‘Counting On’: Duggar Members Reportedly Looking to Distance Themselves From Family

In the aftermath of Homeland Security’s visit to an Arkansas car dealership where former 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar works, other members appear to be distancing themselves from the Duggar family. Earlier this week, KNWA reported that Homeland Security visited Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s home, but the Duggars called this “fake news.” However, Homeland Security did confirm investigators visited the dealership.

The only Duggar child to comment on the situation is Jedidiah, 20, who recently filed paperwork to run for the Arkansas House of Representatives. He gave a short message to KNWA, confirming that he no longer lives at his parents’ home, which was thought to be where the Homeland Security raid was.

“I don’t live there and I am not aware of any investigation,” he told the local NBC affiliate.

Jed was also seen with his brother Jason, 19, and Jana, 29, in the days after the scandal broke. The trio was seen at Silver Dollar City Theme Park in Branson, Missouri, far from the family’s home in Arkansas. They were all smiles in a photo Jana shared on her Instagram page, with no sign of the family scandal.

As Cheat Sheet points out, Jed’s statement to KNWA confirms that he has been allowed to live outside the Duggar family compound, even though he is only 20 and not married. Jana, who is the eldest Duggar child without a spouse, reportedly still lives with her parents.

Cheat Sheet also theorizes that Jill (Duggar) Dillard and Derrick Dillard are trying to distance themselves from the rest of the family. However, Dillard has long been pushing himself out of his wife’s family’s good graces. They no longer appear on Counting On, and Dillard has been making allegations about Jim Bob’s dealings with TLC on Twitter for weeks.

Amy (Duggar) King, a niece of Jim Bob and Michelle, has also stayed away from the Homeland Security scandal. On Nov. 20, she tweeted a photo with her baby Daxton Ryan King, writing, “I’m in newborn bliss and I’m just going to ignore the rest.”

Notably, she shared the exact same photo on Instagram, but changed the caption. “The high is 68 today! We’ll take it!!” King wrote.

The confusion over what exactly happened between the Duggars and Homeland Security started earlier this week, when KNWA reported that Homeland Security raided the Duggar home. The Duggars later denied this in a strongly-worded statement to the media.

“We were shocked to see a news report today state that our home was raided by federal law enforcement agencies. This is not true. To the best of our knowledge, it’s also not true that any member of our family is the target of any investigation of any kind,” the family said in a statement released by their reps.

“Living a life in the public’s eye has taught us that it is best not to reply to every rumor and piece of ‘fake news’ that is circulated online,” the statement continued. “It would be a full-time job if we attempted to do so. However, because of tonight’s media coverage we thought it is important to address this rumor with you. Thank you for the love and support that we can always count on in you our fans and friends.”

However, it was later reported that Homeland Security did visit the car dealership where Josh now works. The exact circumstances that triggered the visit are unknown, but Josh is the most controversial figure in the Duggar family. In 2015, 19 Kids and Counting was cancelled after it was revealed he molested five girls – including four of his youngest sisters – when he was 14 and 15 years old.

Photo credit: Getty Images