Jill Duggar reveals she no longer has 'one-on-one' contact with her dad, Jim Bob Duggar
Jill Duggar Dillard opened up about her strained relationship with her father Jim Bob Duggar.
In an interview with People, she said they don't see each other "one-on-one."
Dillard also talked about the toll being on reality TV took on her marriage.
Former TLC reality star Jill Duggar Dillard shared rare and raw honesty about the toll of growing up in front of cameras on TLC's "19 Kids And Counting" and how that experience impacted her relationships with her father, Jim Bob Duggar, and her husband, Derick Dillard.
In a new interview with People, Dillard characterized her current relationship with her dad as "difficult" and revealed that she no longer has "one-on-one" contact with him. "We don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things," Dillard said.
The mom of three, who has been married to Derick since 2014, said that she made the choice to distance herself from her father because when he would reach out to Dillard individually, he'd try to manipulate her. Dillard told People that although she loves her father, she had to set "healthy boundaries" with him.
She attributed at least some of the tension between herself and her dad to the intense filming schedule that Dillard said her father demanded she and Derick adhere to after they were married. According to People, the couple said in their book "Counting the Cost," out September 12, that they wanted to step away from the spotlight, but were contractually obligated to be available for TLC's cameras 20 hours a week.
Dillard appeared on more than 50 episodes of the "19 Kids And Counting" spinoff "Counting On" from 2015 to 2020 after the original series was canceled amid her brother Josh Duggar's alleged molestation scandal.
Dillard explained to People that her family's involvement in the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP) — an ultra-conservative, controversial Christian organization — made it difficult for her to go against her father's wishes. She said she had always been taught to "obey" her parents above everyone else, no matter her age or the milestones she wanted to privately share with her husband away from the rest of the world.
Derick told People that his father-in-law would say "damaging" things to him and Dillard whenever they disagreed with him regarding filming.
"He would weaponize the relationship and say, 'Is this you Jill, or is this you, Derick? Are you leading your wife astray and doing things that are not supportive of marriage?' And I think that was a red flag," Derick explained.
Dillard told People she ultimately realized she and Derick had to "fight this battle together" against her father's alleged demands or it was going to tear her marriage apart.
In a statement to People, Duggar and his wife Michelle said they had no comment on the matter. They said they find it "painful" to be at odds with the Dillards, but don't want to "resolve conflicts" through the media or in public.
Dillard and her husband have previously spoken out about Duggar's alleged demands for filming the family's TLC reality shows. The couple participated in "Shiny Happy People," a Prime Video docuseries about victims of the IBLP that aired in June. In interviews for the docuseries, the couple alleged that Duggar had tricked them into signing a contract to film their wedding for the original series the day before they married in 2014.
On the docuseries, Dillard also said she felt "obligated" to participate in a 2015 interview with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly to support her brother Josh in the aftermath of his alleged molestation scandal and that she regrets her decision to do the interview.
They didn't respond to any specific allegations made in "Shiny Happy, People," but on June 1, Duggar and his wife released a statement regarding the docuseries on their website.
"We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting. We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one," the statement read in part.
The Dillards left the IBLP in 2020 and are embracing raising their kids away from the spotlight. They also told People that they go to therapy, and that it's helped them redefine their identities away from TV cameras.
The couple said they still see Michelle and the Duggar siblings at family events. While some of her brothers and sisters are supportive of her unspecified choices "behind closed doors," Dillard said that others have voiced concerns about her decisions for her family, which she understands.
Representatives for the Dillards and TLC didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The Dillards' book "Counting The Cost" will be available September 12.
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