The Biggest Bombshells from the ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ Documentary: Quotes

Jim Bob ‘Controls’ Family

Jill revealed that her father is in “control” of the large family. 

“My dad does control a lot of things in the family,” Jill said in episode four of the series. “Family relationships were already kinda rocky … Everything within the family dynamic has shifted, and not for the better.”

Derick added, “We’re very much on the outside with the family.” Jill’s cousin Amy and her husband, Dillon King, claimed, “They don’t talk to us and so for us, we don’t know what’s going on.”

Jill Was ‘Tricked’ Into TLC Contract

According to Jill, Jim Bob tricked her into signing a contract with TLC the day before her 2014 wedding, which Derick later called “fraud.” 

“I just saw the signature page. It was like on the end of the kitchen table. Like, ‘Hey, I just need you guys to sign these,’” she recalled. “Like everybody was signing them. We were literally running through the kitchen, and it was like whoever you could grab on the way through. I didn’t know what it was for.” 

The couple later revealed they signed a contract committing the “next five years to the show.”

The Blanket Method

The series introduced viewers to a controversial parenting method called blanket training. 

“You put the kid on a blanket, probably six months old. And you put something they want, just outside of reach, off the blanket. And when they go to reach for it, you hit them,” a former IBLP member explained. “And if they continue to reach for it, you hit them again. The idea is that you’re breaking the rebellious spirit they are born with.” 

Amy alleged that matriarch, Michelle Duggar, called it “encouragement.” 

“They literally said, ‘You need to come into the room, and we need to give you some encouragement,’” Amy said, referring to the form of parenting. “But it was in the sweetest tone ever, like, ‘Do you need encouragement? I think you need encouragement.’”

Jill Felt ‘Obligated’ to Help Josh

Jill opened up about the regret she felt after showing solidarity with her brother Josh, following his child molestation scandal. 

In June 2015, Jill and Jessa Seewald, both Josh’s victims, sat down with journalist Megyn Kelly and insisted the rest of the Duggars had already “moved on” from the issue. 

“This was something that’s already been dealt with. We’ve already forgiven Josh,” Jill told Megyn at the time.

However, in hindsight, Jill revealed she wished she didn’t do the interview. “I felt like I was in a place again of, like, bearing the burden,” she told cameras. “And the weight of just — even though you volunteer, it’s like you feel obligated to help.”

Is Jim Bob New IBLP Leader?

Former friends of the Duggar family claim that Jim Bob and Michelle have essentially taken over Bill Gothard’s role as the head of the Institute of Basic Life Principles. 

“Because Mr. Gothard has been taken out of [IBLP], from what my understanding is, is that Jim Bob and Michelle are now his replacement,” the couple’s former friend Bobye Holt said after being asked by a producer if she believed the Duggar patriarch was “trying to emulate Bill Gothard.”

She went on to say that because of the platform that their former reality series gave them, Jim Bob and Michelle have been able to “encourage people to come to IBLP.”

“They’ve encouraged people to move to Arkansas [as well],” she added. “Which is completely a cult move.”

Bobye’s husband, Jim, added, “[Jim Bob] has changed so much, I don’t know if he’s even the same guy that I knew.”

Jill Was ‘Prepared’ to Testify Against Josh

Following the news of Josh’s child molestation scandal, the prosecution in the case wanted to see if they could use the prior allegations of Josh molesting his sisters as evidence in court. 

“Nobody obviously wants to testify, but I was prepared to testify against my brother,” Jill explained of that time during part four of the docuseries. “I guess they got what they needed from someone else and didn’t have to have me testify.”