Tell the story. Jinger Duggar grew up in the spotlight, but there are still many TLC fans do not know about his life – until now.
At 19 Kids and Counting alum, 29, released his book Becoming Truly Free: My Story of Breaking Faith from Fear on January 31, her memoir unpacks her ultra-conservative Christian upbringing, life in reality TV and more while explaining how she reframed her perspective on faith.
“It’s been a difficult process writing this book, but like I’ve said before, it’s the most important thing I’ve ever done,” Duggar said exclusively. Us Weekly before the book hits the shelves, adding that he hopes his words help “even one person” find freedom. “I think in this book I have been more open and vulnerable than before.”
The Arkansas native rose to fame on her family’s TLC reality series, which debuted in 2008 and ran for seven seasons. Jim Bob and Michelle DuggarThe big brood — and its controversial religious background — was the focus of the show until its cancellation in 2015. (19 Kids and Counting has been axed after the news broke that Josh Duggar molested several girls, some of whom were his sisters, when he was young.)
Over the years, the Duggar family has weathered many storms in the public eye. “I’m still amazed that the show lasted this long,” Jinger said in her book. “In the early years, my family thought the show wouldn’t last more than one or two seasons. It’s unlikely that many Americans would be interested in a family with conservative values.
Jinger and her sister were raised according to the teachings Bill Gothard, a conservative minister who founded the Institute on Basic Principles of Life. Among those principles are strict guidelines for purity and simplicity — but Jinger begins to question those teachings as she grows up and starts her own family. (When talking to us this month, Jinger called her childhood spiritual practice “a cult in many ways.”)
At Calculate married alum Jeremy Vuolo in November 2016 after a whirlwind courtship, and the couple shared two daughters: Felicity, now 4, and Evangeline, now 2. According to Jinger, the relationship with the former football player, 35, contributed to her finding independence – but the romance that did not exist. not always easy.
My determination to protect my heart made it difficult for Jeremy to find out if I liked him. … He, of course, assumed that I would share these things with my sister. But I haven’t,” she wrote. “I haven’t told Jessa or any of the other siblings how I feel about Jeremy.”
Jinger recalls feeling “a lot of pressure” from the outside world when she started dating Vuolo. “Jeremy was the last person to ask my dad if he could date me,” she wrote, admitting that she feels “a little intimidated” by her now-husband. “He was unlike the man before him in almost every way.”
The couple faced several challenges together, including the 2021 cancellation Calculate. TLC officially cut ties with Jinger’s family after Josh was arrested for receiving and possessing child pornography. (He is currently serving 12.5 years in prison after his May 2022 sentencing.)
“Besides being sad because the show is over, I feel grateful to have been a part of it. I’ve had countless good experiences thanks to the show. … There are dozens of places and cultures that I wouldn’t know anything about if it wasn’t for the show,” Jinger wrote, admitting that she was also “relieved” to no longer be in front of the camera. “In many ways, the end of the show was the final journey that 10 years of age could not have imagined would occupy my life.”
Becoming Truly Free: My Story of Breaking Faith from Fear available now. Scroll down for the biggest revelations from Jinger’s book about childhood, marriage and more: