Derick Dillard Spills Secrets About ‘Counting On’; Says He & Wife Jill Were Never Paid to Appear On Duggar Family Shows

“I’m spilling Duggar tea, y’all!”

Derick Dillard might be removed from Counting On but he certainly isn’t removing himself from any drama! The husband of Jill surprised the show’s fans when he began to spill the tea on Twitter about how he was compensated (or rather, not compensated) for appearing on the TLC reality show!

Derick is infamous for firing off on Twitter. In fact, his tweets about transgender teen Jazz Jennings, and her show I Am Jazz are what led TLC to give him the boot from ‘Counting On’ last year. This time, however, his online musings consisted of spilling some Duggar family secrets in regard to how the adult Duggar kids are paid for appearing on the show.

According to Derick, they aren’t!

In a series of tweets, he revealed that he and Jill were never received compensated for appearing on the Duggar family TV shows, or for the many magazine photo spreads and articles featuring him and his family.

When a fan called him out for collecting a paycheck from TLC until recently, Derick told the fan that statement was “false.”

Derick then posted a few tweets (several of which have since been deleted) that have led fans to speculate on social media that Jill’s parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were paid by the network but chose not to share the profits with their adult children and their individual families.

Derick revealed that, when his son was born, the baby had to spend two weeks in the NICU. According to Derick, he and Jill were left to pay the medical bills after TLC refused to cover some of the cost, despite filming the event for ‘Counting On.’

(Derick didn’t specify if he was talking about his son Israel, who was born in 2015 or Samuel who was born in 2017. It is likely Israel, because Samuel’s birth was never aired on TV.)

“We even requested that they help with some of the medical expenses from the birth that they made a pretty penny on, but they refused to help cover any of those costs,” he tweeted.

“We could pay for it fine; I had a great job,” Derick continued. “The point is, I thought that at least since they were making money off the birth special episode, they could help soften the burden a little.

He then tweeted a statement that raised even more eyebrows.

“As far as we could tell we were volunteers and hadn’t been paid anything for the show,” he wrote. “Like I said, for the year we were paying off our son’s birth expenses, both Jill and I thought we had been volunteering our time to help out [the show].”

Derick implied that perhaps only some of the adults in the family are contacted by the network when it comes to money situations. (Fans seem to think that this one adult’s name may rhyme with say… ‘Rim Job!’)

“TLC should approach all adults if they expect any obligation from them, so they can evaluate their own situation,” Derick added. “Like I said, until recently, I assumed we were just volunteering to help out in filming where it would help out. I knew they didn’t owe anything but I didn’t think it was unreasonable to request some expense reimbursement under the impression we volunteered all the time.

“[The producers] were always asking for our time, so it seemed like a lucrative trade on their part, to make all the money they did and only be requested to help cover some expense. We paid it, but it seemed like a reasonable trade to request, considering what they asked of us.”

(Derick later deleted most of the tweets that discussed money and the show.)

When a viewer pointed out that Derick should have spoken up and demanded compensation when TLC brought the Duggars back for Jill & Jessa: Counting On, Derick cryptically attempted to explain why he didn’t.

“There is too little space and time on Twitter to explain my whole thought process over the course of the past 4+ years, but the point is, TLC should have handled all of it much differently. Doing the right thing should be more important than taking the path of least resistance,” Derick wrote.

After Derick posted his controversial tweets that seemed to be aimed at his in-laws, his brother-in-law Ben Seewald unfollowed him on Twitter. (His sisters-in-law Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo and Anna Duggar still follow him, as does the official Duggar Family account.)

He also posted his views on marriage, stating that he thinks “25 is a good age to marry.”

“Finish college and get a few years under your belt with a real job to build a good foundation for a family,” he added.

This came off as another dig at the Duggars, given that his comments came just one day before his brother-in-law, 21-year-old Josiah Duggar, announced he was engaged and would soon be marrying 18-year-old Lauren Swanson. His other brother-in-law, Joe Duggar, married Kendra Caldwell last year when he was 23 and she was just 19.

This is not Derick’s first attempt to get himself (and Jill) out from under Jim Bob and Michelle’s thumb. He recently moved his family to a new home. (As 19 Kids and Counting fans will remember that Derick and Jill moved into a giant house after they were married in 2014. That house is owned by Jim Bob. Late last year, the Dillards moved out of the house.)

When asked at the time about the move on Twitter, Derick said the rent was cheaper at the new house so “it made more sense…” (He did not specify if he paid rent to Jim Bob for the house he used previously, or if he meant what he wrote figuratively.)

After someone on Twitter accused Derick of “being cryptic” he shut down the Q&A session…but threw out the idea of writing the book many people have wanted to read for years: a tell-all about the Duggar family!

“Forget it. I’m not going to answer all your questions on Twitter,” Derick wrote. “We should just write a book to set the record straight.”

He hinted that he and Jill may not have been doing the shows on their own free will.

“The point is for ppl not to assume things,” Derick wrote, “like compensation or what we did or didn’t have a choice in, so they don’t make careless judgments.”

(Photo: TLC)

69 Comments

  1. Derrick is frustrated because he wasn’t clever enough to request payment for his engagement, wedding, child’s birth. By law the Duggars have to set up a Trust fund for every child appearing onscreen under the age of 18. Jill, Jana and Jess were the ones to negotiate for Counting On as JB and Michelle were losing advertising if they were attached to the project. So yes, the girls receive payment. Don’t forget they sold a bestselling book as well. Derrick’s complaint is that he was past 18 and was foolish enough to sign a statement that he didn’t expect money. Probably to show Jill and JR he wasn’t just marrying her for money. Jill has her own nest egg, and I am pretty sure JB invests on her behalf. That would drive Derrick crazy.


  2. Since they don’t believe in divorce, do you think Daddy Dearest would approve of Jill divorcing Derick?


  3. i definitely want a tell-all book, but not from this guy. anything he would do would be just a pity-party and sympathy grab for himself. i want one of the actual duggar children to break ranks. maybe jana is storing up everything to finally break out one day.


  4. I am shocked at Ben. I’m not on Twitter, but this really makes me want to join, just to see Derick’s posts. Derick, you are just as welcome to say what you need to or want to as anyone else. And if you are moving Jill out from under her father’s influence, I’m all for that, honestly. JB is just her father; he isn’t her husband. “Leave and cleave.”

    By the way, folks, asking for donations isn’t “begging.” Clearly no one here is has a heart. Not to mention all of the speculation about this man’s health, when he has spoken about what his health concerns are and all anyone wants to do is begin false rumors and say it’s drugs. Good grief!


    1. Asking for donations for bogus “missionary” work (that no church would support) while simultaneously refusing to get a real job is begging.


  5. It is not up to TLC to pay your baby’s medical expenses!! YOU chose to let them exploit your child’s birth – THATS on YOU.


  6. So, Derick is a college educated CPA, and can’t figure out he’s supposed to be paid for work rendered?


  7. Well Derick, maybe if you hadn’t quit your job at Walmart to go be a pretend missionary you would have had more money. If Jim Bob is controlling the money that is not TLC’s fault, he is bitter at them because they didn’t take to kindly to his attacks on Jazz Jennings. While I believe Jim Bob controlled the finance on 19 kids and counting, I don’t believe him and Jill never saw a Penny. Derick is trying to get sympathy so people will give him more money.


  8. This is what happens when you live in a bubble. If he wasn’t smart or savvy enough to ask about a contract before filming, that’s in him. Also they can’t be directed to film anything unless they have signed contract & if they did sign one with no compensation clause, then that’s also on him. Him and his wife were grown ass people. I guess we could say Jim Bob and Michelle screwed them over because Jill was not educated or street savvy enough to understand about contracts and compensation, but at some point you gotta take responsibility for your own decisions. I am not saying TLC or Jim Bob are innocent. If what Derrick says is true, then the Dillard Fam got done dirty. But the Dillard’s were grown ass adults when Counting On started and should have been looking out for themselves a bit more.


  9. This is all such a crock, lol. Compensation is in the contracts that *all participants must sign. If he signed a contract that declared no compensation whatsoever, he’s a moron (yes, we all know he is anyway). I have absolutely no doubt that compensation is actually in his contract and now that he’s no longer getting it, he’s butthurt.

    Jim Bob can’t control all compensation for the entire brood/spouses/grandchildren/etc, by law, in the contracts that they sign. He may well get a larger sum, I’ve no doubt about that, but he cannot take the compensation declared in others’ contracts for himself/his family. As for the children, they are protected, again by law, and have special regulations and laws that cover their contracts, work, availability, compensation, even education(yes even when homeschooling is involved) etc..which is all specifically kept *out* of the adults’ hands and is handled by others in the interest of the child(ren) (due to prior instances of parents mismanaging the funds of their children in this industry).

    Whether or not he’s on something, like pills…I have no clue, but he’s sure as hell not right (though I have thought that since the very beginning) and probably spiraling now *because the loss of income. His family no longer gets the financial backing from TLC that they used to, nor can they seem to garner as many “donations” as they once did. So yeah, odds are good, they’re hurting financially. You know, like MANY families in this country. But because neither of them has a job, and neither really possesses any idea HOW to be a productive (note, not reproductive) adult….they’re hurting.

    Here’s an idea…get off your asses, or at least off your backs, get a good job, take care of your family, and bow out of the spotlight. There…all your problems are solved.


    1. Laws vary from state to state – as the Ashley mentioned Arkansas does not protect filming childrens financial interests as good as some other states. So, no, JB can control a lot more than you think.The adult children might probably risk being shunned if they act up….
      Think of the Turpin family.


      1. Less protection does not equal no protection at all, lol. There are still laws in place, and even federal laws dictating the protection of children in the film industry. The state regulated laws may not be nearly as strict in some states, but they do exist. TLC isn’t about to risk rocking the boat by not following them. It’s too large of a company to not protect its own ass by ensuring that all participants are properly covered, minors and adults alike. Odds are good it has little to nothing to do with actually protecting the participants, just simply covering their own asses.

        As for the adult children, that is 100% on them. If they are unwilling to “be shunned”, it is STILL on them. I have absolutely no sympathy for these people who have countless options before them, yet opt for the path of least resistance. It is not as if they grew up Amish with little to no contact with the world around their community. I have zero doubt in my mind that TLC has contracts with each and every single one of them, that include compensation. They would have to physically hand over their compensation to Jim Bob in order for him to get it. If they’re doing that…again, totally on them, and an idiotic move to boot.

        Funny how he didn’t complain about any of this until he STOPPED getting paid by TLC, eh?


  10. How do you think JB can so easiliy control them all?! Money. Money. Money.
    Since he deprived most of them of getting a real education and probably takes all the money, they are completely dependant on him.
    Should be illegal to collect all the money your Kids worked for, but probably isnt


    1. It actually IS illegal in most of the US. Children actors-even those on reality tv shows have specific laws and regulations surrounding finances. Primarily due to past instances of parents mismanaging funds. It is completely illegal if those “kids” are actually adults, though, in every state, as each has their own contract(s). It’s more likely that Derick is simply blowing smoke up people’s asses because he thinks they should have been paid *more. Quite likely he compared his “family’s” compensation to that of the remaining Duggar family and got butthurt about it now that he can no longer actually cash in at all himself.

      TLC wouldn’t *not compensate them, lol, to even think such is ridiculous. I’m not certain who he believes he is fooling, lol. Derick and his family made *bank* off “donations” for their “religious work”. They’re hardly in a position to complain about not being compensated, lol.


      1. The Ashley states in her article that Arkansas does Not have very strict laws concerning children working in TV


        1. They are not as strict as say New York or California, but they still exist, contracts are still necessary, and there are still some protections in place.

