Derick Dillard Claims Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth Quit ‘Counting On’
It looks like Jill Dillard (née Duggar) might not be the only Duggar daughter walking away from Counting On. Her husband, Derick Dillard, claimed little sister Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar) and husband Austin Forsyth also quit the show.
“I wish all the siblings would have been invited to family game night by Zoom,” Derick, 31, commented on TLC’s Instagram post about the season 11 premiere, which included the virtual family get-together. When one fan suggested that Jill, 29, wasn’t invited because she quit, he shot back, “We quit filming, not family life. Joy and Austin also quit filming, but they were there.”
Joy, 22, and Austin, 26, have not publicly commented on rumors they have walked away from the family’s TV series. The couple was featured in the July 7 episode as they opened up about the heartbreaking miscarriage they suffered with daughter Annabell Elise. However, fans have been theorizing that the Forsyths were ready to take a step back from filming ever since they started sharing more of their lives on their YouTube channel in March 2020.
Jill and Derick left the show in 2017. Though fans originally believed he was fired due to his transphobic comments about fellow TLC star Jazz Jennings, he later clarified his family voluntarily quit despite many alleged attempts from the network — and from father-in-law Jim Bob Duggar — to make the Dillards stay. The law school student claimed his wife’s father “humiliated and threatened” them when they first tried to stop filming, and they were only able to leave once enough family members joined the show that it no longer mattered if they stayed.
The controversy contributed to a family feud between the Dillards and the Duggars, but not everyone is at odds. An insider previously told In Touch Jill does her best to “stay out” of the drama, and she occasionally shares her visits with mom Michelle Duggar or her many siblings on her Instagram. On Monday, July 13, she even shared a shot she snapped with little sister Joy after they reunited for the expectant mama’s baby shower.
“Loved getting to celebrate baby Forsyth last week!” Jill captioned the photo. “Y’all are wonderful parents!” Filming issues may have caused problems for the family, but nothing can come between these two sisters — especially now that they may both be Counting On alumna.
TLC and Joy-Anna Duggar have yet to respond to In Touch‘s request for comment.
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