Ah The Duggar Family. This supersized reality star family earned their fame after starring in TLC's once hit show 19 Kids and Counting. People were simply fascinated by this jumbo family that seemed to keep on having children. Of course thanks to their strict religious upbringing it was no surprise that they kept adding to their family, but what was a surprise was how much people loved to follow their family and their lives through their hit reality show
Growing up in such a strict religious and conservative family means rules, and lots of them. It seems the Duggar family has a rule for everything, basically aimed at ensuring their kids grow up to be just like their parents. There's rules about how they can dress and how they can act, and especially rules about how they can date and even use social media!
Of course even in the strictest households we've come to realize that rules were meant to be broken, and as the Duggar kids have gotten older we've witnessed more than a handful of the Duggar kids forging their own path.
While Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have tried to keep their kids on a short leash and impose their family rules on all their children, the kids have found their own way to rebel against the strict rules.
Here are 15 ways the Duggar kids are breaking all the family rules!
15 Rebel Jinger Wears Pants, Shorts and Knee-Revealing Skirts
Anyone who follows the Duggar family knows that the women and girls in the family are expected to wear 'modest' clothing, which means skirts and dresses that fall below the knee. This was of dressing comes right from the Duggar matriarch Michelle Duggar, who explained why she wants her daughters completely covered up.
“My daughters are the second generation of modest dressing in this family,” she has said. “They’ve grown up being dressed modestly."
"I feel like the Lord is impressing upon me that I should be modest in what I wear [and] defining who I am as a woman by choosing to wear dresses and skirts.”
While that may be how Michelle Duggar feels, it's pretty clear that daughter Jinger Vuolo is a little more practical when it comes to how she dresses.
Ever since Jinger married Jeremy Vuolo and moved from her home state of Arkansas to Texas with her husband, she's been breaking free of her parents strict dress code.
Not only has Jinger taken to wearing pants a lot, but she's also been photographed wearing shorts (!!!) and even skirts and dresses that are probably shorter than Michelle and Jim Bob would approve of.
14 Joy-Anna's Rebellious Ways
Jinger might seem to be the rebel of the Duggar family, wearing her pants and short skirts, but Joy-Anna has definitely done her fair share of rebelling!
One of the rules (and there are many!) of a Duggar courtship is that only side-hugs are allowed and only for a maximum of 3 seconds, because we all know where those 4 second hugs lead!
Both Joy-Anna and her now husband Austin Forsyth have both admitted to breaking more than one of their courtship rules, because they're only human!
Austin admitted that one time he and Joy-Anna broke curfew because they were up late, talking!
“The only time that I can think of when I overstepped my bounds with my future father-in-law was probably staying up talking past curfew."
"Just letting time slip past you and being in a good conversation," Forsyth explained, "it’s really easy to do."
And of course there was the one time when their side hug was more of a full on hug!
“We’re humans and sometimes we don’t always abide perfectly by our rules,” Forsyth explained. “We try. That was a real hard try.”
Those crazy kids!
13 When Joy-Anna Maybe Got Pregnant Before The Wedding!
If the Duggars think full frontal hugs are bad, you can only imagine what they think of actual premarital sex! When Joy-Anna Duggar announced her pregnancy literally 3 months after she and Austin Forsyth married, people were quick to assume the couple had a shotgun wedding.
Not helping matters was Joy's visible baby bump during her announcement. While every woman carries differently, most people thought that a 19 year old, who was pregnant for the first time, would definitely not be showing as much as Joy-Anna was in her announcement picture.
Many have theorized that Joy-Anna and Austin broke more than just the side hug rule during their courtship, and that their wedding was actually moved up a few months to cover up Joy's pregnancy. The reality star has stated that her due date is the end of February. So far she's still posting baby bump pictures, so many she's just one of those women who showed early and carries big?
12 When Joseph And Kendra Registered For Pricey Items On Their Wedding Registry
Anyone who has watched 19 Kids and Counting or it's sequel series, Counting On, knows the Duggars are a frugal family. I guess with that many kids you have to be! They shop for clothes as second hand stores, shop in bulk for groceries and basically try to limit spending to 'needs' and not so much 'wants.'
Which is exactly while Duggar son Joseph came under fire when he and his wife to-be, Kendra Caldwell's wedding registry was made public. Sure, most of us have made our own registries when we got engaged, but many criticized the couple for posting theirs online, prompting many fans of the show to assume the couple were soliciting gifts from their fans.
They were also criticized for some of the more pricey items on their registry, including a blender that rang in at almost $400, a KitchenAid Mixer, power tools and a vacuum.
They also raised eyebrows asking for restaurant and clothing store gift certificates. Wedding registries have definitely changed since I got married!
The couple also recently announced they're expecting a baby boy, so it should be interesting to see what they list on their baby registry!
11 When Jill Pierced Her Nose And Got Henna Tattoos
Jill Duggar has always seemed to be a rule follower in her family, so imagine everyone's shock when the mother of two posted a photo to her Instagram showing off her brand new nose piercing and henna tattoo.
