Jackson Duggar, former TLC star and one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children, recently defended the Duggar Family’s affiliation with the Institute of Basic Life Principles (IBLP), insisting that the controversial religion founded by Bill Gothard is “not a cult,” despite what people may believe.
The 21-year-old addressed the rumors about his family and the IBLP while revealing to social media influencer Joe Bonham that his “biggest financial flex” is owning property– a ten-acre piece of land in Arkansas that he purchased for around $350,000. Jackson then informed the influencer that he and his family are famous from their reality shows, much to the influencer’s surprise.
Jackson was then asked to reveal one thing about his family’s show(s) that nobody else knows, to which he volunteered the fact that many people assume he grew up in a cult due to his family’s involvement with the IBLP.
“A lot of people think we were in a cult, and the key is that we were not in a cult,” Jackson insisted, before revealing why so many people have made this assumption.
“ … because of a man named Bill Gothard who went around and he shared the gospel and did different things, but he also did some other things that were kind of off … ,” Jackson said.
Jackson went on to argue that, just because he and his family attended Bill Gothard’s conferences and events and followed his teachings, that doesn’t mean they followed him.
“We went to his conferences once or twice a year, we were involved a lot in whatever they did, but we were not a part of everything,” he said. ““So, a lot of people think we were in a cult, but we grew up with great parents who taught us about the Bible and shared the gospel with us.”
Jackson noted that he and his family have been accused of being in a cult “many times” throughout his life, though he insisted it was only because some people believed that Bill Gothard “was a cult leader.”
“Amazon Prime actually did a whole documentary on it,” he said, referring to the 2023 docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which focused on the controversies surrounding the former TLC family and their connection to the IBLP. “People try to give you lies, people try to feed you lies, but the truth, in the end, will win out. And the Holy Spirit of God, who is inside living and can teach us and lead us and guide us into all truth.”
While Jackson claimed that “people” have referred to the IBLP as a cult, he neglected to mention that certain members of his own family have made the same claim, including his sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo, who has blasted the beliefs she grew up in, calling the IBLP both cult-like and fear-driven.
“The teaching I grew up under, it was harmful,” she told People while promoting her 2023 book, Becoming Free Indeed. “I want to be vulnerable to share my story and hopefully it will help even just one person to be free from this.”
Jackson’s older sister Jill Duggar Dillard also publicly spoke out against the IBLP when she and husband Derick Dillard participated in the 2023 Amazon docuseries about the Duggars and the IBLP, as did Jim Bob’s niece Amy Duggar King.
Jackson also credited him father with teaching him and his siblings how to support themselves.
“My dad’s been an entrepreneur and has taught all of us to be entrepreneurs,” Jackson said, pointing out Jim Bob in the crowd, along with some of his siblings.
When asked if being on the show had helped him purchase his property, Jackson insisted that the accomplishment was largely the result of his dad teaching him and his siblings to “use our money in a wise way.”
“ … it wasn’t like it was a lot of money [from the show], but it was enough to where you could, as long as you used it wisely, you could build it,” Jackson claimed.
Watch a clip from Jackson’s interview below.
RELATED STORY: Amy Duggar Accused of Being “Messy” for Posting Private Convo with Unnamed Duggar Family Member to Social Media
(Photos: YouTube; Instagram; TLC; Amazon)
11 Responses
Funny denying being in a cult while your family all wears hats for a president/political movement that many in the country also believe is…a cult! 🤣
This is really sad. The thing about the Duggars is that they DONT follow Christianity. They follow the teachings of Bill Gothard. The umbrella of authority isn’t in the Bible. They don’t live their lives the way Jesus did and that’s what Christians are supposed to do. It’s obvious by this video that they are false prophets.
Those kids have no education and no regular jobs. There’s no way he earned that money by himself and if daddy gave you that money that’s not a flex, Jackson. Your only flex is that you are 21 and unmarried which is very rare in your cult and your family
According to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of a cult is “a relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices, especially relating to religion, that are regarded by others as strange or sinister or as imposing excessive control over members.”
IBLP fits that definition. They dont have to be worshipping Bill in order to be in a cult. The extreme behavior was recorded on a TV show for many years. Plus two of his sisters have stared so (as quoted in this article).
Of course, Jackson is a poorly educated male (IBLP treats men better) who probably had to sign an NDA with his dad in order to get the money for the land he bought.
Im only bringing up Jackson owning land because of Jim Bob not paying his kids appropriately for many years from their tv show. He had control over that money. I read Jill’s book, it’s all documented. Jim Bob sounds quite scary in the book at times as well, especially after Jill abd Derrick try to have a conversation about salaries for filming and appearances.
When people on the left admit they’re in a cult, I’ll care about this.. I’m sick of the hypocrisy from them..
What cult would that be exactly? Because the IBLP is an actual cult that meets every criteria
What does being on the left have to do with being in a cult? I’m on the left and not religious in any way or looking to control anyone… I don’t think people on the right are in a cult either, but I think all religions are a cult as well as any fuck face trump supporters and maga. Most religious fucks that are on the right are evangelical and out to control people ESPECIALLY those that aren’t religious.
You sound like a maga fuck face so not sure why i’m even responding lol. I’ll just end it here with a fuck you and fuck your mother. HA. Hope you get raped.
Hmmm. Is it me or does that sound EXACTLY like something a cult member would say?
“Denies They’re Part of a Cult”
BECAUSE YOU ARE IN A CULT.
If your parents won’t let you learn what a cult is it’s bc they are in a cult with you and don’t want you to leave.
Jim Bob for sure gave him the majority of that $350k – there’s no way a 21 year old has that much saved from a regular job. Maybe $35k, but not in the six figures. Probably made him sign another NDA too.
Jim Bob is known to give money to his kids/purchase homes for them as a form of financial coercion – he has some of his kids under his thumb.
Take a look at John David and Abby for example – they live in a mobile home (or trailer?); JD has (gently) pushed back against some of JB’s ideas, and he and Abby are clearly solely relying on their own finances instead of being under JB’s control.
Jackson is still young and living under his parents’ roof. Will be interesting to see how he feels in a decade with more life experience and exposure to the outside world.