The Duggars are a popular family based in Arkansas. They came into the limelight when TLC began to air a show based on their life by the name 19 Kids and Counting. So yeah, they are reality TV stars. The Duggars have a huge fan following, but it has been dwindling as of late. The Duggars are shown to be a devout family, and the essence of the show was to showcase how a family should ideally be managed and brought up. But there’s always a catch in the things which seem ideal at first glance.

The Duggars used to showcase great virtues and how they had imbibed them in their family. But as we know, all fake things come to an end. And that is what happened with the Duggars and their show. What they preached, and how they behaved in real life, they were diametrically opposite. Almost everyone has one or more such actions that go against what they so ‘rightfully’ faked on their show. And it was due to such activities that the show 19 Kids and Counting was taken off-air, even though it was TLC’s most grossing show. Here we have the list of the ugliest and crappiest deeds committed by the Duggars. Have a look at them, and for sure you’ll feel a wave of revulsion for them.

15. DJ Duggar

The Duggars are known for controversies. In 2015, you would have heard about a Duggar making headlines because of having misused someone’s picture. Well here’s the complete story. Josh Duggar, the eldest son of the Duggar clan had a profile on Ashley Madison. Ah, you are already aware of it. But, did you know he used a DJ’s picture for his profile? Yes, Josh did that! Matthew McCarthy, an LA-based DJ and photographer claimed that Josh misused his pictures on a dating site and it badly affected his image. In fact, Matthew sued Josh for causing damage to his family’s reputation. In his lawsuit, McCarthy had mentioned that people started calling him “DJ Duggar” and “Duggar’s boy toy” after noticing his pictures on Josh’s profile.

14. Don’t spare the rod, un-spoil the child

On Facebook, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar portray themselves as the best parents in the whole world. However, their words won’t sound true to you had you known the fact that the Duggars use rods to keep their children in check. In 2006, a police report related to the Josh Duggar molestation scandal revealed this shocking thing about the Duggars’ parenting techniques. They use a rod! Did you hear that? One of the young Duggars confessed this truth during routine police questioning. The reports have not disclosed the identity of the Duggar child. Spanking a child with rod is nothing but a form of child abuse. The Duggars have never accepted that they use corporal punishment methods to discipline their kids. Once Michelle confronted a question “Do or have you ever had to spank your children?” She answered, “We’ve really chosen to focus on praising our kids for good character, for Godly character. And as we do that, we find that we have a lot less trouble with correction when we are constantly looking for ways to praise them,” said the great Duggar matriarch Michelle.

13. No one Chokes The Chicken in the Duggar House

Of course, masturbation is not a sin. Multiple studies have claimed that masturbation helps in releasing one’s stress and also keeps a person in a good health. Masturbation will not affect one’s life negatively unless it crosses the limit. But in the Duggar house, masturbation is strictly prohibited. Here’s a story about it revealed by a former production worker. One of the Duggar boys was in the bathroom for too long on a particular night. Suspicious, Jim Bob walked in and caught him ‘wet handed’. Jim started screaming at the boy and the production crew ran to see what was wrong. When they questioned Jim about the incident his response was “idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” On the next day, that Duggar boy had to do chores around the house, but Jim Bob had tied his hands together as a punishment.

12. A strict no for bikinis!

It’s surprising! In a country like the USA you will hardly find a family like the Duggars who have so many taboos about swimming suits. In fact, they don’t swim in public. In an article, Michelle Duggar had confessed that her family visits a creek or a lake that’s private, but they always present themselves in modest clothes. “We typically don’t go to the beach in summertime. And in general we don’t do a lot of swimming events where swimming suits are worn because it’s just too hard for the guys to try to keep their eyes averted in those situations,” Michelle explained. If you scroll down the Duggars’ official Facebook page you will not find even a single bikini pics of the Duggar girls.

11. The Duggars and their stand on homosexuality

Duggars always carry a thought that whole world loves them, but it’s not the reality. The homosexual community has no good thoughts for the Duggars and a couple times it has been proven too. Once the Duggars asked their followers to share their ‘happily married’ pictures on their social media page. As a response to their request, many couples posted their pics in the comments section. The Bilerico Project editor John Becker shared his marriage picture, but his picture was deleted and he was blocked from the Duggars page. Do you know why he experienced such discrimination? Because his life partner is a man, and the Duggars don’t support homosexual relationships. Tandra Barnfield and Samantha Munzy, a lesbian couple from Texas shared a kiss outside the Duggar family house and they shared the picture on Facebook. “My girlfriend and I stopped in front of the 19 kids and counting house and shared a loving kiss. We love the Duggars, God and each other!” Tandra wrote. A silent and meaningful protest!

10. Duggars teaching their kids how to kiss!

Yes, a video featured Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar teaching their daughter and her husband-to-be, Ben Seewald how to kiss! Of course, a tutorial for kissing is not a necessity and when parents teach children the art of kissing, it may sound awkward. However, the Duggars were comfortable and had no hesitation. “Let me show y’all the best way to kiss here,” said Jim Bob. “If you kiss straight-on, your noses hit together – see? So you have to turn – she turns one way, (I) turn the other. Decide ahead of time – you’re going to go that way, that way he’ll go this way, whichever way so you don’t get confused,” said Michelle Duggar. Michelle and Jim Bob kissed each other in front of Jessa and her fiancé just to show them how to kiss.

