Jinger Duggar and Husband Jeremy Vuolo Want Family to Reconcile With ‘Counting On’ Alums

Counting On stars Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Jeremy Vuolo are holding out hope that Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard smooth over their differences with Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar. Jill, 29, and Dillard, 31, confirmed in October 2020 that they have distanced themselves from the rest of the Duggar family because they felt they did not have control over their own lives. More recently, Jill told fans that she has not been over her parents’ house in years. Jinger, 27, and Vuolo, 33, told Us Weekly they “connected” with Jill and Dillard, and hope they can reconcile their differences.

“They’re working through some things,” Vuolo told Us Weekly earlier this week, adding that they are “giving” Jill and Dillard the time they need. Still, he said they have a “great relationship with them.” The retired soccer player said there is “always hope that families are united and, you know, the family is strong.”

“There’s going to be difficulties in every family [and] I think that’s part of being in the public eye,” Vuolo continued. “So many families go through different issues, especially as children are growing [up], and this family happens to be in the public spotlight. And so, they work through it.” He said they hope the Duggar family can sort out the drama. “We love them very much… and I know they love the family,” Vuolo said.

Jinger, who wrote the book The Hope We Hold: Finding Peace in the Promises of God with her husband, said she often uses FaceTime to connect with Jill so their children can interact. Vuolo and Jinger married in 2016 and are parents to daughters Felicity, 2, and Evangeline, 4 months. Jill and Dillard married in 2014. They also have two children together, sons Israel, 5, and Samuel, 3.

Jill and Dillard first revealed they were was “distancing” between her and the rest of her family in an October 2020 vlog post. The couple later spoke about their issues with PEOPLE. “Our control to choose what jobs we were allowed to accept and even where we were allowed to live was taken away from us,” Jill said, later noting that their decisions “didn’t go over very well with anyone.” Since then, fans have noticed Jill stopped following some of the family’s most strict rules, using non-hormonal birth control, drinking alcohol in moderation, and getting her nose pierced.

In March, Jill told fans they have not visited her parents’ house in “a couple of years” during a YouTube video. There are “some restrictions” when it comes to visiting her parents, Jill said, before also noting that they want to make their own mental health a priority. Dillard said there were “a lot of triggers” at the Duggars’ home, adding that the coronavirus pandemic has also made them want to stay away from large gatherings.

“Every family has differences of opinion and perspective at times, but families work things out,” Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said in a statement to PEOPLE last year. “We all love Jill, Derick, and their boys very much. It is our prayer that our relationship is healed and fully restored quickly!”