It’s been a tough month for Jim Bob Duggar, his wife Michelle, and some of their offspring who are still loyal to him.
For starters, Jinger Duggar’s memoir is about to hit stores, and the daughter’s disgruntled promotional interview doesn’t reflect her family very well.
And now, Amazon has announced plans to produce a documentary that will expose corruption in the organization that provides the Duggars’ belief system.
If you’ve been a longtime family follower, you’re probably familiar with the Basic Principles of Life Institute.
Despite its healthy-sounding name, the IBLP is a deeply troubled organization accused of everything from brainwashing to systemic sexual harassment.
Founder Bill Gothard was forced to resign in 2014 after dozens of employees came forward to accuse him of harassment.
However, Jim Bob remains committed, and now it looks like he will be exposed to his mentor in an as-yet-untitled Amazon project.
“On the heels of Josh Duggar’s explosive criminal trial, the untitled project will expose the shocking relationship between some of television’s most famous big families and The Institute in Basic Life Principles, a controversial fundamentalist organization and homeschooling empire,” reads a press release about the doc.
“Additionally, prominent commentators, writers, and social media voices will explore the zeitgeist of reality television, social media, faith, fundamentalism, patriarchy, and power.”
In addition to the Duggars, the IBLP has adopted the influence of other prominent fundamentalist families, including the Batese of Bringing Up Bates and the Plaths who star in it Welcome to Plathville.
This must have been a nightmare situation for Jim Bob, who remains the top follower of the IBLP.
The filmmaker behind the IBLP docs was previously at the helm LulaRichexposé focused on allegations of corruption in the LulaRoe fashion empire.
Amazon has yet to announce a release date for this latest project, but you can bet the Duggars are already freaking out.
In recent years, the Duggar name has become synonymous with corruption, and Jim Bob probably knows that his family cannot afford another scandal.
In 2021, the eldest son of Jim Bob and Michelle, Josh Duggar, was convicted on charges of receiving and possessing child pornography.
He was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison.
The arrest and trial attracted media attention that exposed the culture of abuse that Josh’s crime perpetrated and was sealed for decades.
At the center of it all, of course, is Jim Bob.
Now, the 19-year-old father is facing further damage to his reputation through his daughter’s memoir and an upcoming documentary about the cult’s religious activities.
How he will weather the storm is anyone’s guess.