Where Are Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar from Shiny Happy People Now?
Content warning: The following piece contains mentions of sexual assault, abuse, and trauma and may be triggering for some. Reader discretion is advised.
Prime Video’s latest docuseries Shiny Happy People reveals the dark details behind the seemingly picture-perfect Duggar family, who catapulted to TV fame in 2008 when their reality show 19 Kids and Counting premiered on TLC. The 10-season series, and its spinoff Counting On, followed parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, their 19 children, and their conservative Christian lifestyle in northwestern Arkansas.
19 Kids and Counting was cancelled in 2015 after the Duggar’s eldest child, Josh Duggar, was accused of sexually assaulting several underage girls. He was never charged for these allegations, but in December 2021, Josh was convicted on two counts of possessing and receiving child pornography, according to the Los Angeles Times, and was sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison.
Shiny Happy People pulls the curtain back on the Duggars, their scandals, their ultra-conservative values, and involvement with the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), a controversial fundamentalist Christian organization founded by Bill Gothard (who was later ousted over sexual harassment allegations) in 1961.
Jim Bob and Michelle have maintained a relatively low profile since their show’s cancellation and Josh’s arrest, but upon the release of Shiny Happy People, the matriarch and patriarch released a statement on their website, pushing back on the series’ depiction of their family. “The recent ‘documentary’ that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love,” the statement begins.
“We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting. We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one,” it continues.
Where are Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar now?
In 2021, Jim Bob ran as a Republican candidate for Arkansas’s State Senate and lost in the primary election. He previously served four years in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002, as depicted in Shiny Happy People.
Jim Bob and Michelle still live at the family home in Tontitown, Arkansas, according to their website. They are also still involved with the Institute in Basic Life Principles, and in Shiny Happy People, family friends Jim and Bobye Holt seemed to suggest that Jim Bob and Michelle lead the organization.
“With him being on TLC’s show, I think it has definitely given them a platform to encourage people to come to IBLP,” Bobye said, per the Los Angeles Times. “They’ve encouraged people to move to Arkansas, which is completely a cult move.”
However, there is no information to support the claims regarding Jim Bob and Michelle's suspected leadership positions in the IBLP.
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