          Of course ALL states should have strict laws, but that’s a long term goal that many organizations are still working towards, unfortunately. Personally, I’d rather see far more strict guidelines, regulations and laws on the books (I’m sure most would really).

          But there *are still child labor laws, including pay, that apply to all industries in the state of Arkansas.

          This is also more about the adults pretending someone is taking all their money, not long after losing their TLC paycheck. Which is just a sign of butthurt, not a sign that they’ve literally worked for years without pay, lmao.


  11. Oh I think Rim Job owns some copyrights to anything Duggar. That show was put out right after that horrific Fox News interview and the whole Josh fallout. It was to salvage their brand. I’m willing to bet that dad is sole owner of the TLC contract and the adult kids are so beholden to the family they let him keep it. Derrick is only a fool for falling for a Duggar and thinking it was going to be a cash cow. He needs to go back to accounting and leave Arkansas.


  12. How could they possibly survive if they weren’t paid. Unless Jim boob is paying all their bills, how could they feed themselves since neither work? Your accounting ain’t right Derick. Go back to Walmart and get your job back moron.


    1. I think that might be what he means though. The network paid Jim bob and in return for his kids agreeing to salvage the Duggar name and be on the show, he took care of them financially. So while Jill and Derrick were never technically compensated by TLC for the show, they were financially provided for by Jim bob. I think Derrick tried to get extra money for the birth expenses, like a bonus of sorts, that would go directly to him and Jill, but TLC said no, because they were already paying for Derrick and Jill (but to Jim bob). Jim bob seems like a shady, shady man. He is pimping out his wife and kids and grand kids and keeping all of his “hos” under control by keeping all of the money that they make and only doling out just enough to live on. It now makes a little more sense why Derrick was always begging for money online for his “mission work.” It was still shady and stupid, but makes more sense.


      1. Well then I feel bad for his ignorance. And also bad for every other kid in that family. Aside from Jinger, they must all still be under JBs thumb. The only way to break free is to act the way Derrick is and make themselves no longer useful. But he made his choices too. No one made him quit his job.


      2. That theory would make sense, but they’re no longer on the show and they still don’t have jobs. Jim Bob is still supporting them even though they got the boot from TLC? Then why would anyone else continue to be on the show for “free”?

        I think it’s much more likely that he’s insane, was always paid by TLC, and is still living off that $$.


  13. I won’t be shocked if we found out he’s entered rehab for pills at some point. He’s off his rocker and I don’t believe for one second that he and Jill didn’t get reimbursed for appearing on the show. Without the show they have zero income (besides donations ?) so I don’t buy it.


  14. He thought he was a VOLUNTEER??! Interesting choice of words. Head on down to the local homeless shelter if you wanna see what a volunteer looks like, you wack job.


  15. So Derrick didn’t get paid for any of his shows?

    Are you saying…does this mean…
    Jazz that abomination & whatever disgusting things he called her…
    I guess Jazz was/is smarter to negotiate actually getting paid for her time.

    Or was it that Derricks family thinks so little of him that they didn’t cut him in on the money.


  16. I would hate to think TLC kept the show on after the scandals if the kids were willing to be filmed for free. If money is being made, Jim Bob should have no control over it. Something snapped in Derek after marrying Jill, and both seem depressed. I agree with many of his twitter posts (downvote me all you want), but because they were not popular opinion, he should have expected the backlash. He needs to take a cooling off period and if he desires, speak up (in detail) later on.


    1. I think it’s pain pills. It would make sense following his obviously painful facial changes and how quickly he became paranoid and angry and lost all sense of self regulation. I’m guess pills.


      1. I was thinking that at first, but he seems really awake and fidgety to me… Although pills would be easier for him to keep on the down-low from Jill.


