Duggar fans (and critics) have been speculating for some time now about Jessa Duggar Seewald’s position.
Last year, we saw hints that she might be more at odds with Jim Bob and Michelle – especially after Josh’s trial.
It makes sense, right?
New photos reveal complex and expansive family dynamics. And that’s where Jessa fits into it all.
Last year, fans began to suspect that Jessa was not only distancing herself from the “mainstream” Duggars, but was becoming open about it.
He attended Jill’s baby shower. Such actions can only be seen as soft rebellion in the eyes of Jim Bob and Michelle.
Remember, he forbade Jill to visit the house to see his own brother. They can only do it with Jim Bob’s supervision. So yeah, awkward family dynamics.
Conspicuously, Jessa actually does not appear in any photos from the shower.
At least, not in the photo that Amy Dillon King, Duggar’s “famous” cousin, uploaded to Instagram.
Fans immediately speculated that Jessa was already on thin ice by attending, and didn’t want to face the cold shoulder – or harsh words – from her parents.
Jessa confirmed, on social media, that she attended Jill’s baby shower.
He also expressed his frustration at how people assumed the absence of the photo showed some drama.
Of course he didn’t feel like being seen on social media that day. Not everyone is photo ready at every moment of every day. So… maybe that’s it.
For years, Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, have been at odds with Jim Bob and Michelle over trust issues and money issues.
Jill has a lot of trauma to process from growing up in a toxic and abusive cult. He, like everyone, deserves better parents than Jim Bob and Michelle.
And Derick has accused Jim Bob of pocketing all the money from his family’s erstwhile reality TV career. He said that others feel that appearing on the show is a form of worship, like serving on camera. In the meantime, he was making a profit.
So for Jessa to spend time with Jill (and Amy) like that… it’s not a declaration of war, it raises questions.
We all know that Josh Duggar’s crime — specifically, the one that led to his arrest and conviction — has caused tension in the family.
Jim Bob covered up Josh’s crimes when he was young, having a daughter, who was Josh’s victim, trying to see things through. Then this happened. So… Jessa is totally on the outs with Jim Bob and Michelle? No one could blame him.
Earlier this week, James Duggar shared a boomerang on his Instagram Stories.
The short video shows Jessa, her husband, Ben Seewald, and their two children sitting at a table.
This is not just any dining table. We all know the Duggar household, even if there is no family member like Jana who is on the family dinner show.
James even explained that it was a “family night”.
This is how he captioned the post. He also revealed that Josie and Jennifer were also at the meal. As one would hope.
There seems to be no problem with Jessa and her toxic parents. unfortunate. But at least he could spend time with his siblings without a chaperone. Can Jill say the same?