Jill Duggar and her mother, Michelle Duggar, have a solid relationship, but it’s not like it used to be. Following years of “family drama” amongst the Duggar family, Jill and Michelle are now in a better place. In Counting the Cost, Jill addressed her feelings about her mother.
“I love her, respect her, and look up to her. She is the first person I call whenever I have a question about our baby’s health, and I love that we can still connect that way no matter what family drama is occurring,” Jill wrote. “But I miss her too. I miss the ease of communication we used to have. I miss it so much that there are times I almost wonder if it would be better to go back to the way things were, when Derick [Dillard] and I were happy to fall into line and silence our questions.”
The 32-year-old continued, “Wouldn’t it be good to be free from all this struggle and heartache? Is ignorance really bliss? I know the answer is no, just like I know that I must at times sacrifice a degree of closeness in my relationship with Mom.”
After years of turmoil over money and contracts with Jim Bob Duggar and Josh Duggar’s ongoing scandals, Jill and Derick decided to step away from the family and the TLC spinoff Counting On. During Jill and Derick’s fight to receive money Jill was never paid for filming 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On, Michelle tried to help her daughter.
Jill and Derick requested a copy of a 2014 contract Jill signed just before her wedding to Derick. Jill was honest about not knowing what she signed that day and feeling like she was “tricked” into it. Jill claimed the contract stated that the family’s LLC, Mad Family Inc., would be paid for the kids’ participation in the shows. The company made over $8 million after more than 300 episodes. Jill never saw a cent of that money during her run on 19 Kids & Counting.
Eventually, Michelle secretly gave Jill and Derick a copy of the contract. Michelle drove to Jill and Derick’s house and dropped off the copy in the middle of the night. “Jill & Derick, We love you all. I took the discovery contract in its entirety to your house late last night. I apologize for going by so late. I left it in between your screen door and front door,” Michelle later texted Jill. After reviewing the contract and other relevant documents, Jill and Derick settled for $175,000.
Despite what’s happened, Jill revealed that there’s hope for her family and her relationship with her father. Michelle was there for the birth of Jill and Derick’s third child, Freddy, in 2022. When Jim Bob came to pick up Michelle at Jill and Derick’s house, Derick asked Jim Bob to come inside and meet his grandson.
“As soon as Pops saw baby Freddy, his expression changed. His eyes found their old sparkle, his smile fired up again,” Jill wrote. Jim Bob held Freddy in his arms and proudly posed for a photo with Michelle. At that moment, Jill extended an olive branch and asked for a photo as well. Counting The Cost: A Memoir, written by Jill, Derick, and Craig Brolase, is available now.