  17. He can take a flying leap . I’m so sick of the duggars.let them get back to tator tot casseroles. They should have quit when it came out Josh molested his sisters, but the love of money can’t stop these people .They should be ashamed


  18. I don’t get it. I thought Counting On was essentially Jim Bob and Michelle free! I get that Jim Boob thinks he has control of unmarried daughters but not if the married daughters. Thus Jill and Jessa and the little man children they married would control their own contracts/pay for the show since it appears as though they are the stars. Doesn’t make sense.


  19. derick seemed like a sweet guy..then,he became noticeably thinner and sick looking..i wonder if he has medical issues that caused a personality change?or was he like this all along but just wanted to trap jill with a litter of kids before he revealed his true self?


    1. He went into detail about his medical issues in one of the episodes of Counting On. I thoroughly disbelieve he has an addiction.


  20. I’m torn between thinking (knowing) Derick is an unstable person, and also being pleased that someone within the family is supporting education, marrying “later,” etc… Basically, not kissing @$$ or just being blindly led by ol’ Rim Job.


  21. The entitlement is strong with this one. Since when does an employer, agency, etc. pay for your kid’s medical bills? Also, if he agreed to work for TLC for free, he’s a moron and that’s on him. Why would TLC “do the right thing” and pay someone who didn’t even ask to get paid? If it’s Jim Bob who pocketed his money because he was too stupid to secure his own contract, again, that’s on him. Weird he didn’t have the balls to ask TLC or Jim Bob for a pay check, but had absolutely no problem shamelessly begging for money online…


  22. If you agreed to work and yet your paycheck went to another, you’re a moron. Adult enough to marry and have babies means you are adult enough to tell your father or father in law they don’t get your paycheck. I’m so sick of this family.


    1. Derek and Jill, sue JIM Bob for YOUR money. TLC did NOT take their money, Jim Bob did, so Derek has to be a man and get his money. Who agrees to work for free and/or let your father-in-law stay in charge of your money?? GROW UP, its a learning lesson to you Derek!


  23. I find it hard to believe they don’t all have their own contacts even young children have to be paid for appearing on tv all at, it’s the law. So if they really aren’t seeing any $$ because of their creepy family, that is not TLC’s fault. And maybe it’s tome they start thinking for themselves breaking away from the cult. I mean family


  24. I have a feeling he is ranting on twitter because his marriage isn’t perfect anymore. Sure, I believe Jim Bob likes the money his kids bring him but you are AN ADULT and should say sth to him, right?! Is everyone scared of the main patriarch, even you?!

    Poor Jill stuck married to this a-hole, I bet she thought she will get a lot more marrying a “worldly” guy as she did.


  25. sorry dillward maybe tlc didn’t pay the medical bills because you and you wife acted irresponsibly during both deliveries


  26. You volunteer to be on a show. That means no pay. Why tf would you ask for them to pay for the NICU bill? Should’ve read the fine print honey child


  27. If Daddy Jim Boob is keeping all the dough, Derick’s beef is with him, not TLC. And Jim Boob truly doesn’t give two hoots about his adult kids. Man up, Derick, and support your wife and kids. Get them out from under the thumb of Daddy Dearest.


    1. He hasn’t got the balls to stand up to his father in law.

      Derick DullTard needs to get of social media and get a job and she needs to clean her damn house.


    1. I was thinking that. How the heck would they have survived since he left his job?! Something smells fishy. I don’t know that i believe him. He had a real job before this in the real world and totally thought not getting any compensation was normal. Either he is lying or incredibly stupid, both ate totally plausible.


  28. Why TF would TLC be responsible for your child’s NICU bill??? My son has a serious condition and has spent an average of 3 months per year in the hospital and has had dozens of surgeries, yet not once would it occur to me to expect my job to foot the bill?!! Them filming the birth has nothing to do with your personal bills.

    And wow, how the Golden Daughter has fallen, now that she’s caught up with this psycho. He seemed so normal at first! Accounting job, very nice, respectful, he seemed like a great match for Jill. But yikes, he’s a hot mess and now he’s even throwing her family under the bus?? I bet she’s wishing she could get out of that mess.

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