Jill appeared in a picture on her Instagram page showing off her new piercing and again on social media proudly displaying her henna tattoo on her hand. While some were critical of her rule breaking, others were thrilled to see the young mother make some decisions for herself. Jill has even been spotted out wearing pants like her sister Jinger!
The pictures definitely brought out the comments.
"Jeans, piercings, red nail polish??? Scandalous" wrote one fan.
"What? A nose ring! Omgosh!" wrote another.
Many were happy to see Jill making her own decisions.
" I love seeing you be an individual. Stepping out from the others. It's great when you can just drop what you've been taught and realize that you're not going to hell for piercings and tats. You are a beautiful woman."
Can't wait to see what she does next!
10 Jeremy's Tattoo
Jeremy Vuolo may not be a Duggar, but you still have to be approved by Jim Bob Duggar before you can begin courting one of his daughters!
While Jill Duggar may have opted for a henna tattoo, Jeremy Vuolo has the real thing! The former soccer pro might not publicly show off his tattoo, but eagle eyed viewers have caught a glimpse at Jeremy's ink that lines the inside of his right bicep.
We're not sure what it says, but all bets are on it being a bible verse of some sort. Many are speculating whether Jeremy's rule breaker ways are what have encouraged wife Jinger to start breaking the uber strict Duggar rules on her own, and whether she may show up with a tattoo of her own one day.
Some fans of the show wouldn't be surprised if Jinger got her own piece of ink in a hidden spot where only Jeremy could see.
“I wonder if Jinger would get a tattoo seeing as her husband doesn’t think a tattoo is a Sin!! I bet Jinger would get a cute tattoo hidden where nobody but her and Jeremy would see,” someone wrote on the Duggars and Bates Confessions Tumblr page.
I think Jinger would look awesome with a tattoo!
9 Josh's Ways
The Duggars have super strict rules about courtship and marriage, and of course that doesn't allow for cheating at all, but that didn't stop Josh Duggar from allegedly having accounts on various dating sites after being married to wife Anna. After it was discoved that Josh had accounts on at least two cheating websites, the father of five admitted to his cheating ways.
"I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife," he wrote in a statement released on The Duggar Family blog. "I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him." gawker.com
"I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time."
While his wife may have forgiven him, it doesn't seem anyone else has.
8 When Derick Dillard Was Caught Dancing
Followers of the Duggar family know that dancing, in any way, shape or form is strictly against family rules. Michelle Duggar has stated that the family is against dancing because it promotes “sensual” feelings. Jessa Duggar has even stated that modern day music is “promoting sex, drugs all that type of stuff.”
Apparently Derick Dillard, who is married to Jill Duggar, didn't get the memo. The father of two, who has come under a lot of fire for tweeting his thoughts about transgender TLC star Jazz Jennings in the past, posted a video on his social media showing a whole lot of dancing happening at an event he was at, even going so far as to caption the post with #danceparty. We don't think Jim Bob would approve!
Derick even posted a second, now deleted video that showed a group of people dancing and clapping along to the song 'Despacito.'
7 Amy Duggar Breaks All The Rules!
Amy Duggar may share the same last name as her famous cousins, but that's about all they have in common! Cousin Amy has become known as the 'Rebel Duggar' for the fact that she doesn't at all follow the strict rules the other Duggar children have imposed on them.
Amy posted photos of her and her husband's matching tattoos that reads 'Rest in the storm' on their forearms. Amy told PEOPLE the tattoos had deeper meaning for the couple. “Our tat is a reminder that even when our relationship, and life in general may be be going through a storm, there’s always rest and peace in God through our walk in life,” she said.
The Duggar cousin shares pictures of herself on social media that her famous relatives would find downright scandalous, including bikini pics and even Snap Chat pics taken from her bathtub! She also posts photos of her enjoying alcoholic beverages with her husband Dillon, and even appeared on reality show Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Edition, explaining that, “I don’t feel guilty for being me.”
Looks like this is one Duggar who is ready for her time in the spotlight!
6 Ben And Jessa's Unchaperoned Phone Calls
While Jessa Duggar Seewald and husband Ben Seewald may seem to be very much the kind of couple that embraces the Duggar family rules, it seems they broke almost every courtship rule there was prior to getting married.
In the book 'Growing Up Duggar', Jessa explains that she and Ben were very, very bad during their courtship. Or at least bad according to Duggar rules!
“The day Ben and I started courting, we began our tradition of calling each other on the phone every night. These were such special times."
"These calls were not ‘chaperoned,'" Jessa admits. "They were private just between the two of us.” Scandalous! Or, not so much. “We would talk about everything from how our day went, to what we had been learning from our Bible reading," she wrote. "Then just anything else that we want to talk about."
They also held hands before they got engaged and even had a full on hug before they were married. Who knows, maybe we'll see Jessa in pants next!
5 Lack Of Safety
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar along with disgraced son Josh Duggar have all come under fire for breaking not their own family rules, but rules most parents follow for their kids.
On more than one occasion the family has posted pictures of Duggar kids riding their bikes, which is a fun way to pass the time and get some exercise while outside playing. The only issue is the children are rarely, if ever, wearing helmets.
