Amy Duggar King is opening up about a recent encounter she had with her estranged cousin Jana Duggar Wissmann– one of the many Duggar family members with whom she no longer has a relationship.
On the latest episode of Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod, Amy was explaining to host Carrie Berk how removed she is from the majority of her problematic family, even insisting on the episode that most of the Duggars “don’t know [her] at all.”
While stressing this fact, Amy– who made multiple appearances on both ’19 Kids and Counting’ and ‘Counting On’– gave an example of a recent (and awkward) run-in she had with Jana, the eldest daughter of her uncle Jim Bob and his wife Michelle.
“I saw Jana just the other day, and I didn’t know it was her,” Amy said, noting that she was at a store when she saw a little boy who, unbeknownst to her, belonged to Jana and her husband, Stephen Wissmann.
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh, what a sweet little boy!’ and [the woman in front of him] turned around and it was Jana … ,” she recalled. “And I have not seen Jana in like, 10-plus years, like, a very long time. I was like, ‘Uhh…Jana?’ and she was like, “Hello,’ and I was like, ‘Hi.’ And we just walked off, like, we didn’t say anything to each other. We have nothing to say and it’s really sad to say that … .”
Later in the episode, Amy revealed that she and Jana actually did exchange some more pleasantries during their encounter, though their conversation remained very brief and surface-level.
“Like, I don’t know your son, you don’t know me, that’s okay, I hope you’re doing well,” Amy said. “I even told her that. I was like, ‘I hope you’re doing well,’ and she was like, ‘Thanks,’ and just kept on walking.”
When asked what she would’ve said to Jana if she hadn’t been “nice and polite” in the moment, Amy said she would’ve encouraged her cousin to use her voice to speak up about things that have happened (and, according to her, are still happening) in their family.
“ … I would have probably said, like, ‘You know, I haven’t seen you in a really long time and I really hope that you stand up for what is right and it’s not too late, and I hope you get a backbone… ,’” Amy said. “I was very cordial in that moment, but a part of me is just like, I don’t understand how the girls [in the family]… I’ll just put them all in a big clump, I don’t understand how the girls act like there’s nothing going on. It’s like, really? Just be real with people.”
While the awkward run-in with Jana reminded Amy how strained some of her family relationships are today, she went on to claim that her life is much better now that it’s (mostly) Duggar-free.
“ … family can be chosen, and I don’t know if you can tell, Carrie, but I got a smile on my face the size of Texas right now because I don’t have to live like that,” Amy said. “I don’t have to live like that, I am so done with that.”
As you know, Amy has spoken out over the years against the actions of her cousins Josh and Joe Duggar. She also appeared in ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’, the scathing docuseries about the Duggars that was released on Prime Video in 2023. Last year, she ruffled some more feathers in her family with the release of her memoir, Holy Disruptor: Shattering the Shiny Facade While Getting Louder with the Truth. In her book, Amy opened up about many of the controversies that have occurred within the Duggar Family, both past and present.
Though Jill Duggar Dillard is the only cousin Amy has maintained a close relationship with, she insisted back in July that she’s open to having a conversation with any of her cousins “that are free and good people.” However, that same month, Amy revealed on an episode of The Sarah Fraser Show that she doesn’t believe most of her cousins have fully “done the work” that would allow them to process certain events that have occurred in their lives.
“I think that in order to really look at the dynamics of our family unit, you have to do therapy and you have to dive deep into, like, behavioral issues and just the dysfunction of it all and where it really stems from,” she explained.
“ … I have nothing against Jinger [Duggar Vuolo], I have nothing against Jessa [Duggar Seewald], I have nothing against Jana,” Amy continued. “I just don’t think they’ve done the work.”
Amy’s decision to publicly to discuss her latest Duggar run-in comes less than a year after she was accused of being “messy” for posting a private text conversation with an unnamed Duggar family member to social media.
You can watch Amy’s full interview on ‘Fire Chats: The Mindfire Pod’ below.
RELATED STORY: Joy Duggar Recalls Husband Austin Forsyth Exchanging Words with “Frustrated” ‘Counting On’ Crew Member on Wedding Day
(Photos: YouTube; TLC; Instagram)
I really do feel bad for Jana honestly. She doesn’t look like she’s doing well in recent pictures and videos I’ve seen of her. I worry for her because I remember her saying before getting married that her fiancé didn’t give up when she broke off the courtship the first time so that must mean he cares. I see that as he doesn’t respect her and what she says. The men in that cult are not taught to respect women and he just seems very controlling.
Amy should mind her fuckin business. Who does she think she is? Your cousins owe you nothing