement that a comprehensive memoir she co-authored with husband Derick Dillard, 34, will be published in early 2024.
On June 2 – the day the docuseries came out – James published a story with a cryptic quote attributed to English philosopher John Ruskin: “It’s okay to lose pride in someone you love.” “Don’t lose someone you love because of your pride.”