Michelle and Jim Bob posted a picture of five of their 19 kids riding bikes on a dirt road, but fans noticed that not one of them were wearing a helmet.
"Looks great! Looks like they forgot their helmets though," wrote one commenter.
"My son fell off his bike when he was 6 had a traumatic brain injury in a coma for almost 2 weeks. Helmets are very important," wrote another.
a photo of Josh Duggar's two sons was also posted to Facebook showing his son Marcus learning to ride a bike with the help of brother Michael. Again, not a helmet in sight.
“Seriously?? No helmets?! Yes it’s cute that big brother is helping but let’s teach safety and avoid serious injuries let alone something worse,” wrote one fan.
“I can tell you a helmet saved my life so get those kids helmets!” wrote another.
At this point we think this is the least of Josh Duggar's worries!
4 Joy-Anna And Austin Get Frisky!
Joy-Anna and Austin Forsyth are newlyweds, so it's no suprise to most of us that the couple who couldn't even hug before they got married are definitely enjoying each other. But who knew that their actions could be labelled 'obscene' and that the couple would be called out for their actions on social media!
We all know that Duggar die hards aren't fans of PDA, and have called out Jill and Derick Dillard and Jessa and Ben Seewald for seeming to like each other too much in public, but now Joy-Anna and Austin have been called our for their 'obscene behaviour.' What is that behaviour? See for yourself.
The Duggar Family News: Life Is Not All Pickles And Hairspray Facebook page shared the image captured during the filming of 'Counting On' and it's members definitely had things to say about it!
"Who does this in public? She's sitting on his little willy. Once the Duggars get married they get obscene. Do you think this pose is biblical? From no frontal hugs or kissing before marriage to sex acts in public after. The Duggars never lack in irony," the page captioned the picture.
“Again—disturbing,” one fan wrote. “The real reason for marriage for the Duggars is physical contact. It’s not normal for these people to only physically connect when married. It’s absolutely absurd!”
“The humility and modesty right out the door,” another wrote.
Looks like Joy-Anna and Austin aren't too worried about it!
3 Jinger's Pregnancy Timing
While people are trying to figure out if Joy-Anna had a shotgun wedding, those same people were trying to figure out why Jinger Duggar wasn't pregnant!
After all, it normally only takes a hot minute for a Duggar to announce a baby is on the way after they get married. The family famously shuns birth control and all seem to welcome 'as many children as God deems fit to give them." Which is why so many people simply assumed that Jinger and Jeremy must be using some kind of birth control.
The couple, who just recently announced they were expecting their first child, were married an entire year before getting pregnant, something that is literally unheard of in the Duggar family.
While Jinger will never admit whether she did or didn't use birth control, many people are applauding the fact that the couple took the time to be newlyweds and get to know each other before bringing a child in to their family.
2 When Jinger Wanted To Move To NYC
Jinger Duggar is one of our fave Duggar daughters! Not only has the reality star seemed to have come in to her own since marrying Jeremy Vuolo, wearing pants, and shorts, and even waiting to get pregnant, but it seems she's had a bit of a rebellious side all along!
During an episode of 19 Kids and Counting when she was just 18 years old, Jinger states that she is eager to move away from her home in Arkansas once she gets married.
“She doesn’t want to live three hours out from civilization,” Jessa told the 19 Kids cameras.
“No! City please city please,” Jinger said.
Mom Michelle Duggar spoke to RadarOnline to clear up exactly what her daughter meant with that statement.
“Jinger didn’t mean she wanted to move to New York City,” her mom Michelle said. “She meant that she wants to live closer to a city. We’re talking right near a city, but not New York City," she said.
“Jinger meant she wanted to live 15 minutes from a Wal-mart. We live so far out of town on 20 acres, but Jinger wants to live closer to town, so she doesn’t have to drive so far to go shopping.”
Hmmm, fans of the show probably won't be surprised to learn that Jinger and Jeremy moved from Arkansas to Laredo, Texas after they married.
1 Jeremy's Wild Side!
Some people will no doubt be surprised that Jinger seems to be rebelling a bit, especially since it seems her husband Jeremy Vuolo has a bit of a wild side himself!
During their courtship Jeremy, a former pro soccer player, admitted to having been drunk before (gasp!) and sinning in his past as a teenager who did what most teenagers do.
What might be most surprising about the soccer player turned pastor is that he has even been arrested! RadarOnline reports that Vuolo was arrested in January 2008 for harassment of a police officer.
“An intoxicated male who appeared to be a friend of the male that was involved was acting belligerent and shouting obscenities while in front of numerous subjects,” the reporting officer wrote. “Identified later as Jeremy Vuolo.”
“For no apparent reason, Vuolo walked up to [the officer] and grabbed his right arm/bicep in a forceful manner,” the report read. “Subsequently, Vuolo was arrested and transported back to HQ, where he was booked and later released to a sober friend.”
Looks like Jeremy has turned his life around. “I was part of the college party scene and was living foolishly,” he said. “I’m not perfect, but I sought out accountability and I now see great victory in my life,” he said about his younger years.
Sources, People Magazine, RadarOnline, Us Magazine, The Hollywood Gossip, The Duggar Family