Jill Duggar grew up in a strict religious household, where she was taught to be submissive to men and wear modest ankle-length dresses.
Now after marrying and having a family of her own, she’s living life her way and will detail secrets from her childhood that weren’t shown on the TLC reality series 19 Kids and Counting.
Jill and her husband Derick Dillard announced Wednesday they plan to release a tell-all book next year titled Counting the Cost.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Jill, 32, said the book will chronicle her “painful journey” as part of the Duggar family.
Related Story: Josh Duggar Sentenced to 12.5 Years in Federal Prison
The memoir from publisher Gallery Books will be released in January 2024.
The official description says Jill and Derick will “share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.” The book is co-authored by writer Craig Borlase.
19 Kids and Counting aired from 2008 to 2015, and was initially titled 17 Kids and Counting, with the name changing as the family expanded.
The reality show followed Arkansas parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their children, whose names all begin with the letter “J.”
The family practices a strict branch of Christianity known as Independent Fundamentalist Baptists. Among their beliefs, women are expected to be wives and mothers. Instead of allowing their children to date, the family practices chaperoned courtship, where couples get to know each other in a group setting, and girls are discouraged from pursuing higher education.
Millions of viewers watched 19 Kids and Counting each week.
But the series was canceled after a report surfaced in 2015, saying Jim Bob and Michelle’s oldest son, Josh Duggar, had molested four of his sisters and a babysitter when he was a teenager. The scandal came to light when InTouch Weekly unearthed a 2006 police report on the case. The magazine said dad Jim Bob kept the secret hidden and “refused to allow police to interview Josh when they opened a felony investigation.”
After the scandal broke, Jill and her sister Jessa went public about being molested by their brother and told their stories to Megyn Kelly on Fox’s The Kelly Files.
Josh issued a public apology in 2015. He called himself “the biggest hypocrite ever,” and admitted cheating on his wife Anna and having a pornography addiction.
After canceling the Duggar family reality show, TLC debuted the spinoff series Jill and Jessa: Counting On in December 2015. The show focused on newlyweds Jill and Derick, along with Jessa and Ben Seewald, and other members of the family.
The network pulled the plug on Counting On in April 2021, when Josh was arrested on federal child pornography charges. In May 2022, he was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison after being found guilty.
The description for Jill’s book doesn’t say if she will discuss Josh’s case. But it does say she and Derick are “done with the secrets.”
“Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey,” the description says. “Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.”
The couple will also appear in the upcoming docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which premieres June 2 on Prime Video.
Jill and Derick are shown above in a screengrab from the Prime Video series.
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