Reality TV parents Jim Bob And Michelle Dugar called the Amazon tell-all docuseries about their scandal-ridden family “derogatory and sensational,” RadarOnline.com has learned.
The Duggars rose to fame with their TLC reality show, 19 kids and countingwhich focused on the lives of conservative Christians in Arkansas.
The well-maintained facade of the perfect family collapsed in December 2021, when the eldest son Josh Duggar was found guilty of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
The Amazon Prime docuseries, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secretsclaimed to “expose the truth beneath the healthy Americana surface of reality TV’s favorite megafamily.”
In a statement ahead of the much-anticipated prime minister, Jim Bob and Michelle on Thursday condemned the “media” for having “bad intentions”.
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“Like other families, ours has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life only in a very public form,” said Jim Bob and Michelle’s statement on their website. “This ‘documentary’ paints so much and so much in a derogatory and sensational way, because unfortunately that’s the direction of entertainment these days.”
Shiny happy people centered around the Duggars’ fourth oldest child, Jill.
As cameras followed Jill, she recalled how her father manipulated his children and prevented them from seeing any financial income from the hit reality series — and how her parents allegedly hid sexual abuse at home.
Years before Josh was sentenced to 12 years behind bars for possession of child pornography, an explosive police report emerged in which Josh allegedly admitted to molesting minors, including four of his sisters.
The report additionally claimed that Jim Bob and Michelle knew about the abuse – and failed to report the acts to authorities. Instead, the parents would have sought advice from their church.
At the time of the alleged acts, from March 2002 to March 2003, Josh was between 14 and 15 years old. His four sisters were between the ages of 5 and 11.
While Jill was willing to reveal her family’s “secrets, manipulation and harassment,” her parents seemed to deny the seriousness of their children’s claims.
“We’ve always believed that the best chance to mend damaged relationships or reconcile differences is through love in a private setting,” the Duggar parent’s statement continued. “We love every member of our family and will continue to do everything we can to have a good relationship with everyone.”
Jim Bob and Michelle noted that through “triumphs and trials” they “clinged” to their faith and planned to once again “find strength, comfort, and purpose” through “the love and grace of Jesus”.