9. The insane statements of Big Jim

Josh Duggar ruined the great reputation of the Duggar family with his sex scandal. When the world came to know that he molested his sisters during his teenage days, the Duggars had no other option than to accept the truth. In fact, Jim Bob spoke about Josh’s sex scandal during an exclusive interview with Fox News anchor Megan Kelly. But for most of the people, Jim Bob’s statements were cloddish. “[Josh] had gone in and just basically touched them over their clothes while they were sleeping,” said Jim Bob. That’s a disgusting statement! Throughout the interview, he sounded very protective about his son. “We talked to other parents and different ones since then, a lot of families have said that they’ve had similar things happen in their families,” Jim Bob said.

8. No social media for the kids!

Social media has become a part of life for most of us. Of course, there is nothing wrong in it. The Duggars use social media too, in fact, they have millions of followers from all over the world. Whenever they share a family picture or a religious post, their followers kick start a discussion in the comments section. The whole family has a single Facebook account and the senior Duggars handle it. Young Duggars are not allowed to have their own social media account until they tie the wedding knot. So, it’s clear that the Duggar kids do not enjoy their personal freedom to the fullest.

7. That is some ‘ADVICE’!

Once Michelle Duggar shared her advice to newly married women and her words sparked a controversy. She said that a wife must always satisfy her hubby’s sexual needs, no matter how tired she may be. “And so be available, and not just available, but be joyfully available for him. Smile and be willing to say, ‘Yes, sweetie I am here for you,’ no matter what, even though you may be exhausted and big pregnant and you may not feel like he feels. ‘I’m still here for you and I’m going to meet that need because I know it’s a need for you’,” Michelle’s blog post reads. In fact, Michelle received this advice from a friend when she was all set to marry Jim Bob. Suffice to say this “advice” did not sit well with many women. 

6. Duggars are very strict parents

Most parents start treating their children, who have hit puberty, like friends. But in the Duggar family, young girls and boys lead a restricted life. Jinger Duggar had confessed that she wants to live in New York, but later her mom clarified that it’s not a right choice. “She meant that she wants to live closer to a city. We’re talking right near a city, but not New York City. New York City is way above what we would ever consider a city where she should move!” Michelle said. This is just an example to understand how the Duggars monitor each and every thought of their kids.

5. Michelle’s past

The Duggar girls are well known for their modest clothes and their mom believes that women must wear decent clothes. But, once upon a time, Michelle posed for pictures in her short skirts as a cheerleader. In the later period of her life, she changed her perspective towards clothing. In fact, Michelle spoke about it during an interview. “And my whole mindset was that this was cute and this was getting the crowd pepped up for the game. And I had no clue what the boys in the crowd were thinking when I was in my tiny little skimpy cheerleading uniform,” Michelle said.

4. Their courting rules are extreme

Courting a Duggar girl is not a piece of cake. One has to follow the strict rules that are created by Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar. They expect their future son-in-law to obey their words. During a courtship, Duggar girls can give a side hug to her fiancé, and that’s all. There is absolutely no space for kissing or cuddling with each other. In the family’s opinion, the couple should not cross the limit during the courtship period. “Emotions get heated, the closer you get. You’re like two magnets being pulled together, you need boundaries. What is so great is to set boundaries together at the beginning of a relationship…it sets up accountability,” Michelle Duggar revealed her thoughts. All Duggar kids genuinely follow their mama’s order.

3. Duggar’s household expenditure

As you know, the Duggar family has too many members, too many! Every month the family spends $3,000 for food, which means $ 5 per person every day. Yes, they run a reality TV show, but it doesn’t mean that Duggar kids lead a lavish life. There is nothing called a personal room for kids. Boys and girls have two common bed rooms and they share their bed with siblings. In one of the episodes of 19 Kids & Counting, the Duggars went to have pizza with dad Jim Bob. Jim Bob chose a place where he wouldn’t have to pay full price for everyone. They are very careful about their expenditure. Duggar kids take care of their household works and they get three cents for every chore. Just three cents!

2. Older sibling take care of mama’s duty

Every child has the right to get parental care. But in the Duggar family, older siblings take care of babies and toddlers. Michelle Duggar and Jim Bob Duggar have nine daughters and ten boys, the eldest son is 26 years old whereas the youngest one is just 9 years old! Michelle was pregnant for 144 months of her life. That means she spent 12 years as pregnant! So, who helps her in taking care of her children? Yes, it’s her older kids. In the family pictures, one can see little Duggar girls carrying the babies of their parents. The eldest of the Duggar girls, Jana Duggar aka ‘Cinderella Duggar’ is best known for her concern for little siblings and babysitting responsibilities. On Facebook, Michelle had shared a picture of Jana enjoying her outings with younger siblings. She captioned the pic: “Jana decided it was time to get out of the house for an afternoon hike and she had plenty who wanted to go with her!” But fans were furious after seeing Jana investing too much time on family responsibilities. “Is this poor girl ever NOT on kid duty?” a fan commented.

1. Advertisers were upset with the Duggars

Duggars rose to popularity due to their family reality show 19 Kids and Counting that aired on TLC. But in 2015, TLC cancelled the show when Josh Duggar’s sex scandal was revealed to the world. Later, in 2015, the Duggar girls came up with a show called Counting On. Some companies were upset after they learned that their commercials were aired during the ad time slot of Counting On. Some of the top brands issued a public apology after their advertisements aired during Counting On and they also re-emphasized that they are not related to Duggar family programs. “It was not our intention to advertise on the program. This specific program is [now] on our list of exclusions as well as any other potential Duggar programming,” a UPS statement reads. Other brands like Cici’s Pizza, Wrigley, Ring.com, Combe Inc, Credit Karma also released a similar statement to their customers. It’s obvious, no company would like to have any kind of connection with Duggars whose reputation was at risk due to Josh’s sex scandal.

Sources: The Hollywood Gossip, TLC, The Richest, Bustle, People